GBGH announces Lucille Perreault to the position of Interim Chief Nursing Executive and VP of Patient Services

GBGH is pleased to announce the appointment of Lucille Perreault to the position of Interim Chief Nursing Executive and VP of Patient Services, effective November 28, 2017. Lucille, who recently retired from Hôpital Montfort in Ottawa, will be with GBGH for the next several months while we recruit a permanent candidate.

Originally from Sudbury, Lucille has vast experience as a Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive through her time with Montfort, Laurentian Hospital and Sudbury Regional Hospital. She has extensive knowledge in health system planning, strategic development, governance, performance and quality, restructuring hospital operations, LEAN, capital planning, as well as nursing and value-based leadership. Throughout her career, Lucille has also been involved as chair or member of many community and professional groups.

Lucille is an experienced leader focused on excellence and collaboration with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

Hospitals continue to build gynecological and obstetrical services in Midland

Georgian Bay General Hospital and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital work towards major milestones as part of its birthing program partnership

November 23, 2017 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH), in partnership with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH), recently opened a bi-weekly Gynecology Clinic at the hospital. This clinic opening is a major step forward in re-establishing gynecological and obstetrical services in Midland.

Run through GBGH’s Ambulatory Care department by co-leads Dr. Kim Bremer and Dr. Jessica Green, this clinic is open every other Monday to provide consultations and minor surgical procedures to women referred by their family physician. The clinic will see up to 20 patients per day.

The Gynecology Clinic is part of GBGH’s plan to improve access to gynecology services and expand birthing services to meet the needs of women in the community. The hospital has partnered with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) to build this comprehensive birthing partnership.

As part of Phase 1 of the partnership, GBGH is working to recruit an obstetrician, a shared professional practice leader in obstetrics, a shared program manager and obstetrical nurses, with the aim of being fully staffed by spring 2018.

“Recruiting critical support staff and skilled clinical professionals is essential to continue providing birthing services at GBGH,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “Since the beginning of our fiscal year in April 2017, we have delivered 77 babies at GBGH. Having the right physicians, midwives and staff in place, combined with the valuable support of our partner OSMH, will assist in our efforts to continue raising the number of babies delivered at our hospital.”

As a Level 2 birthing and neonatal centre, OSMH can provide care for higher-risk mothers and babies, with GBGH continuing to provide low-risk birthing services. Additionally, OSMH will provide ongoing mentorship and education for staff and physicians in the Level 1 centre at GBGH.

“We’re incredibly excited about the partnership our hospitals have developed and how it will ensure high quality, standardized care for obstetrical patients across the region,” said Pat Campbell, OSMH President and CEO. “This unique model of care has not previously been implemented anywhere in the province and could serve as a model for others to follow.”

GBGH and OSMH are in discussions with the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care about continued funding to support the program.

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH), in partnership with Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH), recently opened a bi-weekly Gynecology Clinic at the hospital. This clinic opening is a major step forward in re-establishing gynecological and obstetrical services in Midland. The clinic is operated by co-leads Dr. Kim Bremer (right) and Dr. Jessica Green (left) with GBGH/OSMH chief of staff Dr. Nancy Merrow.

Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

Terry Dyni
Director of Community Relations, OSMH
(705) 327-9179
tadyni@osmh.on.ca

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) is a 105-bed acute care community hospital located in Midland, Ontario. The hospital offers emergency, ambulatory, acute, intensive and complex continuing care, as well as imaging, dialysis, obstetrical and rehabilitation services. GBGH serves the areas of Midland, Penetanguishene, Christian Island as well as Tay, Tiny, Springwater and Georgian Bay Townships.

Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH) is located in Orillia, Ontario (just 114 kilometres north of Toronto) and serves more than 440,000 residents in North Simcoe Muskoka. OSMH provides a comprehensive range of programs and services, including medical, surgical and emergency care, dialysis, obstetrical and paediatric care, mental health and rehabilitation services. For more information please visit our website at www.osmh.on.ca.

GBGH honours Exceptional People at annual awards

November 20, 2017 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) held its annual awards to celebrate staff and physicians for their Years of Service, and honour some of the hospitals’ team members through the GBGH Board of Directors’ Exceptional People Awards and Volunteer Awards of Excellence. The evening is hosted annually by the GBGH Board of Directors to recognize the dedication of staff, physicians and volunteers.

“It was a privilege for me to represent the Board of Directors as we celebrated the successes of exceptional team members,” says Rick Philbin, chair, GBGH Board of Directors. “The board has a deep respect for the staff, physicians and volunteers who commit their compassion, skills, caring, kindness and time to this hospital. Their incredible contributions have improved safety and care, demonstrated inspiring leadership, and gone above and beyond expectations.”

Exceptional People Awards were handed out to Angie Bulloch of the Pharmacy, Brenda Dorion-Duqette of Health Information Services, Jennifer Joli of the Emergency department, Dan McNamara of Housekeeping, Dr. Dan Lee of the Emergency department, and the cMAR Implementation Team. The prestigious awards recognize outstanding commitment to patient care, improving quality and project implementation.

Erna Gibson, James Layter and John Sweeney were recognized by the GBGH Board of Directors and Volunteer Association with Volunteer Awards of Excellence

In 2017, the hospital received a total of 31 peer nominations – 22 for staff, physicians and teams, as well as nine for volunteers.

GBGH also recognized staff and physicians for reaching years of service milestones between five and 40 years.

The Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Board of Directors honoured four staff, one physician and one team with Exceptional People Awards. This recognition is the most prestigious honour handed out to by the hospital for outstanding commitment to patient care, improving quality and project implementation. From left – Gail Hunt, GBGH president and CEO; Dr. Dan Lee, chief of Emergency; Angie Bulloch, pharmacist; Dr. Nancy Merrow, GBGH chief of staff; Brenda Dorion-Duquette, manager of Health Information Services; Jennifer Jolie, registered nurse, Emergency; and Rick Philbin, chair, GBGH Board of Directors. Absent – Dan McNamara (Housekeeping).

The Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Board of Directors honoured four staff, one physician and one team with Exceptional People Awards. This recognition is the most prestigious honour handed out to by the hospital for outstanding commitment to patient care, improving quality and project implementation. The cMAR Implementation Team was recognized with an Exceptional People Award for their role in bringing an important patient safety measure -computerized Medication Administration Records – to the hospital.

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) recognized Judith Sauve, Telemedicine coordinator, for reaching 40 Years of Service with the hospital. From left – Rick Philbin, chair, GBGH Board of Directors; Judith Sauve; and Gail Hunt, GBGH president and CEO.

Contact:

Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

About GBGH:

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) is a 105-bed acute care community hospital located in Midland, Ontario. The hospital offers emergency, ambulatory, acute, intensive and complex continuing care, as well as imaging, dialysis, obstetrical and rehabilitation services. GBGH serves the areas of Midland, Penetanguishene, Christian Island as well as Tay, Tiny, Springwater and Georgian Bay Townships.

GBGH team receives flu shots for safety’s sake

October 23, 2017 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) launched its annual influenza immunization campaign in preparation for the upcoming flu season. All staff, physicians and volunteers are encouraged to receive their flu shot to protect patients, themselves, their loved ones and their colleagues.

To make receiving their immunization as convenient as possible, GBGH’s Occupational Health & Safety team is visiting departments and running clinics for staff, physicians and volunteers.

Gail Hunt, president and CEO of Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) received her flu shot as part of the hospital’s annual influenza immunization campaign. All staff, physicians and volunteers of the hospital are encouraged to receive their flu shot to protect patients, their colleagues, themselves and their loved ones.  “Flu season is always a challenging time of year for hospitals,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “We are committed to ensuring the highest safety precautions are in place to protect patients, staff, physicians and volunteers. We want our team of care providers to remain healthy throughout the season, so they can be at GBGH to care for our patients when they need us the most.”

All GBGH patients will be screened for symptoms of influenza upon arriving at the emergency department or at registration as part of enhanced safety precautions during the upcoming flu season. Patients with flu-like symptoms will be required to wear a mask and be isolated when possible.

The public is asked to not visit the hospital if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever, chills and sweats, headache, and muscle and joint pain. All visitors should practice hand hygiene on arrival and exiting the hospital to minimize virus transmission throughout the year and particularly during flu season.

“To help keep our community safe from the flu, we also encourage the public to receive their flu shot through their family physician or a pharmacy,” suggests Yvonne Stahlmann, manager, Occupational Health and Safety, GBGH. “The World Health Organization is confident the vaccine is a good match to the common flu viruses we will see this year. You can help protect yourself and your loved ones by getting the shot this year.”

Contact:

Jennifer Moore
Communications Officer, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

Tiny Ties disbands, giving remaining funds to GBGH

Past directors from Tiny’s Residents Working Together (TRWT) recently visited Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) to make a donation of approximately $4,200. TWRT published the Tiny Ties newspaper based on financial support from advertisers and dedicated members. In 2010, the last Tiny Ties paper was published due to lack of volunteers. With the remaining funds, TRWT directors made the decision the money would best serve the residents of Tiny and the community if given to GBGH. TRWT is proud to make this donation on behalf of its loyal supporters.

Back row – Sheree Noon, vice president, Clinical Services, GBGH; Roger Goddard, GBGH Foundation Board of Directors; Stewart Boecker, vice president, Corporate Services and CFO; George Lawrence, past director, TRWT; Jane Millar, vice chair, GBGH Board of Directors and past editor, Tiny Ties; Bob Miskimins, past director, TRWT; and Dawn Major, senior director, Organizational Performance.

Front row – Cathy Travers, GBGH Foundation Board of Directors; Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH; Carol Donaldson, past director, TRWT; Carey Moran, past chair, GBGH Foundation Board of Directors; and Marilyn Campbell Davis, executive director, GBGH Foundation.

Absent – TRWT past directors Peter Sickinger, Mary Campbell, Dorie Holmes and Katy McKanday.

Increasing Access to Mental Health Care in North Simcoe

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care – Province investing in two facilities to better integrate care

NEWS

October 6, 2017

Ontario is improving and integrating acute mental health care services for people in the North Simcoe area, which will provide greater access to high-quality treatment and support closer to home.

Ann Hoggarth, MPP for Barrie, was at Georgian Bay General Hospital’s Midland site on behalf of Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, to announce Ontario’s investment in Georgian Bay General Hospital and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.

The new 16,600 square-foot wing at the existing Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland will provide acute inpatient care to accommodate mental health patients in need of emergency hospital services.

The construction of the new Waypoint facility will co-locate community mental health programs with their outpatient acute mental health care, which provides services like community-based assessment, treatment and support for adults with serious mental illness. It will also provide employment and education supports, recreation therapy, housing, social and community-integration services under one roof.

These two facilities will work together to serve patients requiring immediate treatment for sudden onset mental illness, as well as those who need longer-term treatment, to provide better integrated care. To help improve services in the region, the province is investing in new infrastructure projects at these locations.

Ontario is increasing access to care, reducing wait times and improving the patient experience through its Patients First Action Plan for Health Care and OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare – protecting health care today and into the future.

QUOTES

“Investing in mental health care in North Simcoe will give people access to high-quality mental health treatment and support, close to home. These two important investments will provide integrated mental health care for the community, and is yet another step towards transforming mental health and addictions treatment across Ontario.”
— Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“Improving access to mental health care is crucial to ensuring that Ontarians are able to live healthy and fulfilling lives. I am thrilled that this grant will help to deliver these necessary services in Simcoe County.”
— Ann Hoggarth, MPP, Barrie

“Georgian Bay General Hospital has received great support from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in the planning process for an inpatient mental health unit. We see an increasing demand for mental health services at GBGH each year. By providing 20 additional mental health beds, less patients will have to travel outside their community for care.”
— Gail Hunt, President and CEO, Georgian Bay General Hospital

“While Waypoint will be sad to see the program move after providing these services for many decades, this is good news for our residents as they will be treated in a community hospital with an emergency department for their short-term illness just as they would for other acute illnesses or health crisis. We are pleased to partner with GBGH’s future inpatient mental health program through our outpatient services that will be relocated to the new Waypoint/CHIGAMIK Community Health Hub. On behalf of CHIGAMIK Community Health Centre and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care I extend our thanks to the Ministry for also moving the health hub forward.”
— Carol Lambie, President and CEO, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care

“These investments in mental health and community health care will contribute to building more person-centred and accessible care to the residents of this region. This project aligns closely with the health care priorities of the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network.”
— Jill Tettmann, CEO, North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN

QUICK FACTS

• Approximately 30 per cent of people in Ontario will experience mental illness and/or substance abuse at some point in their lifetime.
• The Georgian Bay General Hospital infrastructure project includes the construction of a 16,600 square-foot wing linked to the existing building on the Midland site, along with the transfer of 20 acute mental health beds from the Waypoint location.
• The Waypoint project includes making about 15,000 square feet suitable for use at a new site in Midland.
• Ontario recently announced a $140 million investment in mental health support over three years to help thousands more people across the province get the care they need. This investment is in addition to the $3.7 billion Ontario invested in mental health services in 2015-16.

LEARN MORE

• Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care
• Open Minds, Healthy Minds: Ontario’s comprehensive mental health and addiction strategy
• Find help for people experiencing problems with alcohol, drugs, mental health or gambling

For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)
Colin Campbell, Legislative Assistant
Office of Ann Hoggarth, MPP Barrie
ccampbell@liberal.ola.org
416-938-7406
ontario.ca/health-news
Disponible en français

GBGH Celebrates Franco-Ontarian Day

Members of the Georgian Bay General Hospital family donned their green September 25 to celebrate Franco-Ontarian Day.

The hospital raised a new flag to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the francophone community to the development of Ontario’s culture, history, society, economy and political structure. It also served as a great opportunity to celebrate GBGHs recent certification for partial French language designation which was officially received July 1, 2017.

GBGH Welcomes Two New Key Members To Its Leadership Team

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Stewart Boecker as GBGH’s new Vice President Corporate Services & CFO, effective September 18th, 2017.

Stewart brings over twenty years of progressive financial and operational healthcare leadership experience, with the past thirteen years at a senior management level.

He brings a breadth of knowledge of the healthcare system resulting from the experiences he has gained working within numerous health care facilities including; The University Health Network, The Hospital for Sick Children, Lakeridge Health Corporation, Grand River Hospital and the Runnymede Hospital as well as the experience he has gained as a member on various Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Local Health Integration Network committees and the Cancer Care Ontario integration initiative teams.

Stewart possesses a CPA designation with a Masters’ Degree in Health Administration.

We are also pleased to announce the appointment of our new GBGH Communications Officer, Jennifer Moore, effective October 2, 2017.

Jennifer brings more than 15 years of communications experience to this position. Having spent the past eight years with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), Jennifer has extensive experience in planning and implementing complex strategic communications initiatives in a hospital setting. Her areas of expertise include writing, media relations, crisis communications, engagement, project management and event planning.

Prior to RVH, Jennifer was a public relations consultant in Toronto with clients in the pharmaceutical, non-profit, retail and food services industries, as well as the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Jennifer has a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science from The University of Western Ontario and a post-graduate certificate in Public Relations from Humber College.

Georgian Bay General Hospital welcomes its new CEO

Gail Hunt’s first day on the job as the hospital’s new CEO was September 11 and she is looking forward to all that role will entail.

“GBGH presents a new challenge in my career with a larger community and larger hospital. Now that my children have all gone off to their post-secondary educations, I was looking for a new challenge in a larger community, yet one that would still have small community appeal,” she said. “GBGH has all that to offer, many new opportunities and projects on the go, and a beautiful central location.”

Gail spent the last 15 years as CEO at Chapleau Health Services, noting while that organization and GBGH contain a number of similarities in demographics the fluctuating and larger population present a new challenge for her.
She is looking forward to life both inside and outside of the office.

“Although I love living in a small town, Chapleau is an extremely isolated community, therefore I am very excited about all the amenities and activities that Midland and the surrounding areas have to offer in comparison,” she said. “For my career, I look forward to the new challenges and opportunities that GBGH is currently facing.”

She is also impressed with how invested the community is in the hospital.

“It is obvious in the number of volunteers, donations and participation in fundraising activities for GBGH. Not all hospitals are lucky enough to have community members so committed to their success.”
Gail doesn’t plan on wasting any time, and is looking forward to getting to know the organization and the staff that make it run.

“I am sure that the recent transitions in senior leadership have been very difficult for staff. It always takes a certain amount of time for staff to adapt to and become comfortable with new leaders, therefore I want to get to know the staff and hear their opinions and ideas,” she said. “There are already so many terrific projects that are underway or identified at GBGH, now stability and support from leadership will allow us to move forward on these projects.”

Georgian Bay General Hospital has officially been granted partial French Language designation

NEWS RELEASE – July 7, 2017 –  After years of hard work, Georgian Bay General Hospital has officially been granted partial French Language designation under the French Language Services Act (FLSA).

The designation applies to the ambulatory care program and the finance, human resources and telecommunications services carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

“This designation is the result of a lot of hard work on behalf of our staff to ensure that we here at Georgian Bay General Hospital are able to provide the best care possible to all of our patients – which means being able to do so in both English and French,” said Interim President & CEO Paul Davies.

“I am ecstatic with the news”, added Board Chair Rick Philbin, who himself is Francophone. “It demonstrates our commitment to the French Language Services Act and to serving the population of the area in both official languages of Canada.”

As an agency designated under the FLSA GBGH is required to continue to provide services to the public in French in accordance with the provisions of the FLSA and work towards maintaining French-language services capacity.

“I recognize that this is the result of many years of effort with various partners working towards this common goal,” stated John Maury, Manager, French Language Services Office Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. “Thank you for your continued commitment to proactively offer quality French-language services to Francophones in Ontario and for meeting their unique cultural and language needs.”

Contact :
Nikki Cole
Georgian Bay General Hospital
Communications Officer
ColeN@gbgh.on.ca