The Rossy Foundation's Heart and Hands pediatric clinic, a space that transforms lives, will be helping students in Lachine.

Kids who don’t feel well don’t do well in school. Many children in Lachine face staggering health and educational challenges—50% of high school students have an individualized education plan, 29% experience high anxiety, and nearly 1 in 3 live in poverty (annual income below $40,000) with many lacking access to basic healthcare.

A bold solution is arriving at Lakeside Academy in Lachine with the opening of The Rossy Foundation Heart and Hands Pediatric Clinic. With 800,000 Quebecers waiting for a family doctor (including 25% of Quebec children), the clinic will provide immediate, comprehensive care in a trusted environment— school. This new clinic will serve students and their siblings attending Maple Grove Elementary and Lakeside Academy of the Lester B. Pearson School Board. The final touches are being made to the clinic that will offer critical medical, psychosocial, and allied health services removing barriers to care that have long affected families living in the borough. This is the second clinic of its kind in Montreal, the Just for Kids Heart and Hands Pediatric Clinic opened in Verdun in 2019 and serves over 1000 students across three different schools and an indigenous daycare.

Training the next generation of health professionals: With the support from The Montreal Children’s Hospital and McGill University, this unique healthcare model will also train the next generation of pediatricians, nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists and nutritionists directly in the communities they live and serve. The clinic provides healthcare trainees with hands-on experience working with children and families with a variety of mental and physical needs. We hope that this model of care will serve as a blueprint for school clinics across the province and the country.

Why it matters: The two Heart and Hands Clinics are the only medical resident-led, school-based clinics in Quebec giving kids in vulnerable communities access to health and social services, which will result in earlier diagnosis and treatment, improved health outcomes, and empowered families. It’s not just a clinic-it’s a game-changer for a generation of children and gives them new tools and resources to thrive.