R E P R T - St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation

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NHS responds to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about the Hospital Improvement Plan On December 16, 2008, the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) approved the Niagara Health System’s (NHS) Hospital Improvement Plan (HIP). The HIP is a clinical services plan that looks to improve the delivery of quality of patient care and at the same time achieve cost savings. The details of the HIP will be implemented over the next five years. Some of the key changes include creating ten centres of excellence for specialized care across the region. Q: Is the Hospital Improvement Plan only about saving money? A: No. The Plan is about providing the health care Niagara needs and deserves in a way that is sustainable. By consolidating services and creating centres of excellence, we can use our health professionals, facility, equipment, technological and financial resources to our fullest ability to care for more patients and provide better care. As part of this plan we will need to work with other healthcare providers and the LHIN to deal with the shortage of primary care as well as supportive housing. Q: How will this Plan change patient care services? A: Patient care will be improved on a number of levels. There are several major recommendations to help Niagarans in a number of ways, such as: Manage chronic disease like diabetes or asthma while living at home, Offer more services for the elderly, Provide better services for people with addictions and mental health issues, Enhance our stroke program by having dedicated inpatient beds, Improve our surgical services by creating Centres of Excellence for various specialties such as Urology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, etc. The list goes on and is identified in detail in the Plan. The bottom line is that these recommendations will bring major improvements to patient care in Niagara. Our goal is to provide the right care at the right time in the right place. This plan will do that. Q: Doesn’t this plan raise more questions than provide answers? A: In any plan of this scope, there will be some questions that require more discussion especially during the implementation phase. In this plan, we have a road map that will get us from where we are today to a position where we can improve the quality of hospital care for every resident of Niagara, attract new doctors and nurses to the region and ensure that we can provide sustainable hospital care for our children and grandchildren Q: What is all this talk about one ‘super hospital’ for Niagara – why isn’t this being done? A: We do not support the concept of one single super hospital for Niagara. One hospital for Niagara does not balance the need for specialization and concentration of services versus the need for emergency, surgery, and dialysis care closer to home. One hospital in Niagara does not allow for back-up services in case of emergencies such as a fire in the hospital or an infectious outbreak such as SARS. Q: Why won’t you reconsider building the new health-care complex planned in St. Catharines on available land at the intersection of Highways 406 and 20 to be more accessible for all Niagarans? A: A very detailed selection process was undertaken to select the parcel of land to build the new health-care complex. Over 20 parcels of land were assessed, including land at Highways 406 and 20. The location at First Street and Fourth Avenue in west St. Catharines met all of the criteria including: size of property, transit access, proximity to roads such as Highway 406, QEW, St. Paul St and 4th/Welland Ave, compliance with official plan, ease of site services, proximity to Hamilton and central location in Niagara. We cannot build the new regional services – the cancer centre, cardiac catheterization and specialty mental health beds – as stand-alone regional services in the middle of Niagara. All of these services need to be located with an acute care community hospital. Q: Why does the HIP call for the creation of one centre of excellence for maternity services? A: There are a number of reasons why. Firstly, the number of births in Niagara is declining as our population ages. International research studies show that there should be more then 2,000 births in a single maternity or obstetrics department to ensure that risks to mother and baby are kept to a minimum. At this time NHS runs three obstetrical units - one in Niagara Falls, one in Welland and one at the St. Catharines General site. Q: Why can’t we have birthing centres, rather than full-service maternity units in all three cities? They don’t need to be as hightech. A: A major factor driving the recommendation to create a centre of excellence is the increasing shortage of both specialized physicians and nurses to staff our three programs 24 hours per day. One of the main issues in continuing to have three obstetrics departments is the difficulty in staffing the units. Whether we provide birthing centres or full-services obstetrical programs, we still need RNs and RPNs staffing the departments with mid-wives, and physician specialists providing back-up. The average age of our specialists is now 57, and we simply won’t have enough staff to sustain three separate units in the future. Q: What if my child gets sick? Do I have to go to the new St. Catharines hospital? A: No. All NHS Emergency Departments and 14-hour Prompt Care Centres will continue to provide assessment and treatment services for infants, children and teenagers. Q: How is this Plan better for patients in NHS hospitals? A: Evidence and best practices in patient care show that patient outcomes actually improve when services are combined and Centres of Excellence are created. By treating more patients, doctors and nurses can focus and hone their skills. More specialists can be attracted and the technology will be there to support the most up-to-date procedures. Page 2 | Winter 2009 | www.scghfoundation.com Letters From Grateful Patients Dear SCGH Foundation, "Sometimes, one has to be fair.” In June, I had to rush to the hospital with a nasty "Atrial Fibrillation" episode. I was admitted right away and was looked after by Dr. Shank and a number of nurses. Everyone was pleasant and efficient. Throughout the night Dr. Shank was very attentive, administering a number of tests, along with a drug that I had never received before. Within hours, my condition started to improve. Let's not say that patients are not looked after with kindness and competence. I am very grateful to the entire staff that took care of me including the triage nurse, because of the efficiency of the SCG hospital and the availability of drugs to help with my recurring problem. Mrs. Emilienne (Mimi) Massuet Dear SCGH Foundation, Sadly, on this past Saturday night I suffered a miscarriage and ended up in the care of the General's ER department. From the moment I arrived until we left we were treated with care, concern and respect. Thankfully I have not personally had the need for an emergency room since I was 6, so I was unsure what kind of experience I would have. However, everyone I encountered from the very nice lady in Emergency Registration (who remembered me the next day too), to the nurses, the doctor, and even the housekeeping staff were all wonderful, and I felt that they deserved a heartfelt thank you from someone who truly appreciated their care. In a sad hour of my life I felt fortunate to have encountered such caring individuals and will always remember their kindness. I also wish to add that Dr. Dobosiewicz is such an asset to the hospital. He is my obstetrician and through this situation he too has been wonderful and helpful. The St. Catharines General has, in my opinion, a great staff of people who care, and that is beyond measure in this world. So please again send along my thanks to all, and wish everyone a happy and healthy Holiday. Claire Gregory Dr. Peter McMain Retires 50 year career in Paediatric Medicine Submitted by Sharon Phair, RN In August, the staff of the Maternal Child and Family Care Unit hosted a small luncheon in honour of Dr. McMain's long standing presence on the Obstetric and Paediatric wards of the St. Catharines General. As always, even though it was a surprise reception, he was able to capture the moment to share some of his observations over the years. The changes have been many; but always at the center of his work has been the well being of his paediatric patients. One nurse recalled her own child's first encounter with Dr. McMain. She entered the office and there was no one at the reception desk. As she approached the desk, a little Beaver hand puppet popped up and began talking to her son. It pulled up a small doctor's bag and encouraged him to look inside and touch the equipment. Then Dr. McMain appeared. She recalls from then on her son had no fear of doctors and she was very appreciative of his care of her son. The MCFC staff have made a donation to The SCGH Foundation’s Wall of Hope as a permanent recognition of Dr. McMain’s work. On behalf of the staff, we wish Dr. McMain all the best as he enters the next chapter of his life. Dr. McMain enjoys a retirement celebration with the staff & volunteers of the Maternal Child & Family Care Unit.
Holiday Fundraiser a Sparkling Success 2008 Tree of Lights Campaign raises $96,318 Our largest crowd ever joined us to celebrate the 17th Annual Tree of Lights in Thorold and the 23rd Annual in St. Catharines. The beautiful trees were lit up for the festive season and held in memory of Dr. Laura Goede, Don MacLean, Gene Moccio, Rita Pirillo, Barbara Ann Seymour, and John Washuta. We are pleased to announce that the trees in front of City Hall are a little "greener" this year thanks to our friends at Horizon Utilities. Over 5000 lights have been replaced with energy-efficient LED strands helping to keep the trees shining brightly while reducing energy costs over the holiday season. Families enjoyed hot chocolate, special coffee, delicious food, cookies, and musical entertainment including spectacular performances by the Niagara Conservatory of Music, Young Singers of Niagara and special guests, the award winning Smudge Fundaes. Olympic Bronze Medalist, Melanie Kok and Hamilton Tigercat, George Hudson signed autographs for their fans. Children and their families kept busy with craft tables, a Bounce & Slide and of course, posing for photographs with Father Christmas. We are excited to announce that we have exceeded our goal for the 2008 Tree of Lights campaign and Christmas Appeal by raising a grand total of $96,318. All proceeds from the 2008 Tree of Lights campaign will be directed to the Critical Care Services at the SCG site of the NHS. Evangelista Family Supports the SCGH Augustin James Evangelista, son of super-model and St. Catharines native, Linda Evangelista, recently celebrated the first of many milestone occasions, his baptism. Consistent with their generous spirit, the Evangelista family asked that all gifts be directed toward the Paediatric Department at the SCGH, which enabled the purchase of a Phototherapy Light for the Maternal Child and Family Care Unit. Thank you, Marisa and daughter Linda Evangelista, for your exemplary support of healthcare in Niagara. Memorial for Dr. Park In November, The SCGH Foundation hosted a memorial celebration for the late Dr. Ken Park. Dr. Park was a compassionate and highly skilled physician who joined the Emergency and Family Medicine departments at the SCG site in 1992. The tribute service was a moving occasion for family, friends and colleagues to reflect and celebrate Dr. Park’s life. To honour Dr. Park’s significant contribution to our hospital, two trauma stretchers have been purchased for the Emergency Department through memorial gifts. Thank you to our caring community, whose donations made this urgent need a reality. Dr. Park’s parents and sisters, Hazel and Nancy were touched by the tribute service held in November. Your Dollars at Work In 2008 we were thrilled to announce that over $650,000 had been raised to purchase a state-of-the-art Digital Fluoroscopy Unit for the Diagnostic Imaging Department. This vital piece of equipment has been installed at the SCG. Dr. Mehta is grateful to have this sophisticated unit at the SCG. “The Fluoroscopy Unit’s resolution is 100x better now, and the radiation dose is a fraction of the previous dose given. The new machine allows our doctors to diagnose patients in a shorter period of time – we can assist more patients, faster and safer.” The Digital Fluoroscopy Unit helps our specialists obtain quick, accurate images and immediate diagnosis of strokes, cancers, Chrons, colitis and the evaluation of veins, joints and clots. Thank you Niagara for your support! Your support will assist Jack Samchyk and colleagues of the Diagnostic Imaging Unit obtain quick and accurate images. www.scghfoundation.com | Winter 2009 | Page 3
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Page 5 and 6: Lions Support Local Services In Nov
Page 7 and 8: THEIR MEMORY LIVES ON Robert Adamso

R E P R T - St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation

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