Our Hospital, Our StoriesRoyal Alexandra Hospital Physician Dr. Louis Francescutti Appointed to the Order of Canada
Posted on: Jan 03, 2024The Order of Canada is one of our country’s highest honours. It recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions.
The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation congratulates Dr. Louis Francescutti on this incredible achievement.
A longtime emergency room physician at the Royal Alex, Dr. Francescutti was appointed to the Order of Canada “for his leadership in emergency and preventive medicine, and for his advocacy of and support for society’s most vulnerable.”
His many contributions include work related to the Bridge Healing program, which provides transitional housing for at-risk patients discharged from Edmonton emergency departments. Dr. Francescutti has said the program is intended to better serve the needs of patients experiencing homelessness. “It’s good to give them the high level of care that we do [at the Royal Alex],” he has previously explained, “but at the end of that visit, if they’re experiencing homelessness, they have no place to go and so the cycle repeats itself.”
Dr. Francescutti and other staff at the Royal Alex worked alongside Jasper Place Wellness Centre to design the Bridge Healing pilot program, donors to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation quickly stepped up to offer their support, and the program was then funded by Alberta Health Services.
“These efforts are making a significant difference in our community,” said Sharlene Rutherford, President and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. “It is our Foundation’s honour to join Dr. Francescutti and do our part to improve the health of all Albertans—including those without a home in which to heal.”
Dr. Francescutti will be invited to a ceremony to come at a later date to receive his Order of Canada award.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Francescutti and all of this year’s Order of Canada recipients.
