GBGH CEO resigns to pursue leadership opportunity at Barrie health centre

April 6, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) president and CEO Gail Hunt has tendered her resignation at the hospital, effective Thursday, June 23, 2022. Hunt, who joined GBGH in September 2017, has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie.

“On behalf of the GBGH Board of Directors, I would like to sincerely wish Gail all the best in this new opportunity and thank her for the many contributions achieved in the best interest of patients, teams and this organization as a whole,” says Tim Kastelic, chair, GBGH Board of Directors. “I’m certain she will do an exceptional job leading RVH, as she has always done during her time at GBGH and throughout her entire 21 year career in healthcare.”

Since joining GBGH in September 2017, after 16 years as the CEO Services de santé de Chapleau Health Services, Hunt’s leadership efforts have resulted in significant transformation at the hospital. Most notably, Hunt has led the GBGH team through change and progress in the areas of financial sustainability, quality improvement, continuous learning and organizational culture.”

“During my time at GBGH, my goal has always been to lay the groundwork for this hospital’s future success, as there are many important opportunities ahead for GBGH and this team,” says Hunt. ”I will most miss the GBGH team members who’ve proven time and time again what an exceptional group of dedicated and compassionate professionals work and practice at this hospital. Every day I’ve been impressed and inspired by the work they do – whether it’s on the frontlines or supporting care from behind-the-scenes.”

Since starting at GBGH over four years ago, Hunt was committed to growing GBGH from the perspective of investing in people, creating a culture of continuous learning, aligning services with community needs, and purposefully and responsibly allocating resources. Some specific highlights of Hunt’s tenure include:

• Updating and implementing the hospital’s strategic plan
• Achieving the highest level of hospital Accreditation in 2019 – Accredited with Exemplary Standing
• Advocating for appropriate funding and the importance of an acute mental health program at GBGH
• Overseeing GBGH’s COVID-19 pandemic response and collaborating with partners on the rapid establishment of a Community Assessment Centre
• Expediting the relocation of the Dialysis unit
• Planning for GBGH’s future through a comprehensive master planning process and submission of the hospital’s Stage 1 plan for a future hospital
• Initiating a review of GBGH’s critical care services which has since resulted in a Level 3 Basic ICU designation (the second highest designation for a non-specialty ICU)
• Overseeing an optimization initiative to expand surgical services to include shoulder repair, urology, gynecology and Ear/Nose/Throat procedures
• Initiating a comprehensive leadership development program
• Acting as a core partner and co-chair in the planning and development of the North Simcoe Ontario Health Team

Hunt will continue all president and CEO duties until June 23 and will work with the Board of Directors to ensure a seamless leadership transition, details of which will be released in the near future. The GBGH Board has established a formal CEO search committee to commence the process of selecting a new CEO.

GBGH offering wide range of surgeries locally

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) is working toward expanding its general surgery program to ensure the community and family physicians are aware patients can receive their care closer to home and with shorter wait times for procedures. Members of GBGH’s general surgical team (from left) : Dr. Bonnie Shum, Dr. Katherine Aucoin, Dr. Paige Churchill and Dr. Eileen Sacks (absent – Dr. Les Walc). 

April 5, 2022 – Over the course of the pandemic, surgical programs across the province faced multiple ramp-downs and delays for patients as hospitals managed surges in admissions related to COVID-19. While Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) reduced non-urgent and elective surgeries and procedures in alignment with provincial direction during the pandemic, the hospital’s surgical program continued to work on a major growth plan. The main objective of the plan includes two important aspects – ensure local patients know they can receive the surgical care they need at their home hospital, and reduce wait times, made worse by the pandemic.

Data gathered by GBGH about patient patterns for surgical procedures indicates more than 3,700 local patients from Midland, Penetanguishene and the surrounding area are currently travelling elsewhere in Simcoe County, or outside the region, for procedures which could have been completed at GBGH. Specifically, only 22 per cent of local patients received their surgical care at GBGH with more than 40 per cent leaving Simcoe County entirely. This equates to more than 7,500 hours of time and 600,000 km in distance.

In addition to reducing travel for patients, GBGH has the available operating room time and space to perform more surgeries, which will reduce wait times for patients in its region.

“With our recent program expansion, we are able to offer some of the shortest surgical wait times in the province,” says Dr. Paige Churchill, chief of Surgery, GBGH. “I’m very encouraged by GBGH’s wait times performance, where the majority of elective general surgeries are completed within eight weeks of booking. We are also out-performing provincial wait time targets for colonoscopy procedures in our Ambulatory Care department.”

GBGH offers a wide variety of general surgical procedures through the surgical and ambulatory care departments. This includes advanced laparoscopic surgery for both bowel operations and hernia repair, breast cancer surgery, GI endoscopy, and minor procedures such as carpal tunnel release, skin cancer excision or vasectomies.

There is a team of five general surgeons practicing at GBGH, including Dr. Paige Churchill, Dr. Eileen Sacks, Dr. Les Walc, Dr. Katherine Aucoin and Dr. Bonnie Shum. Dr. Shum, who was an acute care surgeon in Hamilton, recently relocated to the area and hopes to contribute to the hospital’s innovative future. She has an interest in minimally invasive surgeries, particularly in the colorectal and hernia field, as well as quality improvement and safety.

“I was drawn to the team at GBGH last summer when I started as a locum surgeon,” says Dr. Shum “The group here is extremely supportive, and I can see myself thriving in this community while simultaneously establishing a full practice.”

To ensure increased awareness regarding the variety of general surgeries performed at GBGH and how to refer patients, the hospital is proactively conducting outreach to local family physicians and nurse practitioners. Patients can ask their family physicians about the referral process to have their general surgery completed at GBGH. In addition to general surgery, GBGH’s surgical program also performs specialty surgical procedures (orthopedic, ophthalmology, gynecology, urology, ear/nose/throat) through physician referral.

GBGH further lifts visitation restrictions to improve patient and family experience

March 16, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) continues to lift some visitation restrictions based on provincial re-opening plans, as well as the decreasing cases of COVID-19 in our local community and throughout our region. Effective March 17, admitted patients will be permitted two visitors per day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

“Increasing visitation is a very welcome change, particularly after the past few months, and the challenges everyone has faced,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “Given the decline of cases in the area and across the province, GBGH feels it is the right time to loosen some visitation restrictions.”

As of March 17 GBGH will allow visitation based on the following:

• Two visitors per patient per day during visiting hours (exceptions for palliative patients – please contact the care team)
• Visiting hours: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm (exceptions for palliative, birthing patients)
• Visitors will still be asked for proof of vaccination, screened, must wash their hands and wear a mask (provided by the hospital) for their entire visit
• Food and drink is not permitted

The exceptions to the two visitors per day per inpatient include visitation for a palliative/actively dying patient. In palliative cases, GBGH will allow up to four visitors at a time, as coordinated with the care team. Birthing patients are also permitted one visitor for as long as they require assistance.

Emergency department patients and outpatients (Ambulatory Care, Diagnostic Imaging, Day Surgery) may have one support person if deemed necessary by the patient.

As the hospital cares for vulnerable patient populations, visitors to GBGH are still required to  show proof of vaccination and identification, regardless of changes in provincial proof of vaccination mandates. Visitors will also be screened and anyone who screens positive for COVID-19 symptoms will not be able to visit. In exceptional circumstances (such as a support person for a woman in labour, a parent/guardian of a child in the Emergency department or a palliative/end of life patient), a visitor who screens positive for symptoms will be reviewed by GBGH’s infection prevention and control practitioner or hospital coordinator prior to entry.

All visitors must comply with hand hygiene practices, wear a hospital-provided mask for the duration of their visit, regardless of provincial mask mandates lifting, and follow physical distancing. Visitors could also be asked to wear additional personal protective equipment as determined by the care team based on a patients’ condition.

Visitor guidelines are subject to change based on the status of the pandemic within the region GBGH serves.

For more information, please visit http://gbgh.on.ca/covid-19-visitor-restrictions/.

Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Georgian Bay General Hospital
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

GBGH completing major electrical repairs this weekend

March 9, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) will be undertaking major repairs to the electrical sub-station located at the rear of the hospital, along with a high voltage breaker replacement in the main electrical room.

In order to complete this project, a temporary generator will be brought on-site and will power the hospital for the duration of the project with periodic, but brief, outages throughout. The set up will begin on Friday, March 11 with the majority of the work taking place on Saturday, March 12 and finishing completely on Sunday, March 13.

The work will have no impact of patient care or appointments at the hospital.

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Contact:

Derek Desroches
Communications Specialist, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5016
desrochesd@gbgh.on.ca

GBGH officially opens new dialysis site in Midland

Photo: Guests in attendance included (from left) Julia Sek, director of Patient Care, GBGH; Aly Wang, project coordinator, GBGH; Bob Savage, project manager, GBGH; Minister of Colleges & Universities and MPP Simcoe North Jill Dunlop; Bernie Uhlich, vice chair, Board of Directors, GBGH; Marni Van Kessel, program director for the Regional Kidney Care Program of Simcoe Muskoka; Midland Mayor Stewart Strathearn; Tom Roberts, co-chair, Regional Renal Leadership Council, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital; Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH; and Angie Saini, vice president of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive, GBGH.

March 4, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) officially opened its new Dialysis unit today during a small ceremony held at the Midland site (611 Prospect Boulevard). Formerly provided at the hospital’s Penetanguishene site, Dialysis services were permanently relocated to Midland in February 2022 after a four-year approval and construction process. The new site is bright and modern with state-of-the-art technology to serve Dialysis patients for decades to follow.

“The ideal location for Dialysis services is in a community setting which is easily accessible and has other amenities, such as other health services, in close proximity,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “Dialysis units also have very specific requirements for water and HVAC systems, making the search for a location challenging. This newly constructed building meets that criteria and then some, with a bright and modern layout to enhance the patient experience, as well as the equipment and technology to continue providing the highest quality of Dialysis care for many years to come.”

The new space includes private treatment spaces for each patient, something not available in the previous site, as well as additional room to increase from the current nine Dialysis stations up to 12 if needed in the future. There is also a nutrition room where patients are able to eat before starting their treatment. Also included in the new space are examination rooms, a waiting room, technical and mechanical rooms, medication room, and dedicated staff areas. To view a virtual video tour of the site, please click here (https://youtu.be/HFHDQxjI8f4).

Patients began receiving their Dialysis treatment at the Midland unit on February 14, 2022 following Indigenous smudging and water ceremonies intended to purify, bless and invite positive energy to the new building and thank the land on which it rests.

Sylvia Norton of Christian Island has been a patient receiving dialysis through GBGH for the past two years.

“I was a little bit nervous for this change, but after being in the new space I can say it is a true blessing,” says Norton. “It is much more spacious, bright and private. I am very grateful to the team who made this move so seamless for us as patients.”

During today’s event, the unit was officially opened with remarks from the hospital, as well as the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges & Universities and MPP for Simcoe North and Midland Mayor Stewart Strathearn, who also toured the space. Representatives from the Regional Kidney Care Program of Simcoe Muskoka, based out of Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, were also in attendance to celebrate at this satellite site of the regional program.

The Dialysis unit at GBGH, completes nearly 6,300 visits each year, serving patients from Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny Township, Tay Township and Christian Island.

Contact:

Jennifer Moore

Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations

Georgian Bay General Hospital

705-526-1300 ext 5177

moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

GBGH opens up visitation as COVID-19 cases decline

February 24, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) is lifting some visitation restrictions based on provincial re-opening plans, as well as the decreasing cases of COVID-19 in our local community and throughout our region. Effective February 25, admitted patients will be permitted one visitor per day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

“Increasing visitation is a very welcome change, particularly after the past few months, and the challenges everyone has faced,” says Gail Hunt, president and CEO, GBGH. “Given the decline of cases in the area and across the province, GBGH feels it is the right time to loosen some visitation restrictions.”

As of February 25 GBGH will allow visitation based on the following:

• One visitor per patient per day during visiting hours (exceptions for palliative patients – please contact the care team)
• Visiting hours: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
• Visitors will still be asked for proof of vaccination, screened, must wash their hands and wear a mask (provided by the hospital) for their entire visit
• Food and drink is not permitted

The exceptions to one visitor per day per inpatient include visitation for a palliative/actively dying patient. In palliative cases, GBGH will allow up to four visitors at a time, as coordinated with the care team. Birthing patients are also permitted one visitor for as long as they require assistance.

Emergency department patients and outpatients (Ambulatory Care, Diagnostic Imaging, Day Surgery) may have one support person if deemed necessary by the patient.

As the hospital cares for vulnerable patient populations, visitors to GBGH are still required to show proof of vaccination and identification, regardless of changes in provincial proof of vaccination mandates. Visitors will also be screened and anyone who screens positive for COVID-19 symptoms will not be able to visit. In exceptional circumstances (such as a support person for a woman in labour, a parent/guardian of a child in the Emergency department or a palliative/end of life patient), a visitor who screens positive for symptoms will be reviewed by GBGH’s infection prevention and control practitioner or hospital coordinator prior to entry.

All visitors must comply with hand hygiene practices, wear a hospital-provided mask for the duration of their visit and follow physical distancing. Visitors could also be asked to wear additional personal protective equipment as determined by the care team based on a patients’ condition.

Visitor guidelines are subject to change based on the status of the pandemic within the region GBGH serves.

For more information, please visit http://gbgh.on.ca/covid-19-visitor-restrictions/.

 Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Georgian Bay General Hospital
705-526-1300 ext 5177
moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

COVID-19 outbreak on GBGH’s 1 North unit declared over

February 23, 2022 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH), in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, has officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak over on its 1 North Complex Continuing Care and Rehabilitation inpatient unit.

The outbreak, originally declared February 7, included two patients who contracted COVID-19 while receiving care at the hospital and three staff. No further transmission among patients or staff was determined through increased PCR testing.

Contact:

Jennifer Moore

Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations

Georgian Bay General Hospital

705-526-1300 ext 5177

moorejen@gbgh.on.ca

Stroke patients at GBGH now have access to important new treatment protocol

On February 15, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) conducted a mock exercise to test the process for a new stroke protocol which ensures patients have access to important and timely treatment within four to 24 hours of stroke onset. The process includes assessment at GBGH via CT scan and transfer to a GTA stroke centre for endovascular therapy to remove the blood clot causing the stroke. Access to this treatment provides the gold standard of stroke care to patients in our community.

February 22, 2022 – Effective February 22, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) will offer patients a new extended treatment protocol to ensure timely care for patients suffering from an acute stroke. Through the new protocol, GBGH will assess patients for a possible stroke at the hospital and coordinate their transfer to a facility where they can receive this important treatment, previously not available at GBGH, to reduce the effects of a stroke.

This new process will be available for patients who arrive at the hospital’s Emergency department with signs of a stroke occurring in the previous four to 24 hours. These patients will be assessed via CT scan and if a stroke is confirmed, arrangements will be made to quickly transfer the patient to a stroke centre in the Greater Toronto Area. At the stroke centre, they will be considered as a candidate for Endovascualar Therapy (EVT), using a catheter to remove the blood clot causing the stroke. Admitted patients who suffer a stroke while at GBGH will also be eligible for transfer based on timing.

“The common theory when it comes to stroke response is ‘time is brain’, referring to the importance of quick action in recognizing the signs of stroke and seeking treatment,” says Angie Saini, vice president of Clinical Services and chief nursing executive, GBGH. “At GBGH, we are now able to facilitate the transfer of patients to a stroke centre where they can receive EVT to remove the blood clot causing the stroke. Having access to this additional treatment option is so important for people in our community who suffer from stroke.”

Beyond 24 hours after a stroke occurs, treatment options are vastly reduced for stroke patients, making time so critical in reducing the long-term effects of stroke. For every minute delay in treating a stroke, the average patient loses 1.9 million brain cells.

Prior to four hours (0 – 4 hours) from stroke onset, patients can be treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a drug used to break down a blood clot and restore blood flow to the brain. This treatment is highly effective, but must be delivered within several hours of the stroke occurring. It is only available in larger regional hospitals, not in community hospitals like GBGH. For patients suspected of having a stroke and being eligible for tPA treatment, they are taken directly to a tPA hospital by paramedics. In the Simcoe Muskoka region, patients are taken to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie for tPA.

Recognizing the signs of stroke early can reduce the time between stroke onset, contacting 9-1-1 and arrival at a hospital emergency department to be assessed and receive appropriate treatment. The Heart & Stroke Foundation encourages people to look for the signs of stroke and act FAST to ensure life-saving treatment can begin as soon as possible.

• FACE – is it drooping?
• ARMS – can you raise both?
• SPEECH – is it slurred or jumbled?
• TIME – to call 9-1-1 right away

According to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, there are an estimated 62,000 strokes – or one every nine minutes – in Canada each year. Stroke is a leading cause of death in Canada and a major cause of adult disability (https://www.heartandstroke.ca/what-we-do/our-impact/saving-lives#:~:text=Each%20year%20in%20Canada%2C%2062%2C000,for%20stroke%20and%20cardiac%20arrest).

Contact:

Jennifer Moore

Director, Communications & Stakeholder Relations

Georgian Bay General Hospital

705-526-1300 ext 5177

moorejen@gbgh.on.ca