WELLINGTON COUNTY – The joint executive committee (JEC) and boards of Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH) and North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) met this week to discuss COVID-19 activities, strategic planning, hospital and foundation updates.
“It has been an extremely busy year for our GMCH/NWHC hospitals as it relates to COVID-19 activities,” states Jill Schitka, vice-president clinical Services and chief nursing executive. “We continue to work with Caressant Care Arthur Long-term Care Home to help manage the COVID-19 outbreak, which includes ensuring all care needs of residents are being met, stabilizing staffing and enhance services to avoid future outbreaks.”
NWHC’s Palmerston and District Hospital (PDH) was declared in a COVID-19 outbreak on January 27th. “Our NWHC and GMCH hospital sites are working together to support PDH during the outbreak.” explains Schitka.
“COVID-19 vaccine efforts continue as we work with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to vaccinate our staff and physicians,” said Schitka. “To-date 17.5% of GMCH/NWHC staff and professional staff have received their first dose. We are eager for additional vaccines to arrive so we can ramp-up vaccinations.”
“Through these challenging times, the GMCH and NWHC Boards would like to express their deep appreciation to all the hospital staff and physicians for their tireless effort in supporting services, operations, and our residents through this pandemic,” says JEC and NWHC board chair Dale Small. “We would also like to thank our three foundations for their great work in continuing to raise funds to support our hospitals.”
The JEC and boards approved an updated a joint GMCH/NWHC strategic plan which will help guide the organization’s activities for the next three years.
“Highlights from the plan include continued work with our health care partners to improve timely access to mental health and other specialty services,” explained Stephen Street, president and CEO for GMCH/NWHC.
“Providing the best possible care to our patients is a key focus throughout the plan, as is advancing our redevelopment projects including a decision on the future use of the old Groves hospital,” Street added.
A full copy of the strategic plan can be found at: www.gmch.ca or www.nwhealthcare.ca
Project updates
The JEC and boards received an update on the construction project at Louise Marshall Hospital (LMH) in Mount Forest.
“Substantial completion of the new Emergency and Ambulatory Care Departments is scheduled for April and May respectively,” said Street.
“Staff and physician training on new equipment and processes will occur after that, and the new spaces will open in June and July of this year. Limited tours will be made available to donors and the public, compliant with COVID-19 restrictions in place at that time.”
NWHC and GMCH hospital foundations provided updates to the JEC and Boards.
Both the LMH and PDH Foundations were pleased with the support they received from the CKNX Health Care Heroes Radiothon. Through radiothon donations the Mount Forest LMH Foundation was able to meet its goal towards equipment needed for surgical equipment and the PDH Foundation was able to reach its goal towards a new anaesthesia machine.
Groves Hospital Foundation was successful in a Fall Newsletter, sent to 15,000 homes, with an appeal for ongoing support for new hospital equipment with a total of $146,242 raised.
GMCH welcomed two new board members, Stephen O’Neill and Tom Barlow. Several board members have reached the end of their term and recruitment will begin next month to fill upcoming vacancies.
Key skills the board will focus on recruiting for will include legal; information technology; construction management; public and community engagement.
