In a look back at the past fiscal year, Grey Bruce Health Services says it welcomed new physicians, bought new equipment and approved a new strategic plan.
The Board of Directors held its Annual General Meeting June 22nd where it reflected on the recent past.
GBHS president and CEO Gary Sims says, ” We’ve expanded patient services, completed several major infrastructure projects, and purchased a significant amount of new equipment in the past year.”
He notes, “In addition, our new Markdale Hospital is now 50 per cent complete, which is a major milestone. We are very proud of all of our people for their accomplishments during another challenging year in healthcare.”
Grey Bruce Health Services has hospitals in Lion’s Head, Wiarton, Southampton, Owen Sound, Meaford and Markdale.
Some highlights from the past year include funding for a significant expansion to addiction and mental health services.
The recruitment of nine specialist physicians and ten family physicians to the area.
The non-urgent patient transportation fleet was doubled to six vehicles to transfer patients between sites.
GBHS staffed clinics on Saugeen First Nations and Chippewas of Nawash to support mental health and addictions.
They purchased new cataract equipment to expand ophthalmology services at the Meaford Hospital.
GBHS launched a Virtual Urgent Care program which allows patients access to medical care from home, and it says, thanks to its hospital foundations, it was able to buy 35 new defibrillators for emergency cardiac care, six new infant warmers, and install new x-ray machines for Meaford, Southampton and Owen Sound.
The hospital corporation says it trained 150 medical students/residents, launched a new leadership development program for staff, hired over 400 new employees across the region and welcomed volunteers back into hospital after COVID-19 restrictions eased.
GBHS’s new Strategic Plan aims to guide the organization for the challenges ahead, including staffing pressures,
and the number of patients with more serious illness.
It says, like hospitals across Ontario, GBHS has high vacancy rates in some departments, and is continuing its focus on recruitment and retention.
As emergency department visits start to climb back to pre-pandemic levels, GBHS is beginning to see sicker patients whose care had been delayed in the past two years, which will put additional pressure on all hospital services.
Distribution of the new Strategic Plan is set to begin next month.
Meanwhile, two board members are retiring – Al White and Dr. Paul Middlebrook, Chief of Medical Staff. The Board welcomed new Board members Randall Kahgee, lawyer and former Chief of Saugeen First Nation; lawyer Judy Wilson and Dr. Mike Williams, Emergency Medicine physician, as the new Chief of Medical Staff.
