Creating Better Patient Outcomes Through the Power of Innovation
When I became President and CEO of the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation in 2020, I was excited for the opportunity to support the hospital’s leading-edge, technology-enabled care supporting the thousands of patients who rely on it every year.
It’s precisely that focus on leveraging research excellence and technology to maximize positive patients outcomes that has made the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital one of the most well-known rehabilitative hospitals in the world.
It’s why we’re carrying that spirit of innovation into everything we do at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, blazing trails for non-profit organizations and demonstrating how being at the forefront of change can help you harness the power of new technology and build sustainable momentum.
This year we seized one such opportunity by partnering with The Giving Block to become the first healthcare foundation in Alberta to accept cryptocurrency donations and the first hospital foundation on the map in the Decentraland metaverse, which will help us unlock a more diverse, global donor pool to support our health research and innovations. Our foundation has always been focused on developing technology that helps our patients recover from injury or deal with chronic illnesses, and donations like bitcoin ensure we can continue to expand our reach while showing other future-looking organizations the potential crypto and blockchain can have to transform all sectors.
I’ve always been interested in challenging the status quo. Why do we do things the way we do? Why don’t we try a new approach? Asking questions like this is an important step toward unlocking new innovations, riding the wave into the future rather than being left behind in its wake. It’s about creating new pathways to enable even bigger positive transformation for our patients, and by extension, the healthcare sector.
As the digital economy continues to grow, the organizations that have embraced it and its potential will be best positioned to maximize their benefits and reach their goals, instead of scrambling to catch up. That’s the thing about change — even if it’s inevitable, it’s sometimes hard to see it while it’s happening. But if you miss it, you also miss all the opportunities it can bring — opportunities that are lost for good. My job as CEO is to ensure we maximize every transformation, embrace change and remain at the forefront of modern tech. It’s why I’m so focused on building on the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation’s innovative reputation by pushing us into the digital frontier and building new partnerships and pathways to our technology-enabled future.
Learn more about the innovative equipment and technology helping our patients live better, more fulfilling lives during Shining a Light at Edmonton’s Epcor Tower on June 16, 18 and 19. We’ve partnered with Vignettes Yeg to build an Instagram-worthy light and art installation to allow guests to immerse themselves in the power of rehabilitative technology up close. Tickets are available now at ShiningALight.ca. Proceeds will support patients receiving complex comprehensive care at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Hope to see you there!
-Mark Korthuis, President and CEO, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation