St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

How Funds Raised Help Women Seeking Care at St. Joe’s

• Funds raised through the Hamilton edition of the Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women support the work of the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic (WHCC) at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. The WHCC is internationally-renowned for its excellence in treating the mental health concerns of women throughout their life cycles – from premenstrual dysphoric disorder to bipolar disorder; as well as changes in mood and anxiety as a result of pregnancy, the post-partum period or transitions during menopause.
• Funds are also supporting programs specifically designed to treat the mental health and substance use needs of women in our community. Womankind Addiction Service is a 26-bed facility located in West Hamilton providing gender-responsive care for those looking to change their substance use. Our Seniors’ Mental Health Service helps women living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, as well as mental health or behavioural concerns that can be related to aging or existing diseases.
• And the Youth Wellness Centre provides care to youth aged 17 – 25 in Hamilton’s downtown core. Gender affirming, culturally sensitive care provided by a diverse group of staff members help youth who are living with anxiety, depression, substance use and more.
• By granting funds to multiple programs at our Hospital, we’re ensure that every woman living with mental health or substance use concerns, regardless of their age or diagnosis, can benefit from the funds raised through the Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women and the exceptional care provided by our care teams.

 

Meet Anneliese Lawton: Mom, Mental Health Advocate and Hamilton’s 2023 Run for Women Community Champion

 

For most new moms, pregnancy and birth are a time for celebration. But for some – about a quarter of new mothers in Canada – maternal milestones can put them at risk for poor mental health.

 

The latter was the case for Anneliese Lawton, a mom of three, bestselling author, content creator, and public speaker.

 

Anneliese’s mental health struggles started long before she became a mom. But it’s when she got pregnant with her first child, Jack, they began to spiral into life-threatening depression.

 

After two high-risk traumatic pregnancies and the birth of her second child, Max, Anneliese found herself caring for two young boys a year and a half apart. One day, the mounting pressures of motherhood became too much, and she stormed out of her house in despair.

 

“I had wanted to be a mom my entire life and, in that moment, I didn’t want that anymore,” Anneliese recalls. “It was jarring for me to feel this way.”

 

That’s when her husband, Dave, called to get her help, and Anneliese was diagnosed with postpartum depression (PPD).

 

Over time, with therapy and medication, Anneliese was able to find balance in her life and feel more confident as a mom. As a result, she and Dave decided to have a third child. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

 

Like many women who juggled online schooling with being caregivers to their families, their careers and their personal well-being during the pandemic, a pregnant Anneliese was also feeling the heavy weight of COVID-19 on her emotional health. As a result, her doctor referred her to St. Joe’s Women’s Health Concerns Clinic for help.

 

“With support from my care team at St. Joe’s, I didn’t hit the rock-bottom place I was in with my earlier two pregnancies, and I’m incredibly grateful,” Anneliese says. “And I didn’t experience PPD after my daughter Abby was born. Instead, I was given the gift of enjoying motherhood through a fresh set of eyes.” 

 

Anneliese is participating in the Shoppers Drug Mart® Run for Women to let other women and mothers facing mental health challenges know that they’re not alone and support is available when they are ready to reach out.

 

Providing mental health care to women throughout life’s milestones

St. Joe’s Women’s Health Concerns Clinic supports the mental health of women throughout all life stages – from menstruation to pregnancy, postpartum periods and the menopausal transition.
 

In fact, with funds raised locally through the Shoppers Drug Mart® Run for Women, clinician-researchers at St. Joe’s have developed new and effective treatments for women living with mood and anxiety disorders.

 

Psychologist Dr. Sheryl Green and her colleagues, for example, were able to study the impact of COVID-19 on maternal mental health and how cognitive behavioral group therapy could help them heal.

 

“The clinical research we do at St. Joe’s not only benefits the roughly 1,000 women who are referred to our clinic every year, it also helps vulnerable women across Canada – and the world – to get the treatment they need to support their mental health,” says Green.

 

“That’s why community support for the Run for Women is so vital. It helps ensure that more women will have access to the best possible care when, and where, they need it.”

 

Anneliese's Story | 2023 Run for Women Community Champion