ESA Donates $250,000 from 2016-2021 to Sunnybrook Ross Tilley Burn Centre

Sunnybrook is at the forefront of mental health integrated rehab

When John Doe, a licensed electrical contractor, went to work one day, he never thought that in a few split seconds, a poor decision would change his life forever. The life-changing incident happened in October 2018 at a strip mall in Toronto where John and his team were called in to help solve an electrical problem.

Against his better judgement, John removed the electrical panel to install the new disconnect while it was still energized. “The next thing I knew, there was an explosion,” John says. John received severe electrical burns to over 13 per cent of his body. 

John was rushed to the Ross Tilley Burn Centre where he would undergo multiple surgeries and skin grafts. But Dr. Marc Jeschke, medical director of the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook, also understood the mental toll the injuries would take on Alan and his family, so he built a recovery program that went beyond the physical. 

John was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that can cause symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, extreme anxiety and depression. 

“Mental health is still completely under appreciated,” says Dr. Jeschke. Dr. Jeschke’s study shows that just 60 per cent of patients were able to return to their jobs and a third have not been able to return to any form of work due to ongoing mental health struggles. 

After observing the widespread incident of PTSD, depression and anxiety among the electrical burn patients, Dr. Jeshke wants to better understand the mental health needs of this patient population in order to create a comprehensive mental health support and care at the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook. 

A commitment of $250,000 over the past five years from the Electrical Safety Authority has allowed Dr. Jeschke to continue the momentum of this world-leading electrical injury research. 

To learn about ESA’s donation to Sunnybrook, please watch this short video:

About the Electrical Safety Authority

The Electrical Safety Authority's (ESA’s) role is to enhance public electrical safety in Ontario. As an administrative authority acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario, ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety. ESA works extensively with stakeholders throughout the province on education, training and promotion to foster electrical safety across the province.

More information on the Electrical Safety Authority can be found at www.esasafe.com, through https://twitter.com/homeandsafety and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ElectricalSafetyAuthority.