Dudes prepare work plan going forward. With shared metrics

JOINT NEWS RELEASE

SAULT AREA HOSPITAL

NORTH EAST COMMUNITY CARE ACCESS CENTRE

************************* North East CCAC and the Sault Area Hospital - Proud partners

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON - The North East Community Care Access Centre (North East CCAC) and the Sault Area Hospital (SAH) are pleased to announce an innovative approach to the delivery of health care services in the Algoma District.

The board of directors of both organizations have been working diligently over the past few months exploring key areas where SAH and the North East CCAC can work together on common goals and advocate for citizens of the North East.

While a more explicit governance-level relationship between both organizations may be something new – indeed it would be the first of its kind in the North East – there already exists a very strong spirit of collaboration among us, with a number of tangible successes.

Some of these include:

- Ongoing bi-monthly meetings between the North East CCAC and SAH clinical leaders to identify and deal with system issues.

- The FLO Collaborative, which has helped improve patient throughput processes.

- Aging At Home Strategy, including wraparound funding initiatives.

- Case management and discharge planning.

- The establishment of a new North East CCAC clinic in Sault Ste Marie; and

- The joint procurement of medical supplies.

Future opportunities for collaboration include:

- Fully integrated care delivery (seamless care model).

- Collaborative governance.

- Shared metrics.

- Joint communications.

- Enhanced public education and awareness of available services.

- Resource allocation/efficiencies; and

- Community engagement.

As a result, SAH and the North East CCAC will establish a joint SAH/North East CCAC liaison committee to develop a work plan going forward.

"The North East CCAC is proud of this proactive and significant initiative to move to a more integrated, efficient and effective model for the delivery of health care services to the residents of the Algoma region,” acknowledged Tom Trainor, chair of the board of the North East CCAC. “This partnership speaks directly to our vision of outstanding care – every person, every day.”

“Given the outstanding cooperation that already exists between our two organizations, a more formalized governance-level relationship is important if we are to truly maximize our resources for the collective benefit of the people we serve,” added Elaine Pitcher, chair of the SAH board of directors. “We are proud to be working so closely with the North East CCAC on this unique collaborative approach to health care delivery in the region.”

This innovative partnership has also received strong endorsement from the local member of provincial Parliament, as well as the North East Local Health Integrated Network (North East LHIN).

"This new partnership between SAH and the North East CCAC will make the delivery of long-term and home care more effective while helping to reduce the pressure on our hospital," said David Orazietti, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie. "I congratulate the two organizations for working together to help address this important issue."

"I applaud the North East CCAC and the Sault Area Hospital board members for coming together to focus on how the health care needs of the people of Algoma can best be served", said Peter Vaudry, interim chair of the North East LHIN. "Partnerships always serve people better. The transformation of Northeast Ontario's health care system can only succeed through the integration efforts of organizations who lead with the patient in mind."

Sault Area Hospital (SAH) is a four-site facility (Sault Ste. Marie (two sites), Thessalon and Richards Landing) providing primary, secondary and tertiary hospital services for approximately 120,000 residents in the District of Algoma. With a new hospital and exciting future on the horizon, SAH is guided by its organizational vision, mission and values of integrity, compassion, collaboration and partnership, accountability, respect and teamwork.

The North East CCAC is part of a network of 14 CCACs, created by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, to help people access government-funded home care services and long-term care homes. They also help people to navigate the array of community support and health agencies in northeastern communities.

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