Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.
To start, I would like to welcome all new staff and professional staff that have joined our Hospital and Health Research Institute community — we are thrilled you are here! We look forward to working together, learning with you and benefitting from your energy and fresh perspectives. I know you will embrace your position with dedication and help us move towards our vision of exceptional care for every patient, every time.
I’d like to start with some good news. There was a wonderful announcement this week with the Family CARE Grants media event on April 29th to announce the results of the applications submitted. We are immensely appreciative of how the money from donors helps to extend Patient Centred Care and our vision of Exceptional care for every patient every time. 74 grants were approved by the Foundation and its Board of Directors for a total of $139,265.99. Further to this, through formal request, the Foundation will now review and assess the Hospital and Health Research Institutes’ submissions for critical equipment, and improvements in support of better care and research. Last year we were grateful that the Foundation provided close to $6.8 million in 2024 for various equipment and other care improvements. We look forward to what this partnership will bring throughout 2025.
Thank you to the donors in the community and to the committee for their work in overseeing this extensive process. Thank you also to the countless staff who took time out of their busy schedules to submit applications. It is truly impressive to see the passion in the ideas brought forward from frontline staff that will improve the care experience at our Hospital.
On now to patient capacity and the flow of patients throughout our facility – essential factors for providing appropriate care in suitable spaces. Through the coordination of the Patient Flow team, and the collective efforts of the Hospitalists, the CDU Unit, and all Allied Health Care teams, there have been significant changes and improvements to support patient flow both into and out of our facility. Teams have been working hard to transfer any patients from the Emergency Department to a bed and we are seeing great progress, resulting in a decreased length of stay for these patients. We know that teamwork is essential in seeing these results and thank you to the many involved to make sure patient care is optimal and efficiently managed.
As we continue to transform the care we provide to support the growing healthcare demands in our community, you will see many alterations in our facility and throughout the Hospital campus. Although these activities are inconvenient, they are essential to getting to where we need to be. I want to reassure you the teams are continually assessing the impacts and logistics of these activities to minimize disruptions where able. Your patience and support in keeping patients and families informed on these changes is an important part of the care experience. Please know you can keep current on these happenings through the Daily Informed Newsletter, our monthly all staff Town Hall, our website or any of our social media platforms, as well as direct updates from the Capital Planning team
I would like to wrap this blog up by recognizing our extraordinary volunteers throughout our Hospital, the Health Research Institute and the Health Sciences Foundation. National Volunteer Week is April 27th to May 3rd and this week of recognition is certainly not enough to celebrate all those who provide precious time to support so many of our operations and provide their time, expertise and compassion to make our community a better place to be. Thank you for all that you do.
Please know you can always send me any feedback about this blog or connect with me on anything else on your mind. Feel free to reach out to me at rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I appreciate hearing from you.
