St. Mary’s General Hospital

[UrbanWaterloo]

St. Mary’s General Hospital
911 Queen's Boulevard, Kitchener
www.smgh.ca

http://www.smgh.ca/_images/hospitalLogo.gif

About Us: http://www.smgh.ca/innerpage.aspx?x=U%2bdnCLS3mp%2bo7hap3YNfpgU5ufx7% 2bTfJ6TiFaaaINGvgwicquYNHqCZqQMbUTtZl
St. Mary’s General Hospital is a leader in health care excellence, with a reputation for providing compassionate and innovative care consistent with the Catholic traditions and values of the Sisters of St. Joseph. St. Mary’s provides adult acute care and is home to the Regional Cardiac Care Centre.

St. Mary’s Stats and Facts

191 acute care beds
1,250 staff
176 medical staff
403 volunteers
7,000+ admissions/year
100,000+ outpatient visits/year
45,000+ emergency department visits/year
18,000+ surgical procedures performed/year
4,000+ cardiac procedures performed/year

Programs and Services

Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
Thoracic Surgery and Respirology
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Ophthalmology
Urology
Emergency Care (24/7)
Restricted Access Intensive Care Unit
Dedicated Chest Unit (an innovative unit that cohorts thoracic surgery and respiratory medical patients)
Medicine (endocrinology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, palliative care)
Nuclear Medicine
Diagnostic Imaging
St. Mary’s Counselling Services
Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre

2008-09 Annual Report: http://www.smgh.ca/_uploads/PageContent/documents/SMGHFAnnualReport09Final.pdf
Revenue - $129,240,000
Expenses - $131,942,000

[Spokes]

St. Mary’s General hospital to get funding
February 1, 2011 | John Thompson, Wonderful Waterloo Staff

St. Mary’s General hospital will be receiving additional funding from the province of Ontario to help lower wait times.

St. Mary’s General hospital will be receiving $36,000 through the province’s Pay-for-Results program. The money will be used to treat more patients than last year within provincial targets. This funding is in addition to the $23,200 that St. Mary’s General hospital has already received.

“St. Mary’s General Hospital has clearly shown itself to be a leader in taking innovative steps to provide timely, high quality emergency care for its patients” said John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre. “The Pay-for-Results program is encouraging new, ground-breaking approaches to improving patient care in the ER.”

Since 2008, there has been a 2 per cent reduction in the total time patients are spending in the emergency room. In addition to that, 84 per cent of patients are being seen within provincial targets.

"We continue to see record numbers of patients in our emergency department” said Don Shilton, President, St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Improving our wait times in the 2nd quarter of the year despite this increased pressure speaks to the commitment and dedication of our staff and physicians, who are constantly seeking ways to create an improved patient experience at St. Mary's. With P4R funding, we can continue to strive to meet our vision of becoming the safest and most effective hospital in Canada."

Leeanna Pendergast, MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga stressed the importance of quick turn around times in emergency rooms. “Reducing ER wait times is an important component of our government's overall plan to deliver quality and timely health care services” she said.

The funding could be used for things such as expanding emergency room teams with additional nursing staff, bed flow coordinators, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants or adding processes that improve bed turn-around times and discharges from inpatient beds for quicker emergency room patient transfers.

Grand River Hospital will also be receiving $17,400 as a part of the province’s Pay-for-Results program.

[IEFBR14]

ISTM that rather than slightly reducing wait times (2% in this instance) by making their ERs more efficient, hospitals need to literally think outside the box. For example they need to work with local doctors to establish walk-in clinics near those hospitals -- ideally "next door" -- that are open 24x7 and that can relieve their ERs from dealing with the vast majority of patients who don't belong in ER in the first place.

[Spokes]

ISTM that rather than slightly reducing wait times (2% in this instance) by making their ERs more efficient, hospitals need to literally think outside the box. For example they need to work with local doctors to establish walk-in clinics near those hospitals -- ideally "next door" -- that are open 24x7 and that can relieve their ERs from dealing with the vast majority of patients who don't belong in ER in the first place.

See that's the issue, many people who go to the ER don't need to, they need primary care physicians. That's where our true shortage is, family doctors. So whether it's clinics that house family doctors or what, there needs to be a solution. Hopefully the new medical school can help to get more doctors here in the Region.

[IEFBR14]

they need primary care physicians. That's where our true shortage is, family doctors.The problem with people going to ERs after hours is widespread even in areas where there's no FP shortage. Even if you have an FP in Waterloo Region, their office hours are limited and they can't always see you the day you call. FPs, whether they operate as solo practitioners or as part of a multi-MD practice all refer their patients to after hours clinics. The problem is that if you think you may have an emergency situation you want to go to a hospital, not somewhere at the other end of town like the clinic in the plaza next to UW.


Walk-in clinics near hospitals address these sorts of issues because you go to the clinic and get triaged there quickly. In the relatively rare situations that you're real emergency the ER is right there. Otherwise take a seat and wait for a clinic FP (or nurse practitioner) without ever getting involved with the much higher cost hospital system.

[Spokes]

Ahh yes you make a good point, hadn't thought of the office hours issue