‘Tis the season for reflection and 2020 has certainly given us a lot to think about.
Who would have imagined a year ago that we would be closing out 2020 in lockdown after living with the day-to-day challenges of a global pandemic? Or that in March we would saying goodbye to seeing our colleagues and clients in real life?
While we’re not sorry to say goodbye to 2020, it’s worth acknowledging that we have much to be grateful for. As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on some noteworthy accomplishments and company milestones of which we’re very proud.
Excelling in a virtual environment: At Bridge, a large part of our business is conducting consultancy meetings and advisory boards, all of which typically happens in-person. However, this past March, due to pandemic shut downs, we quickly adapted to online engagement. We’re proud to have facilitated more than 60 virtual consultancy meetings and 80-plus stakeholder/steering group meetings with global participants in more than 15 countries. As a result, we’ve learned a lot about what’s required to effectively engage stakeholders in a virtual environment and some of the major advantages, such as convenience and cost.
Important work: We’re proud to partner with innovative clients—here in Canada and around the globe—who work to advance treatments, therapies, clinical best practices and so many aspects of the healthcare system, with a strong focus on patient-centred care.
Launching a new division: This summer we unveiled CONNECT, a division of Bridge Medical Communications. Leveraging Bridge’s robust and established network, CONNECT will address major knowledge and care gaps in the current healthcare landscape, through patient communications, education and engagement.
Expanding our team: We’re thrilled welcome Lily McNeil, VP of tactical innovation, to our leadership team. Lily is leading the company’s innovation efforts as we expand and optimize solutions to deliver excellence to our clients.
Looking back it’s been quite the year, and we’re grateful for our successes, which are made possible by our outstanding team and clients.
In recognizing our accomplishments, we would be amiss to not acknowledge the challenges faced by so many this year. To give back to our community, we’re pleased to help support Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter. Vulnerable communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. For women and children in abusive situations, quarantine can mean an increased risk of violence. Fortunately, Ontario women’s shelters have remained open throughout the pandemic and continue to provide vital resources to women and children escaping violence. With strained resources and an increased need for their services, we believe it’s important to support these organizations and recognize the good work they do. In addition, we’ve made small donations to a list of charitable organizations compiled by our team and we are privileged to support a wide range of causes that Bridge feels passionate about, from youth homelessness and hunger to Parkinson’s and heart disease.
We’re optimistic about what 2021 has in store.
Wishing Everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!