St. Mary’s General Hospital and Grand River Hospital Share Joint Future Vision And Host First Joint Community Update
Two great hospitals. One healthy community.
On Thursday, November 21, the community came together for the first-ever joint annual community update co-hosted by St. Mary’s General Hospital and Grand River Hospital. The event, hosted at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation in Waterloo, saw a sold out crowd and highlighted the past, present and future for both hospitals.
The evening featured remarks from Regional Chair Karen Redman, SMGH Interim President, John Woods, GRH President and CEO, Ron Gagnon, Joint Chief of Staff, Dr. Peter Potts, SMGH Foundation President & CEO, Susan Dusick, and Incoming GRH Foundation President & CEO Paul McIntyre Royston.
Although this was the first joint community update, the two hospitals have a long standing collaborative working relationship. “Over the last 20 years we have worked hard to deliver the best patient care for our region by creating a shared services model,” says Dr. Peter Potts. “This includes joint medical staff and services like medical imaging, lab, pharmacy, and nuclear medicine, while specializing in cancer care at GRH and cardiac care at SMGH.”
This fall, both hospitals took another big step to continue collaborating by implementing a new joint health information system. The new system will improve the way both hospitals care for the community. A first in Waterloo region, the joint system will allow patients to have one record between both organizations. This will allow staff to provide patients with the highest quality and safest care by creating one all-encompassing health record.
“The new system is another building block for the bright future we envision for both hospitals,” says SMGH Interim President John Woods. “For our patients, this system will create a lot more efficiency and effectiveness in the way that they experience the healthcare system and the way they receive care.”
The impact of community donors were recognized and applauded by both Foundations. “This community has always stepped up and been there to help us advance healthcare in this Region,” says SMGH Foundation President & CEO Susan Dusick. “It’s because of your support that our patients are able to receive such a high level of care.”
A big thank you to all who attended the event. For a full video recap of the evening, click here.