At IWK Health, every year brings new challenges, fresh opportunities, and countless moments of inspiration. As we reflect on the past year and look ahead, one theme stands out: what it takes to deliver excellence in women, children, youth and family health care in today’s world.

We are proud to say that IWK Health continues to deliver on its purpose—to passionately pursue a healthy future with women, children, youth and families in all their diversity through excellence in care, research and innovation and applied learning. This is more than a statement. It is a call to action, and a guide for how we respond to a constantly shifting health care environment.

In the last year alone, we’ve seen the effects of global instability, climate-related events, and an increasingly complex care environment. Across it all, IWK Health has continued to evolve, adapt and lead, delivering high-impact programs, advancing research, and strengthening the experiences of patients, families and staff alike. Much of this work was featured in our year-in-review video, but equally important is the mindset behind it.

We believe what it takes to transform and sustain health care can be explained using three words: purpose, passion, and people.

Purpose is at the heart of everything we do. It shapes decisions and grounds us in our why. Whether it’s reimagining emergency care through patient- and family-informed design, or launching a wellness centre to support those who deliver care, we are constantly aligning our work to what matters most: meaningful, lasting impact for those we serve. Our purpose also inspires strong partnerships with patients, families and communities. Their input helps shape care and system improvements that better reflect lived experience.

Passion fuels our people and the culture they create. It’s visible in our clinical teams, our support staff, and in the researchers pushing forward innovations that promise better care tomorrow. This year, we saw passion in action through record-setting generosity from our donors—including a $25M commitment from the Garron family toward youth mental health. We also saw it in smaller, yet equally meaningful ways: a quiet kindness between care team and patient, a volunteer's dedication, a mentor's time. It’s in the way we show up for each other, every day.

And of course, people are the most critical ingredient. From our incredible staff, physicians, and volunteers, to our community partners and health system collaborators across the Maritimes, people make it all possible. It’s a shared effort. The IWK belongs to the communities we serve, and their connection and trust in us is a source of strength. Our sincere thanks go to our educational and government partners, who help us build and support an adaptable, resilient workforce, and ensure that system priorities are grounded in the needs of families.

We also wish to thank the IWK Foundation and the IWK Auxiliary for their unwavering commitment. They exemplify what it means to turn care into action, and generosity into opportunity.

We are especially grateful to the members of our leadership and management teams. They support innovation, remove barriers, and guide their teams with skill and compassion. And a special thanks to our outstanding volunteer Board of Directors. Your thoughtful leadership and keen oversight help guide IWK Health through complexity with a steady hand.

As we look ahead, we do so with confidence and optimism. Because we know what it takes to deliver on our purpose. And we know we have it.

Or, as Michael Jordan once said:
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

Thank you for believing in our purpose, fuelling our passion, and standing with our people.