August 27, 2008

StrategiCare08

Communique

Click on link below to review Communique Edition 3

Strategicare 08 - Communique - August 26 2008

StrategiCare 08 - QA

July 2008

PAY AS YOU GO

 Public Parking is available on the North side of the Hospital, accessible by gates off Fader Avenue and Armstrong Street.

There are also a limited number of metered parking spaces to the east of the facility off Fader Avenue.

There are Accessible parking spaces in both areas.

Parking fee is $4.00 per day.  Monthly Parking Passes are $20 per month and are available for purchase from the Business Office with a $10 deposit, which is refunded when the card is returned.

July 2008

LDMH WELCOMES DR. NIN JING

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Nin Jing who will be working and learning under the supervision of Dr. Park and Dr. Horen during the months of July and August. She is the second family medicine resident from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry (Western) that we have welcomed. Dr Jing is completing her second and final year of Family Medicine training. In September and October we will welcome Dr. Kamila Bekasiak, also in her second year.

Many of you may not be familiar with the process by which doctors are trained and may be unsure what the roles of the various students and residents are:

Today, all medical students have already completed an undergraduate degree from a university (eg, BSc.) It's often an Honours degree. Many are highly skilled and have completed a Masters degree. Some have quite a bit of work experience in a different profession (I was a lab technologist for 6 years). Regardless of their background, almost all compete with at least 1800 other students for a position in medical school. Western offers 147 positions. Twenty four of those students will train at the new medical school in Windsor. Western students have worked hard to maintain a minimum 3.7 out of 4 grade point average in their undergraduate training. Most students have a 4.0 average. Also, they must have taken the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and have obtained a competitive score. If their application has met the criteria, they will interview with the medical school. The well deserved chosen 147 have the opportunity to attend four years of medical school (post graduate training). At the end of the four years they will have written exams and the successful med students will then receive their Doctor of Medicine Degree ("MD") and can be called "Doctor". We assist in teaching the medical students at various times during their training. Some are in their first or second years. Some are almost finished.

During their third year of medical school, med students have to decide what kind of specialty they want to enter. Again, they complete a lot of applications and have to be interviewed with the hope that they will be accepted into their chosen profession. To become a Family Doctor in Ontario, they must complete two more years of training (that's what I did). During that time they are referred to as "Residents". Sometimes they are called "PGY1" or "PGY2". That means "post graduate year 1"(or 2). Basically, Residents live and "reside" in the hospitals where they are learning. They are paid a salary by the medical school because they contribute so much manpower to medicine. They work very long hours, frequently all day and night and at least until noon the second day. They go home, eat, sleep and start all over again...(Sounds like Dr. Klassen except he doesn't finish at noon!) Rurally trained doctors receive do much of their learning outside of the big teaching hospitals. That's where LDMH comes in. Our Residents can assess patients, make diagnoses and write orders while being supervised by one of our staff ("attending") doctors. We teach them what we can and a lot of time, they teach us the new things.

After the second year of resident training there are MORE exams. A passing grade now entitles the doctor to use the specialist title and they can apply for a licence to practice medicine from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Some Family Doctors choose to do an additional year of training to gain extra skills. For example, Dr. Stapleton did a third year of Anaesthesia training. Other specialties train longer than Family Doctors. Internal Medicine Specialists and Surgeons train for at least 5 years as residents. Sub-specialists even longer. (That 5 years is on top of the 4 years of undergrad, and 4 years of med school!) I'm tired even thinking about it.

Anyway, that's the basic outline and I hope that clears up any confusion. Overall, it's wonderful that we are teaching med students and residents and I thank everyone for making them feel so welcome and for being so helpful in their training. We should all be very proud of our hospital and our contribution to medicine.

KUDOS to LDMH!!                                                          Author: Dr. S. Horen

May 2, 2008

Dialysis Project Full Steam Ahead Despite Change in Location

Hospital announces it has changed the location and will renovate internally instead of constructing new building

Leamington, ON – At a special public announcement today, officials at the Leamington District Memorial Hospital announced that they have made an important decision that will affect the location of the new dialysis unit.  “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am excited to announce that we are making an important investment in the future sustainability of the hospital and the dialysis program,” said John Cervini, Vice Chair of the LDMH Board of Directors.  Cervini went on to say, “the Board has decided that it will not go forward with the original plan to construct a new building on the corner of Fader and La Marsh; rather, we will be renovating the front lobby and adjacent space on the main floor for the new location of the satellite dialysis unit.”

The plan was developed after months of negotiation with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Regional Dialysis program at Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital, Windsor, and the Erie-St. Clair LHIN.  “At this point we feel that it is a far better financial decision to renovate this space rather than add more square footage across the road,” said Warren Chant, President and CEO, “in the long run it will be more efficient as the dialysis unit will be able to share services such as shipping and receiving with the main hospital building.”

The building was intended to house both the new dialysis unit and the Leamington and Area Family Health Team.  “The family health team needs more space than we were able to construct,” noted Chant, “it just wouldn’t have been a responsible decision to continue ahead with the building construction for only the dialysis unit, by renovating this space it will make this program much more viable in the long-term.” The Board of Directors for the Family Health Team has struck a committee tasked with developing a request for proposal for the development of a permanent site for the clinic.  In the meantime the Family Health Team will continue to be located on the 3rd Floor of LDMH.

The LDMH Foundation confirmed its on-going support for the project at the public announcement with John Omstead saying, “the Foundation Board fully understands and supports the hospital’s decision.”  At this point the hospital is continuing to work with the architects and design consultants on finalizing the costs for the renovation project.  Omstead reiterated; however, “the Foundation has been overwhelmed with the community’s financial support.  We have been successful in raising close to $800,000, but we still have a long way to go.  In the next few weeks we will be announcing our summer fundraising campaign that will hopefully take us over the top.”

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About Leamington District Memorial Hospital

An 88 bed community hospital located in southwestern Essex County, Leamington District Memorial Hospital, serves a community of approximately 75,000.  Dedicated to delivering excellence in patient care, the staff, physicians and volunteers at LDMH pride themselves on their innovative partnerships and programs. LDMH is a 2008 winner of the Platinum Healthy Workplace Award presented by Health Action Windsor-Essex.

Questions and Answers

LDMH Satellite Dialysis Project

Where will the main entrance of the hospital be?

The main entrance of the hospital will be the outpatient entrance (located beside the Emergency Entrance) off Fader Street.

What is going to be in the lot at Fader and La Marsh?

The property will be developed as a public parking lot.  The hospital is in dire need of more public and staff parking and the lots on the other side of Fader St. will both become public parking with the front lot becoming staff, physician and some public parking.

Why was the decision made to renovate instead of construct the new building?

After a lot of discussion with the Family Health Team and reviewing the space requirements of both the FHT and dialysis unit, it was determined that it just wasn’t financially feasible to construct the building across the street.  The FHT requires more space than the hospital could afford to construct and it wasn’t efficient to construct a building only for the dialysis unit.  With the internal restructuring of the central registration area, the front lobby space was not being utilized to maximum capacity and therefore the renovation just made sense.  The dialysis unit will be more efficient by being located in the hospital as it will be able to share spaces such as shipping, receiving, storage and public spaces such as the cafeteria and public washrooms.

Which areas will be affected by the renovations?

There will be three areas displaced as a result of the renovation.  The front lobby / reception area has already been moved downstairs to the central registration area; however, this area does require additional improvements as part of the scope of this project.  The Hospital Auxiliary’s gift shop will be moved to the ground floor in the area formerly occupied by the Audiology Clinic and the Business Office will be relocated on the first floor.

Will fundraised dollars be used to construct the parking lot?

Fundraised dollars will not be used to construct the new parking lot.  Because parking is revenue generating for the hospital it would not be fair to use donations for this purpose.  The hospital will be using its capital reserve funds to develop the new parking lot.

If this is a satellite what is Hotel Dieu Grace’s role in the program?

Throughout the province, Dialysis is organized in a series of “clusters”, with a Regional Program Lead for each Region.  In our region, Hotel Dieu Grace is the Regional Program and therefore has accountability for clinical standards, program delivery and overall patient care.  For this satellite unit, LDMH and HDGH will operate in partnership in the delivery of this service for Leamington and area.

Will the costs for renovation be as much as was estimated for building a whole new building?

The location for the renovation is in an older section of the hospital and therefore will require a full renovation including some exterior work to reinforce the exterior walls and install a new HVAC system for the unit specifically. The costs also include costs to relocate the areas that will be displaced and subsequently require renovation in other parts of the building.  We are continuing to work with the architects and cost consultants on the revised estimates before confirming the renovation costs or fundraising target.

When will this all get started?

The gift shop will be relocated in the next 3 months.  The new parking lot across the street will be constructed this summer, with a planned opening date of October 1st.  There are still a number of Ministry of Health approvals required before the renovation can begin.  The capital project request has been submitted, and the next stage of submission requires a detailed sketch plan, construction cost estimate and operating budget.  We hope to be able to move forward as quickly as possible – likely within the next 6 months.

January 25, 2008

Windsor/Essex, ON –The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) recently met with the three area hospital boards to explore an opportunity to engage in a planning exercise to look at local healthcare delivery. The three local hospital boards are embracing the idea to work with the LHIN to take ownership of what changes need to be made to ensure a strong health care system for Windsor Essex.  The goal of this process is to build on and continue the work already underway in creating a sustainable, patient-focused health care delivery system .

Windsor/Essex faces many of the same challenges as the rest of Ontario. Patient expectations and needs are increasing; however, funding and availability of health care professionals are not. New opportunities need to be explored in order to be proactive in building a platform that will ensure that this community has a strong health care system now and into the future.

This collaborative planning process will engage a variety of internal and external stakeholders in the development of innovative solutions to meet the current healthcare challenges and position the hospitals to capitalize on opportunities for future growth.  Meeting the needs of the community is paramount and if the system is going to continue to deliver the excellent services our community has come to expect, and deserve, we have to think about innovative ways to do that.

“Windsor/Essex health care leaders have a strong and proud history of working together to shape health care in their communities. Collaboration is not new to these people. They know the needs of their community and are prepared to look at the health care system to see how it can be enhanced to make the patient’s experience even better. This work is building on the excellent work they have already done together in the past”, comments Gary Switzer, Erie St. Clair LHIN CEO.

shape the future of our local health care system. It also reflects the excellent legacy the community has of working together to care for each other and the passion we have for delivering exemplary care to the people of Windsor/Essex.

Over the next month, a number of meetings will take place with key stakeholders including labour, management, nurses, physicians, allied health professionals and support staff.

While the final strategic plan and recommendations are not expected to be released until late spring, it has been decided that the process will not result in further hospital mergers. The hospitals will continue to operate three sites led by three independent boards. All proposed recommendations will be reviewed by the LHIN board of directors and the three hospital boards before any recommendations are endorsed or implemented.

For more information on the StrategiCare ’08 initiative or on the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network please visit www.eriestclairlhin.on.ca.

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For further information please contact: Shannon Sasseville, Sr. Community Engagement Consultant

1-866-231-5446 ext. 225.

December 14th, 2007

The Board of Directors, Leamington District Memorial Hospital, would like to extend our thanks to the entire community for your patience and understanding during the recent Norovirus outbreak.

An outbreak of this nature demands that immediate action be taken to contain further infections to other patients, staff and the public at large. These immediate actions caused changes to many aspects of our hospital operations including limiting patient visitation which was hard on families and patients alike.  We would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation during this difficult time.

The Board would also like to thank the staff and physicians of LDMH who continued to provide excellent patient care and services to all our patients and the community at large.  We truly have the best hospital staff in Ontario and are very proud of their hardwork, dedication and commitment to providing excellence in patient care.

Leamington District Memorial Hospital has always prided itself on our ability to provide the best level of care possible for our community.  When challenges present themselves as they did when the Norovirus struck our hospital, we relied on the professionalism of our staff, the understanding of our patients, their families and our community.  Together we brought this crisis to a conclusion and for that we remain grateful for you understanding and patience.

Once again, thank you. 

LDMH Board of Directors

December 07, 2007

NEW PARKING SYSTEM

AT LEAMINGTON HOSPITAL

Leamington, ON – The Leamington Hospital is announcing the installation of a new parking system effective Monday, December 17, 2007.

The patient and visitor parking entrance will be located off Armstrong Street.  Visitor and Patient parking lot exit will be off Fader Street.  In order to implement a smooth process please note the following changes:

• The parking fee will change to a $4.00 flat rate fee, payable by coin (loonies and toonies) on exit.

• The drop off zone will be in front of the Outpatient Clinic Entrance on Fader St. Please do not enter the parking lot if you are dropping someone off as parking fees will be applied on exit.

• Monthly parking passes will be available for purchase from the business office for a $20 fee.

There will be new Handicapped parking spaces available in the metered parking located close to the outpatient entrance door. The hospital will also be installing a change machine in the Front Lobby, adjacent to the main exit gate and in the ER/Ambulatory Care area. Your patience is appreciated with the new parking system as we move through this transition. 

November 28, 2007 @ 11:50pm

NEWS RELEASE

Visiting Restrictions Eased as LDMH receives all clear from Norovirus

Leamington, ON – Leamington District Memorial Hospital is announcing today that it is easing the restrictions on visitors following the notification from the Essex County Public Health Unit that the hospital is now “all clear” from the norovirus.

Visitors will be permitted access to the building from the hours of 8am – 8pm.  “We are asking that all visitors bear in mind that the patients are sick and do need their rest and recuperation,” says Sarah Padfield, Vice President of Corporate Services.  The hospital reminds the public that the mandatory hand-washing at all entrances policy will remain in place, children will not be permitted unless there are special circumstances and to not visit if you are ill or feeling un-well.  “We would also ask that there be a reasonable number of people visiting a patient at anyone time and please respect the needs of the other patients and staff during your visit,” comments Padfield, “the nursing staff will be working with each patient and their families to ensure visiting is appropriate for each individual.”

The front lobby entrance has been re-opened effective 12:00pm today and visitors are asked to use this entrance.  All other patients and clients coming to register should continue to use the Fader St. entrance with the exception of Day Surgery registrations which should use the Front Entrance.

All Outpatient Programs, Surgical Services, the Emergency Department and Obstetrical Unit continue to run as normal.  “The hospital will be reviewing its visiting policy over the next few weeks and plans to update the visiting policies and procedures in light of the lessons learned through the outbreak situation,” says Padfield.

“We would very much like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as we got through this difficult period,” notes Warren Chant, President and CEO, “I would especially like to recognize all of the LDMH staff and physicians for their hardwork and dedication.”

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For more information:

Sarah Padfield, Vice President

Corporate Services and Public Communication Office

(519) 326-2373 ext. 4249