By Rik Ganderton
President and CEO

So much to say. Firstly, my thanks and thanks from our executive team and the Board of Directors to our nurses, security, physicians and all staff involved in handling a significant incident in our Emergency Department at the Centenary campus on April 16.

We placed the Centenary Emergency Department on redirect status following the incident in which a patient seriously injured himself late that morning. Staff and physicians responded immediately to the situation and in handling the redirection of ambulances and emergency patients like the professionals they are.

OUR RECOVERY CONTINUES
We have been busy in healthcare partner and public consultations concerning our improved new model of mental health care delivery.

Much has been reported in the media. For clarity, please reference the information posted on our web site since March 25.
From the consultations, we have been able to better define issues, such as transportation of patients and families, which we will address during the next five months before our improved model of mental health care is put into place.

It’s important that our patients, families and communities—in addition to all of you—know that this model represents better access to our services by:

• Increasing crisis services from 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week at both campuses;
• Maintaining our outpatient services, which serves the majority of mental health patients at both campuses;
• Ensuring access to all mental health services, including emergencies, continues at each campus;
• Pooling expertise for inpatient care.
Our Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering mental health information page has much more detail on this.

More information is available online at www.rougevalley.ca and at www.centraleastlhin.on.ca.

FUNDING
We have received funding from the provincial government as announced on April 13. That funding is not new and will not change our need to become more effective as we move up to the standards of the best community hospitals in Ontario.
We also remain focused on implementing our Deficit Elimination Plan so that we can effectively reduce our $78 million long-term debt and working capital deficit.

You’ve heard me say it many times in our Town Halls, but it’s worth repeating: we know we can perform with the best hospitals in Ontario—a top quartile performer rather than average, or worse. Rouge Valley is striving to be among the best of Ontario community acute care hospitals in both quality and effectiveness.

Having met many of you during the last year, I know we have the dedicated, high quality staff, physicians and volunteers to achieve this.”