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News Releases 2010
Stevenson Memorial Hospital Expands Cardiology Service:State-of-the-Art equipment and expertise knowledge provide added benefit to patients(Alliston, Ontario - November 4, 2010) Local residents requiring high-quality cardiac care will no longer have to travel away from their community now that Stevenson Memorial Hospital has expanded its breadth of cardiology services. Adding to a long list of recent program enhancements over the past couple years, Stevenson recently purchased a top-of-the-line echocardiogram machine, used to perform diagnostic evaluations of a patient’s heart function, and recruited the expertise of a highly skilled Cardiologist, Dr. Peter Zeman. The combination of top-of-the-line equipment and expertise knowledge means patients now have access to important, life-saving cardiac services closer to home, where they need it most. “As part of our ongoing commitment to enhance the level of healthcare services offered to our community, enhancing the availability of cardiac testing was a priority for us,” said Gary Ryan, President and CEO, Stevenson Memorial Hospital. “The addition of Dr. Zeman brings a level of experience and expertise that we’ve never been able to offer before.” The Echocardiogram Machine purchased by Stevenson is the latest generation of technology from General Electric. It provides shaper images and more diagnostic options than previous versions. Previously, echocardiogram services were offered at Stevenson through a third-party provider. Now, echocardiogram testing is conducted on-site and patient reports are read and analyzed by Dr. Zeman. As a result, patients can expect the highest level of cardiac care available. Dr. Zeman graduated from medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine at Queen’s University. He completed a fellowship in cardiology at the University of Western Ontario, followed by a fellowship in advanced cardiac imaging at the Washington Hospital Centre, Washington, D.C. Affiliated with the Regional Cardiac Care Program at Newmarket’s Southlake Regional Health Centre, Dr. Zeman brings with him an extensive range of experience in the treatment and diagnosis of cardiac ailments. His focus at Stevenson will be stress testing and cardiology consultations to patients. “The enhanced cardiology services at Stevenson have immense benefits for the community,” said Dr. Zeman, Cardiologist, Stevenson Memorial Hospital. “Patients now have access to rapid and more definitive diagnoses to many common cardiac conditions, such as heart attacks, valve disorders, and heart muscle diseases. The addition of the echocardiogram machine, as well as on-site cardiology consultation, means we now have the ability to offer excellent cardiac care to those with serious heart conditions by providing them with appropriate treatment more quickly than ever before.” In addition to treating patients with existing heart conditions, physicians can also refer high-risk patients to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Stevenson. High-risk patients are those who have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. The risk factors include diabetes or glucose intolerance, hypertension, Dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, and family history. The wait time for an echocardiogram test at Stevenson is approximately two to three weeks. Generally, patients can expect a quick turn-around time in terms of receiving their results following testing. Once the results have been reviewed by the Cardiologist, the appropriate course of action is determined. The addition of enhanced cardiology services is part of the hospital’s ongoing commitment to increase the availability of in-patient and out-patient diagnostic services. -30 - Dr. Alison Barrett resigns as Lead Ob/Gyn: Full Obstetrical Services remain a top priority for the Hospital(Alliston, Ontario) – October 25, 2010 – After joining the Obstetrical team at Stevenson Memorial Hospital (Stevenson) in April 2008 and playing in instrumental role in re-establishing birthing services at Hospital, Dr. Alison Barrett has tendered her resignation, effective December 19, 2010, in order to focus on her family. “Dr. Barrett has been a profound and inspirational leader since joining our team,” said Annette Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Stevenson. “Her ability to rejuvenate our program has allowed us to ensure that woman in our community have access to the high-quality obstetrical and gynaecological services they require closer to home. Her impact on our program will not be forgotten.” Following the very public closure of the Birthing Unit at Stevenson in December 2006, which attracted the attention of the community and beyond, Dr. Barrett came to the organization with her sights set on re-establishing a booming Birthing Unit and instilling confidence in the hospital’s ability to provide high-quality obstetrical services to its community. Since that time, the Hospital successfully re-opened the Unit in April 2008, welcoming over 600 births, and developed a comprehensive range of gynaecological services. Dr. Glasine Lawson, who joined Stevenson in November 2008, will continue to provide full-time obstetrical services and support as the Hospital’s lead obstetrician/gynaecologist and will be supported by a team of part-time and casual obstetrician/gynaecologists while the Hospital actively recruits another full-time obstetrician/gynaecologist. Dr. Barrett is currently working on a transition plan with her existing patients, providing them with the option to transfer their care to Dr. Lawson or to another physician of their choice. Physician recruitment to replace Dr. Barrett is already underway. New obstetrical patients will be referred to the care of Dr. Lawson, and existing gynaecological services will also continue to be available. The physicians, midwives, staff and volunteers in the program remain committed to ensuring that high quality obstetrical and gynaecological care is provided and available to the community. "While the departure of Dr. Barrett is a definite loss to the Maternal Child Program at Stevenson, our community is committed to ensuring that high quality birthing services remain a priority," said Sylvia Biffis, Chair of the Maternal Child Advisory Committee (MCAC). "The Maternal Child Program has experienced tremendous upward momentum and impressive progress since the re-opening of the unit under Dr. Barrett's guidance. We would like to extend our thanks to Dr. Barrett for her dedication and professionalism and wish her all the best. The MCAC is dedicated to ensuring the doors will remain open to mothers in our community who have a right to receive care closer to home." “Our priority remains the delivery of consistently safe, quality care to labouring mothers during all phases of their birthing experience. Every member of our team - physicians, midwives, staff and volunteers – believes in our program and is committed to its sustainability within this community,” said Jones. The Maternal Child Program at Stevenson is holding an open house and tour on Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Community members and new parents-to-be are invited to visit the unit to learn about the mother and baby services available, including pain management and anaesthetic options, prenatal and paediatric care, and midwifery services. For more information about Stevenson, please visit www.smhosp.on.ca -30- Stevenson Awarded Highest Level of Care from Accreditation CanadaAlliston, Ontario (October 13, 2010)—Stevenson Memorial Hospital (Stevenson) is pleased to announce that it recently was awarded Full Accreditation by Accreditation Canada. This is the highest level of recognition awarded by the council’s Board of Directors, which assesses an organization’s commitment to safe, quality care based on a standard of excellence. In 2009, only 30% of participating hospital in Canada achieved Full Accreditation status. . The 3-day intensive onsite evaluation showed favourable findings and commended the hospital on the “strong committed board, and management, staff, physicians and volunteers.” Accreditation Canada also praised the hospital for their “strong emphasis on community relations and patient satisfaction.” Accreditation Canada reported the hospital’s commitment to quality care is evident through the recent introduction of Hardwiring Excellence and Lean, two corporate initiatives that are aimed at improving customer service and efficient quality care to patients. “We are a small community hospital that is growing by leaps and bounds. This recognition is truly a testament to our dedicated staff, physicians and volunteers,” said Gary Ryan., President and CEO at Stevenson. “Each and every one of us has worked hard to reach this prestigious recognition and we will continue to work even harder to maintain and improve our level of care for our patients and the communities we serve.” As part of the Hospital’s commitment to ongoing improvement, Stevenson actively participates in a management services agreement with Southlake Regional Health Centre, a 370-bed acute care facility in Newmarket. Accreditation Canada noted that this agreement “allows the organization to tap into the appropriate expertise to advance the hospital’s vision and position with the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).” “Our Board is committed to providing the highest standard of management and will continue to develop new and more effectives ways to serve the hospital,” said Gary Ryan, acknowledging that improvements still need to be made. “Our community is one of our largest assets and we are finding better ways to build and maintain this relationship.” Accreditation Canada is a not-for-profit, independent organization that provides national and international health and social service organizations with an external peer review to assess the quality of their services based on standards of excellence. Accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), Accreditation Canada's programs and guidance have been helping thousands of organizations strive for excellence since 1958. -30- Stevenson Memorial Hopsital invites community feedback on proposed agreement with Matthew's House Hospice:Stevenson to act as Transfer Payment Agent for the HospiceFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Alliston, Ontario) – September 15, 2010 – Committed to providing the community with the highest level of care through a wide range of services, including both acute and palliative care, Stevenson Memorial Hospital is looking for community feedback regarding a proposed agreement that would result in the Hospital acting as Transfer Payment Agent for Matthew’s House Hospice. The proposed agreement comes following a year-long partnership between the two agencies that involved sharing resources to improve the care and comfort of patients with life threatening illness both in hospital and in the community. As a result of the proposed change, Matthew’s House Hospice would maintain its own Board of Directors. Stevenson Memorial Hospital will oversee the finance and human resources responsibilities for Matthew’s House Hospice, as well as any required performance and safety reporting to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). “Throughout the past year, Matthew’s House Hospice and Stevenson Memorial Hospital have developed a very successful collaborative partnership,” said Frank Taylor, Board Chair, Matthew’s House Hospice. Our decision to forge ahead with this integration will ensure that Matthew’s House Hospice can continue to offer caring and compassionate support to members of the community and their loved ones. The integration will not disrupt the quality of service delivery for patients and family members at either facility. Governance and organizational structure at both locations will remain unchanged and no staffing changes or layoffs will occur as a result of the collaboration. Most importantly, the Matthew’s House Hospice name will be maintained following the integration, honouring the organization’s long-standing presence within the community. “Stevenson Memorial Hospital is committed to pursuing partnerships that assist us in developing a continuum of healthcare excellence to the community,” said Annette Jones, interim Chief Operating Officer, Stevenson Memorial Hospital. “Matthew’s House Hospice and Stevenson Memorial Hospital are committed to the highest quality of patient care for the people of our community so the decision to pursue further co-operation makes sense. This integration means positive benefits for patients at both facilities.” Due to the small size of Matthew’s House, the hospice remains unnoticed within the larger healthcare system and is unable to receive government funding directly from the LHIN. By aligning itself with a larger facility that can act as Transfer Payment Agent , Matthew’s House Hospice will become a visible and accountable entity within the Central LHIN as the hospice’s performance data will no longer be mingled with those of another hospice. Previously, Matthew’s House had an agreement with an urban hospice in North York who oversaw reporting responsibilities for both facilities In order to ensure a smooth transition for all parties, a joint task force has been created to collect, examine and consider feedback from employees, patients, family members, donors and community members. A special town hall meeting is being held to allow the community to learn more about the proposed integration and ask questions. Town Hall Meeting Individuals are also invited to submit their comments, questions or concerns through the Matthew’s House Hospice website at www.matthewshousehospice.ca -30-
Stevenson Launches Plans to go Smoke-FreeFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alliston, Ontario (July 11, 2010) - Everyone has heard the saying "fresh as a daisy," but what does it mean? At Stevenson Memorial Hospital, it means Smoke-free. Stevenson Memorial Hospital has set their sights on cleaner air for all patients, staff and visitors and is launching an information and education campaign to go smoke-free as of July 11, 2011. "At Stevenson, we recognize that an essential component of delivering quality healthcare to our patients is through disease prevention and education." says Gary Ryan, President and CEO. "As such, we’ve made a decision to follow in the steps of most healthcare organizations in our region and become a smoke-free campus. Individuals come to us to seek quality care and to get better. We have an obligation to ensure that each and every person who enters our doors can do so in a safe, healthy environment." To assist staff, physicians, and volunteers to quit smoking, Stevenson is making smoking cessation support and education available on site. As well, Stevenson will offer information packages to assist those who wish to access an external support system. A number of initiatives will be offered throughout the next year to support the campaign, including lunch and learn sessions, support groups, and an incentive program. The Smoke Free committee is working with clinical areas to produce medical directives. These directives will help patients who wish to quit smoking as well as offer support to reduce cravings and to assist throughout withdrawal management. "The good news is that according to Smoke Free Ontario, the success rate for quitting is increasing and many people are breaking the habit for life," states Karen Maisonneuve, Chair of Stevenson’s Smoke Free Committee. "We understand how challenging it can be to quit and we want to make our staff, physicians, volunteers, and patients as comfortable as possible throughout the quitting process." To help educate the community about the change that is coming, informational signage displaying the campaign's theme of "Fresh as a Daisy" will be posted in the coming weeks at all entrances and exits. These signs will serve as a reminder to all staff, patients and visitors for the next year at which time they will be replaced with permanent signage. Smoking statistics: Did you know...?
For more information on how to quit smoking contact the Canadian Smokers' Helpline at 1 877-513-5333. Stevenson Memorial Hospital Introduces Foundation for SuccessHospital introduces new core commitments, strategic plan, and logoFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alliston, Ontario (April 21, 2010) - Since the announcement of a new governance and management structure in late 2008, Stevenson Memorial Hospital (Stevenson) has implemented significant changes that have resulted in improved patient outcomes and operational efficiencies, exciting development plans for the future, and a renewed sense of pride for the organization by staff, physicians, volunteers, patients, and the community at large. To ensure its continued success, hospital officials introduced today new core commitments and a three-year strategic plan for Stevenson. A new integrated logo, which has been adopted by the Hospital, Foundation, and Auxiliary, was also unveiled. According to Board Chair, Ted Vandevis, today's announcement represents the first step in building a solid foundation from which Stevenson can continue to flourish as the provider of safe, quality healthcare services. "The Board of Directors has a responsibility to ensure the continued success of Stevenson. Having everyone working from the same page for the greater good of our community is an essential step in meeting this important mandate." The hospital's new core commitments - which include the Vision, We Champion Your Care ...every step of the way, a Mission statement, and five Values - articulate the aspirations, purpose, and character of Stevenson. "The new core commitments are more than just words on a page - they define our internal belief system and represent our promise to continuously strive for excellence in everything we do," explains Gary Ryan, President & CEO. The three-year Strategic Plan is focused on achieving goals that align with Stevenson's core commitments and can be measured against specific targets and outcomes. They include improving patient satisfaction scores; an increased focus on delivering diabetic care; creating a dynamic work environment for staff, physicians, and volunteers; improving information technology at the hospital; and achieving a balanced budget. Equally committed to the long-term success of Stevenson, the Board of Directors of the Hospital, Foundation, and Auxiliary recently chose a new integrated logo to visually demonstrate the unity that exists amongst the three organizations. Sharing a common graphic element and an individualized word mark, the new logo was designed by Tottenham resident and graphic designer, Leighanna Gordon. In 1999, as a Banting Memorial High School student, Ms. Gordon designed the Foundation's previous logo.
The cost to create the new logo design was minimal and the Hospital, Foundation, and Auxiliary are committed to depleting existing stock of printed materials before ordering supplies displaying the new logo. "The core commitments, strategic plan, and new logo were created with input from people who either deliver or receive healthcare services at Stevenson," said Gary Ryan. "Although we are pleased with our efforts to date, we have a lot of work ahead of us in meeting the high expectations we have set for the organization." Since 2008, Stevenson has successfully redesigned and expanded its emergency department and out-patient clinics to better accommodate the growing number of people seeking health care services at the Hospital. The birthing unit reopened and has assisted in the delivery of more than 500 babies, including five sets of twins. In addition, a new, state-of-the-art CT Scan suite opened ahead of schedule in June 2009, and eight new physicians have been successfully recruited to the area.
The Physician Retention & Recruitment Committee Welcomes Dr. HassanFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Alliston, Ontario (January 25, 2010) - The Physician Retention & Recruitment Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Hanadi Hassan has recently joined the Family Health Network in Alliston.
Also pictured left to right are: Luke Tomini, Krista Morris-Tomini, Dr. | ||||||||||||||||||
