Connecting through communication
As Chief of Staff at Bluewater Health, Dr. Michel Haddad is committed to high-quality patient care and medical education in the Sarnia-Lambton region
By Emily Leighton, MA’13
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dr. Michel Haddad knew he needed to connect with patients in the Sarnia-Lambton region to share relevant and reliable health information.
In the two years since, the intensive care unit physician and Chief of Staff at Bluewater Health has worked hard to build trust with the community through communication, focusing on evidence-based information and guidelines.
“There was a lot of confusion, a lot of information overload and opposing views at times,” he said. “We had to be able to change course but remain data driven, calm and clear in our communication.”
From social media to radio to national television, Haddad spoke to people in Sarnia-Lambton and across the country, including a special segment on CBC The National that aired in January 2022 and captured Bluewater’s ICU overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
“I was committed to updating our community and the country about our own corner of Ontario,” he said. “And for people to see and hear from real patients, I think it was more important and impactful than someone reading out the latest numbers on the news. It put faces to those numbers – people with names, families and emotions; it made the situation more human.”
Caring for patients through multiple waves of the pandemic, Haddad says the strain on the health care system is evident, with staff suffering from fatigue and burnout.
“The emotional injury was more taxing than the physical work for our team,” he said. “We spent a lot of time trying to save the sickest of the sick. People would spend weeks with us in the ICU, and we unfortunately lost people in all age groups.”
Haddad does see the situation improving, crediting vaccination rates and better immunity levels for slowing the pace and deadliness of the virus. “We’ve learned a lot during the pandemic,” he said.
“We’ve become comfortable with the fast-changing nature of science and the need to adapt and change course quickly. This experience also reinforced the value and importance of each member of our staff – so many people stepped up to help beyond their regular duties.”
With roots in Southwestern Ontario, Haddad feels a strong connection to the area and the communities he serves. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Western University and pursued medical school and cardiac surgical training at the University of Ottawa. He then completed fellowship training in heart failure and transplant surgery at the University of Maryland before returning to London for additional fellowship training in critical care medicine at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
He combined this extensive training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, serving as the Interim Director of Cardiovascular Intensive Care.
“I was committed to updating our community and the country about our own corner of Ontario. And for people to see and hear from real patients, I think it was more important and impactful than someone reading out the latest numbers on the news. It put faces to those numbers – people with names, families and emotions; it made the situation more human.”
— Dr. Michel Haddad
But home was calling him, and in 2010, he moved to Sarnia to help establish a closed-model ICU at Bluewater. The role included developing pathways and protocols to standardize patient care and bringing in an acute dialysis unit, so patients no longer needed to travel to London.
Now as Chief of Staff, Haddad works diligently to improve services for patients, championing the creation of a critical care outreach team, geriatric care program and expanded cancer and surgical services.
He enjoys the balance between administration and clinical work. On the administrative side, he works with the hospital’s senior team and Board of Directors to ensure medical care is delivered in a safe, high-quality environment. He also chairs Bluewater’s Medical Advisory Committee, assessing the quality of care provided to patients and their families on an ongoing basis.
“It gives me a zoom-out view of the hospital and helps me advocate more effectively to improve patient care,” he said. “I want to ensure our patients are receiving the same level of care they would in the bigger urban centres.”
In addition to his clinical duties, Haddad serves as Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Academic Director for Lambton and an Adjunct Professor. As the Academic Director, he provides leadership for local medical education, supports learner and faculty development and promotes rural and regional health care within the academic community.
“My goal is to increase the bonds between the School and community hospitals and to engage more medical learners and expose them to the care happening here,” he said.
Haddad is working with the School’s Distributed Education team to establish a core teaching site for family medicine residents in Sarnia and hopes to increase the number of residents and medical students training in the area overall.
“One of the best rotations I did as a surgery resident was in a community hospital,” he said. “At that time, I didn’t think I’d be practising in a place like Sarnia, outside of the big academic centres, but it’s been the best fit for my career and for my family. It’s allowed me to contribute to my community and colleagues in really important and positive ways.”
