NEWS RELEASE
February 11, 2009
Local hospital will retain acute care focus
Leamington, ON – After 18 months of analysis, planning and consultation the Board of Directors of Leamington District Memorial Hospital (LDMH) met last night to finalize the strategic direction of the organization and approve the hospital’s operating plan for the next year.
The plan, called Outlook 2020, sets the course for a strong and sustainable future for LDMH and outlines a number of changes that will help ensure the hospital’s relevance to the community while dealing with pressing resource issues. LDMH will remain an acute care hub with a focus on the most important health care needs of the community while building on strengths in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Outpatient Surgery and Diagnostic Testing.
“What really matters is that we still have an acute care hospital here in Leamington,” explains John Newland, Chair of the Board for Leamington District Memorial Hospital. “Even though there will be changes, our hospital will continue to provide high quality, accessible patient care for our community.”
A recent report that recommended LDMH maintain a 24/7 Emergency Department was pivotal to the board’s decision. “An Emergency Department is a core service for an acute care hospital and essential to us as a community,” explained Warren Chant, CEO at LDMH adding that “in order to sustain the 24/7 Emergency Department other services and programs require restructuring to live within our budget.”
The strategic plan is based on what the Board thinks is best for the hospital and the community within the context of changing demographics, limited human and financial resources, and broad consultation with staff, physicians, community leaders, key healthcare partners and an in-depth community telephone survey. Key elements of the new strategic plan include:
Consolidation of Medicine/Surgery and Obstetrics on the 2nd floor
Moving the Obstetrics unit currently on the main floor up to the second floor will allow consolidation with Medicine/Surgery to maximize nursing coverage and make services more efficient. With approximately 315 births per year, an independent Obstetrics unit, which requires 2 nurses on duty at all times, is no longer sustainable. Consolidation on the 2nd floor means that women can continue to choose to deliver their babies at LDMH. The service is not closing, it is moving to the 2nd floor.
Elimination of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit
Therapy services, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, will continue to be available to our medical and Complex Continuing Care patients; however, the 6-bed inpatient unit is closing. Provincially, rehab is intended to treat orthopedic, neurological and stroke patients – services and programs not provided as core to the LDMH medical program. These patients will be better served by Windsor hospitals allowing Leamington to focus on providing improved outpatient and ambulatory care services.
Intensive Care Unit Restructuring and Integration
The current 4-bed unit will be reclassified from a level 3 ICU to a level 2 ICU, which is more reflective of the current level care being provided. With an average occupancy rate of just 60%, the unit will become a 2-bed unit with a Cardiac Care/Step Down focus. More critical patients will go to Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor where they will have access to appropriate specialists and expertise.
Emergency Department remains open 24/7
Emergency services will remain a core service at the hospital. Co-ordination and standardization will be extremely important for future service delivery. Recommendations in the recent Emergency Department study will be considered as the restructuring plan moves forward.
Integration with Windsor Hospitals
Closer integration of select services will improve access and provide a more seamless continuum of care for Leamington patients. Integration with Windsor hospitals will mean less duplication and more control over costs. Work is also underway to consolidate back office and administrative functions with other regional hospitals.
“Change can be difficult but it is absolutely necessary to keep the hospital viable in the coming years. We’ve said all along that the status quo is not an option,” said John Newland Board Chair. “We have worked hard to find alternatives that would have the least amount of impact on accessibility for our patients, but the biggest impact on the bottom line. We are asking the community to work with us to continue to build a better future for the hospital and the community.”
Changes to services and programs will be phased in throughout the 2009/2010 fiscal year which begins April 1. Transition teams will be created to determine bed allocations and to maximize efficiencies and ensure quality of care.
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For more information visit the hospital’s website at www.leamingtonhospital.com
For more information:
Warren Chant
President & CEO
Leamington District Memorial Hospital
(519) 326-2373 ext. 4101