In 2024, Opération Enfant Soleil will donate $17 million to support the implementation of these projects in more than one hundred healthcare institutions across the province.

Québec, April 24, 2024—Opération Enfant Soleil will support the implementation of more than 130 projects that will significantly impact the care of children throughout Québec. This essential support to the four major university paediatric hospitals will help them innovate in the specialized and over-specialized care provided to all the province’s sick children. It’s also an invaluable boost to more than a hundred hospitals and organizations in every region to support the best local paediatric care, close to families. More than $17 million will be donated this year to bring these promising initiatives to fruition. 

“Thanks to the support of our donors, partners and volunteers, Opération Enfant Soleil acts as a powerful motivator, enabling structuring projects to be carried out throughout Québec so that our children have access to the best possible care, as close as possible to their families. The projects we support change the lives of thousands of children going through illness, as well as the lives of their families and the medical teams who look after them.” 

— Jonathan Gendron, Opération Enfant Soleil President and CEO 

“Opération Enfant Soleil makes a real difference, an essential one! Their ongoing support enables us to make great strides in carrying out projects that meet the most pressing needs but for which philanthropic support is required. Thanks to this incredible show of solidarity, we have been given the power to offer the best care to children and teenagers, making it possible to dream big to speed up their recovery and allow them to shine in good health!” 

—Dr. Marc-André Dugas, Intensivist Paediatrician and Head of the Department of Paediatrics  

Centre mère-enfant Soleil of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval 

Shining initiatives from les Îles to Gatineau 

The projects supported this year across the province fall within Opération Enfant Soleil’s five scopes of action, of which the following are a few examples. To find out more about all the projects: www.operationenfantsoleil.ca/votre-impact   

 1. Promoting healing through optimal care environments 

The Centre mère-enfant Soleil of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval has been able to count on a significant contribution from Opération Enfant Soleil to help implement the paediatric trauma unit, a colossal project that will transform the critical care offered to young patients throughout eastern Québec. Previously, children suffering from trauma were cared for only in Montréal. The Unité des soins intensifs pédiatriques (USIP) has been completely refurbished to implement this project. The number of beds will increase from 10 to 16, and all the care areas will double in size to optimize the work of the medical teams and humanize care in a much more comfortable environment for afflicted families. After several months of work, the new unit will be inaugurated in the coming weeks. 

2. Providing state-of-the-art equipment adapted to the needs and size of children  

Every little one deserves the best care, wherever they are. In Îles-de-la-Madeleine, a new monitor will keep track of the vital signs of newborn babies and ensure their safety. Permanently attached to the caesarean section table, it will meet the new resuscitation standards and, quite literally, save lives. 

3. Enhancing care through innovative programs 

In the Estrie region, a project involving brief intensive follow-up in the community for young people with mental health problems could be deployed. In 40% of cases of severe psychiatric problems among young people aged 5 to 17 in the region, hospitalization in a child psychiatric unit could be avoided or shortened by setting up a specialized multidisciplinary team to meet the urgent and specific needs of young people in their own environment. This is a first in Québec, as there is currently no equivalent program for young people. Opération Enfant Soleil’s support will be used to set up the project and document the model and its impact on patients to ensure its sustainability. 

4. Supporting clinical research to go even further  

At the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Smart Hospital Project, a first in Canada, aims to develop a wireless monitoring system for newborns and premature babies to improve comfort and closeness between parent and child and to facilitate day-to-day care. In addition to having contributed to the launch phase, Opération Enfant Soleil will be supporting the second phase of this research project, which has the potential to transform neonatal care. 

5. Promoting healthy lifestyles among young people and prevention through the Fonds sport et santé durable  

The Centre de pédiatrie sociale in Gatineau will be able to move forward by acquiring the equipment needed to set up art, mindfulness, and dance therapy activities. This approach aims to help young people develop better emotional regulation and improved physical and mental well-being.  

Ongoing support 

Since 1988, nearly $320 million has been allocated to thousands of promising, tangible projects across Québec, in the four major university paediatric centres and more than a hundred regional hospitals and organizations.   

The next step for Opération Enfant Soleil: the Telethon! 

Year after year, the ever-present display of solidarity, the Telethon, will be broadcast live on June 2, from 12:30 p.m. on TVA. Hosts, artists, families and partners will present the positive impact of Opération Enfant Soleil across Québec. Everyone can give now for the well-being of our children.  

Opération Enfant Soleil: working together for the well-being of Québec’s children 

Opération Enfant Soleil mobilizes Quebecers throughout the year to support the significant university paediatric centres, regional hospitals and organizations that care for children’s health. Recognized as an essential partner, Opération Enfant Soleil finances over a hundred projects these establishments submit annually to ensure that children receive the best possible care, adapted to their size and age, and as close as possible to their families. To learn more about the cause’s impact across Québec, visit www.operationenfantsoleil.ca/votre-impact.