International Women’s Day on March 8 presents an opportunity to appreciate the many ways in which Ontario’s health care landscape is evolving.
Karen Moyer, an occupational therapist with the Waypoint Mobile Treatment and Support Team (MTST), is a perfect example of how women have shaped the sector. Over more than three decades, she has cared for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, ensuring their successful reintegration into the community.
Growing up in Hamilton, Moyer knew occupational therapy would be her calling. “Right out of high school, I knew I was going to be an OT,” she said. “I loved that OT was so holistic with regard to the biological, psychological, social, spiritual and environmental aspects of a person’s life.”
Moyer’s commitment to understanding the full spectrum of human health was further solidified when she graduated from the McMaster University/Mohawk College occupational therapy program. Before joining Waypoint in 1991, Moyer had already garnered valuable experience working in Thunder Bay and St. Catharines. But it was her role at Waypoint that truly allowed her to make an impact, particularly with clients who had multiple admissions to the hospital and were transitioning from inpatient care to community life.
My role is to help clients develop the goals they want for their life. We talk about what’s interfering with them reaching their goals, and we work around or through those things.
Karen Moyer, Waypoint occupational therapist
what’s interfering with them reaching their goals, and we work around or through those things.”
The MTST plays a crucial role in helping individuals avoid a crisis, offering support right after discharge until suitable community resources are found. Many of Moyer’s clients struggle with persistent mental health issues and have faced numerous challenges in their journey to recovery.
“Our job is to help people stay in the community,” she said. “If people start to show symptoms of going toward a crisis or problems, we try and intervene early and prevent that from happening.”
As a female leader in the health care field, Moyer has witnessed significant changes over the years.
There’s more female leadership than ever. And there are more female physicians and psychiatrists in the field, and I think health care in general has advanced to being more client-centred, more client-driven.
Women in leadership positions have helped reshape the sector into one that values personalized care, as opposed to a more traditional, one-size-fits-all approach. Looking ahead, Moyer believes the future of health care will continue to be shaped by flexibility, particularly for women: “COVID allowed people to work from home more. And I think that provides more balance for people to have that option, which is attractive for anyone.”