Donations Without Borders

Perched on the southern side of Mount Royal, the Allan Memorial Institute overlooks the city with an imposing air. Built in 1863 by Sir Hugh Allan, the Scottish founder and president of the Allan Lines Shipping Company, the Italianate mansion was initially named Ravenscrag after a Scottish castle. After nearly 80 years as the principal residence of the Allan family and their heirs, it was left to the Royal Victoria Hospital with the instructions that it be used to house psychiatric care in perpetuity.

Now, over 60 years later, the Allan Memorial Institute is home to a new gift: a generous donation to the Best Care for Life campaign from the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation. The $375,000 gift will be used to support the Personality Disorders Program of the Mental Health Mission of the MUHC. Begun on a small scale in 2001 and expanded into a pilot project in 2005, the program has improved the lives of patients who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, a devastating condition for which little therapeutic support has traditionally existed.

In honour of the donation, Dr. Warren Steiner, Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the MUHC along with members of the Borderline Personality Disorders team welcomed Nadine Gut, Vice President of the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation, for an informal meeting and tour of the Allan.

With the sun streaming in through the windows of what used to be the servants’ dining room, Dr. Joel Paris presided over the meeting, speaking warmly to Mrs. Gut and members of the MUHC Foundation about the Borderline Personality Disorders (BPD) Program. “The patients we see within the program have traditionally given healthcare providers a lot of difficulty. They often turn up at emergency rooms with repeated overdoses of pills, cutting, and substance abuse. They are unstable, moody, lead stormy lives and will often threaten to commit suicide, even when in the hospital.”

Recognizing that BPD patients represented a group that needed a different approach, a group of MUHC psychiatrists decided it was time that more specialized care be given to these patients. They devised an intensive 12-week psychotherapy program; a radical intervention for a disease that had long been perceived as chronic and incurable. “We were surprised by our own success!” exclaimed Dr. Paris, recalling the early days of the program.

The program has two BPD branches, the 12 week treatment and the extended care. The 12 week treatment is open to 33 patients per year, in 3 treatment groups per year, offering service to  11 patients per group. The PD consultation office offers services three mornings per week and over the past 6 years has provided consultation services to almost seven hundred patients. Extended care can treat 40 patients in 6 months treatment plans for up to 2 years. Patients who eventually go into the extended care treatment will generally have been seen initially in the PD consultation clinic and an additional assessment will be done at intake to the BPD extended care. There are hopes to expand to offer services to the families of patients with BPD, as well to as young adults. “Although the program has been in place for a relatively short period of time,” said Dr. Steiner, “we have become the referral point for our partners across the province in the Réseau universitaire intégré de santé. We’ve seen a marked drop in repeat visits from these patients to our emergency rooms, which is a positive thing for them and for our ER staff.” Dr. Paris reflected upon how central donations have been to the program’s success. “We’re so grateful for the support from organizations like the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation—that support is what allows us to keep going.”

In thanking the BPD team for their time and praising them for their excellent work, Mrs. Gut warmly noted that, “Mrs. Bronfman would really appreciate this—she is a former social worker and knows very well what it’s like to work with people suffering from what we now know as Borderline Personality Disorder. She is sure to find your work inspirational.”

Mrs. Gut left the Allan on that bright morning with a smile on her face and a special gift in her hand: a CD by the MusiArt group. This unique choir features members who have come through the BPD program and who are now on the road to recovery. Their songs bear eloquent witness to the groundbreaking work being done by the talented professionals of the MUHC. A plaque honouring the outstanding contribution of the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation will soon be installed at the Allan Memorial Institute, where the BPD program, which will now be called the The Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Personality Disorders Programme, will continue on for years to come, giving a new history to an already historic site.