MEDIA RELEASE

TUESDAY JUNE 25, 2013

Enhancing care for patients in our region

Tuesday June 25, 2013, Hamilton, Ontario - West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WMLH) and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) will be moving forward with an amalgamation to enhance care for patients in our region.

The Boards of both organizations voted unanimously in favour of an amalgamation which builds upon our strong track record of working together. The intention to proceed with amalgamation was determined by the initial work of a steering committee made up of individuals from both local boards and insight from various other participants.

“The amalgamation builds upon a 15-year strong tradition of partnership and system coordination,” says Mark Rizzo, Chair of the Board of Directors, Hamilton Health Sciences. “It will result in a combined system that leverages the strengths of each hospital.”

An existing management services agreement already facilitates collaboration in Human Resources, Education, Laboratories, Materials Management, Purchasing and Information Technology Services. A recent review of this partnership identified additional opportunities for the integration of clinical services to:

  • ensure the sustainability of local health services
  • achieve alignment with provincial and local health care planning activities; and,
  • most importantly, meet the needs of patients and families in our region.

“We believe that a more integrated and collaborative approach will ensure that local health and hospital services are sustainable in the future,” says Kurt Whitnell, Chair of the Board of Directors, West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. “The Board of West Lincoln is convinced that amalgamation is the right thing for our hospital, our community and for our future. Providing patients with the best care is reliant on collaboration, innovation and sustainability. We look forward to the many new opportunities that this amalgamation will make possible.”

WLMH and HHS already care for many of the same patients. For example, existing arrangements are in place to share care for patients with hip fractures; and in 2012/2013, 81 per cent of babies born at WLMH requiring neonatal intensive care were transferred to McMaster Children’s Hospital.

continued on next page…

…Media release continued – Enhancing care for patients in our region continued

“We are very excited to work more closely alongside our staff and physician colleagues at Hamilton Health Sciences,” says Vickie Baird, CEO of WLMH. “Through the sharing of expertise and skills, we can provide all patients with an excellent care experience.”

HHS President and CEO Murray Martin agrees: “West Lincoln has a highly effective care model, a vibrant maternal and newborn program, a robust surgical program, and is recognized for its palliative care services. There is much that our two organizations can share with each other. By coming together, we will further strengthen the care continuum to ensure that all patients receive the right care, in the right place.”

One of the first priorities going forward will be redevelopment of the WLMH site. “As an amalgamated organization, we will actively advocate for redevelopment,” says Murray Martin. “We will work with our partners in public office, at the LHIN and the Ministry to ensure the ongoing delivery of quality health care services in West Niagara in an appropriate and safe environment.”

We will be pursuing the formal legal requirements for amalgamation over the upcoming months. The full amalgamation of the two organizations will take place over time and will result in a single organizational structure, and a single governance structure. The hospital will continue to be called West Lincoln Memorial Hospital and will become a site of HHS.

- 30 -

Contact:

Lillian Badzioch

SR PR Specialist

T: 905.521.2100 ext. 76090

Backgrounder – Rationale for Amalgamation

  • There is a 15-year strong tradition of partnership and system coordination between WLMH and HHS as the result of a management services agreement. The agreement has facilitated collaboration in Human Resources, Education, Laboratories, Materials Management, Purchasing and Information Technology Services.
  • This relationship is re-examined from time to time to ensure that it is meeting the needs of patients and families, and the people that care for them.
  • A recent review identified opportunities for further integration of clinical services to ensure the sustainability of local health services; and alignment with provincial and local health care planning activities.
  • Integration of health services continues to be a key mechanism to improve care and reduce costs, and a key contributor to the sustainability of Ontario’s health system. The HNHB LHIN and local health service providers are expected to find opportunities to integrate the health system in alignment with the Action Plan.

In addition, the Ministry has announced the implementation of Health Links – a new model of care where all providers come together to coordinate care plans at the patient level to improve transitions within the system and to ensure that patients receive more responsive care with the support of a tightly knit team of providers.

  • WLMH and HHS believe that amalgamation will result in benefits to patients through:
  • improved coordination of clinical services and access to care
  • quality and comprehensiveness of care
  • more efficient health services
  • and, enhanced academic excellence.
  • Some of the opportunities to improve patient care include:
  • Coordinated surgical service
  • Strengthened obstetrics service
  • Enriched Family Practice Model
  • Sustainable General Internal Medicine (GIM) Model
  • Improved access to diagnostic services
  • Better Emergency Department coordination
  • Changes in medical practice and advances in technology are making it possible for many patients to be better cared for in ambulatory and outpatient environments designed for this purpose. The WLMH site is uniquely positioned to be a leader in this area.
  • A more integrated and collaborative approach is needed to ensure that local health and hospital services are sustainable into the future in West Niagara.
  • WLMH and HHS have shared values. As part of their future planning, both organizations have established strategic directions (long-term goals) that focus on an excellent patient experience for all rooted in safe, effective and accessible patient care.
  • HHS has also committed to a strategic direction around the development of networks to integrate hospital and community care programs for seamless patient care. This amalgamation will provide patients with better continuity of care between different levels of care and services.

Backgrounder – WLMH Redevelopment Project

Redevelopment is a priority

  • The redevelopment of the WLMH site is a priority to ensure the ongoing delivery of quality health care services in West Niagara.
  • We will work with our partners in public office, the HNHB LHIN and the Ministry to provide care to the residents of West Niagara in an appropriate and safe environment.
  • Our current priority is to secure financial support to continue clinical planning and capital renewal for the citizens of West Niagara.

The existing infrastructure is not sustainable

  • The ability to deliver high quality and effective health care services to the West Niagara region is compromised by the existing 65 year old WLMH facility. In addition, the current infrastructure does not lend itself to renovation.
  • New construction is necessary for sustainable operational viability of the site.

Donations will be used for the purpose they were intended

  • The funds raised by the community for the redevelopment through the Foundation and Auxiliary will continue to be held in trust for this purpose.

For the benefit of patients, our planning will focus on:

  • Access to a facility that is designed around their family health care providers
  • Out-patient based facilities that offer more accessible and senior friendly design elements
  • Faster and more convenient access to specialist clinics
  • An enhanced environment for training family physicians and other health professionals in the future

Backgrounder – West Lincoln Memorial Hospital

  • WLMH has been providing exceptional care and service to the 65,000 residents of West Niagara since 1948 in its present location and facility.
  • 391 staff, 124 medical staff, 300 volunteers
  • Accredited by Accreditation Canada - this voluntary review allows health care organizations to evaluate their performance against national standards of excellence.
  • On average each year:
  • more than 25,000 individuals visit the Emergency Department
  • over 2,900 patients are admitted to the hospital
  • care for over 1,000 babies and moms – the Maternal Child program is ranked as a top performer in provincial patient satisfaction surveys and 52 per cent of referrals are from outside West Niagara
  • perform over 3,700 surgeries of which over 80 per cent are outpatient
  • Fulfills a critical role in our local community and broader health system by:
  • alleviating pressures on large acute hospital emergency rooms through the provision of emergency service locally
  • shortening the length of stay in acute care hospitals by accepting transfers of patients once care requirements can be safely provided at WLMH
  • offering short-stay and outpatient surgical services to avoid over-utilization of acute care operating rooms needed to support specialty surgical programs
  • offering obstetrical and gynecological programs close to home for low risk mothers and babies
  • supporting local family health teams and community-based services
  • Unique in its focus on integrating primary care. Local and family physicians comprise our medical staff. These physicians work in our emergency department, operating rooms, and throughout all areas of the hospital. This model is setting the standard for ensuring true continuity of care for patients.
  • A well-deserved reputation and proven track record for remaining fiscally responsible. It is one of a handful of hospitals to operate in the black.
  • Supports the learning needs of medical students and allied health professionals
  • The Niagara Campus of McMaster University Medical School identifies WLMH as the only location where rural medicine can be taught in Niagara. The Niagara campus is dependent on WLMH for a viable Family Residency Program.

Backgrounder – Hamilton Health Sciences

  • Family of health care facilities serving more than 2.3 million residents of Hamilton and central west Ontario
  • Sites include:
  • St. Peter’s Hospital
  • Senior’s care
  • Aging
  • Dementia
  • Palliative care
  • Hamilton General Hospital
  • Cardiac and vascular
  • Neuroscience and stroke
  • Trauma and burns
  • Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
  • Cancer
  • Orthopedics
  • Acute medicine
  • Rehabilitation
  • McMaster Children’s Hospital
  • Pediatric emergency department
  • Neonatal and pediatric intensive care
  • Pediatric outpatient clinics
  • Pediatric Mental Health
  • McMaster University Medical Centre
  • Women’s reproductive health and newborn care
  • Digestive diseases
  • Adult same day surgery and outpatient clinics
  • Chedoke Hospital
  • Prosthetics and orthotics
  • Developmental pediatrics and rehabilitation
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Child and youth mental health
  • West End Urgent Care Clinic
  • Urgent and timely treatment of non-life threatening illness or injury
  • Second largest teaching hospital in Ontario with over 1,100 beds
  • Academic teaching hospital affiliated with McMaster University and Mohawk College
  • Over 11,000 employees; over 1,600 physicians; over 1,000 volunteers; over 2,100 student placements, co-ops and internships
  • On average each year:
  • 41,900 patient admissions
  • 23,800 surgical cases
  • 2,800 births
  • 90 heliport landings
  • 708,000 visits to ambulatory and outpatient clinics
  • Ranked #1 in Canada and #7 worldwide for research impact; research initiatives in more than 80 countries