St. Joseph’s Health System and Niagara Health renew Collaboration Agreement
August 18, 2020 – St. Joseph’s Health System (SJHS) and Niagara Health (NH) are committed to continuing to work together through a renewed Collaboration Agreement intended to improve the health of our communities through patient-centred, innovative and sustainable health care.
This renewed agreement will ensure that the two healthcare organizations continue to look for ways to combine their expertise to provide better health care across our communities in addition to improved teaching, research and other healthcare delivery innovations. The agreement recognizes that each organization has its own strength and both organizations will continue to retain the autonomy necessary to govern its work and to care for citizens of its regions.
SJHS and Niagara Health share leadership at the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) level, with Dr. Thomas Stewart, and a Joint Collaborative Management Committee, led by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton President Melissa Farrell and Niagara Health President Lynn Guerriero, will promote opportunities to seek intersections of innovation and excellence across organizations.
Recognizing that we can be stronger together, past collaborations have been of great benefit to patients and providers alike. For example, SJHS and Niagara Health integrated the kidney care teams to create the largest kidney care program in Canada, to ensure the highest standards of coordinated care and innovation for patients in the region. In addition, models for Integrated Comprehensive Care have been a major advancement across both organizations. These initiatives support excellence in care as well as enhancing additional educational and research opportunities in both organizations.
Together, St. Joseph’s Health System and Niagara Health care for a combined population of more than two-million citizens, from Fort Erie to Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford to Hamilton and Guelph. The organizations represent acute care, long-term care, retirement living, transitional care, hospice care, rehabilitation, group purchasing and home care. SJHS and NH teach the next generation of healthcare providers through affiliations with leading academic institutions such as McMaster University, and our research ensures the provision of innovative, state-of-the-art practice across the spectrum of care.