The right care in the right place: New partnership connects patients to care at home after discharge
Mar 1, 2024KITCHENER – MARCH 1, 2024 – A new program launches today in Waterloo Region to help adults who no longer require hospital care to continue their recovery, healing and rehabilitation in the comfort of their own homes.
St. Joseph’s Home Care’s Hospital to Home Program is delivered by St. Mary’s General Hospital in partnership with Bayshore Integrated Care Solutions. The program helps bridge patients as they are discharged from the hospital, providing care for them in their homes while other longer-term community-based services are arranged. The new program is a step forward to bringing St. Joseph’s Home Care services to Waterloo Region.
The program is developed and operated in partnership with Home and Community Care Support Services and the members in the KW4 Ontario Health Team (OHT), a partnership of over 40 members dedicated to working collaboratively to build integrated models of care, supporting better patient outcomes.
“Our goal is to get each patient back home as quickly and safely as possible after they receive the acute care that they need, but that’s not always feasible,” says Brandon Douglas, Vice President of Clinical Services at St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Often, we are unable to discharge a patient because they do not yet have the services and support that they need to be at home safely. By remaining in our care, this means that an acute bed is not available for someone who needs it. This new partnership is one of the new and innovative ways we are working together to ensure that the right care is provided in the right place for each patient along their entire healing journey. We are grateful to our partners for working together in new ways to care beyond our walls and meet the growing needs in our communities for home-based care,” says Douglas.
St. Joseph’s Home Care and St. Mary’s General Hospital are members of St. Joseph’s Health System, one of Canada’s largest healthcare corporations serving more than two million Canadians. “Our home care teams are experts in supporting patients with complex health conditions with person-centred, compassionate care in a comfortable environment,” says Elizabeth Buller, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System. “Together with our partners, we are pleased to continue to grow our home care services through St. Joseph’s Health System, connecting patients to the care they need and empowering them to live and thrive in the community.”
“We are excited to partner with St. Mary’s General Hospital in developing this innovative model to help bridge healthcare services for patients transitioning from hospital to home,” says Danielle Holler, Regional Director, Bayshore HealthCare Integrated Care Solutions. “Providing these services supports patient-centred care and also helps ease pressures on the over-burdened acute care system.”
The program will benefit patients as they can continue to receive the right care while ensuring that hospital beds are freed up for patients requiring urgent and complex care, provided only in an acute setting.
For further information, contact Dayna Giorgio, Director, Strategic Communications, St. Mary’s General Hospital, dgiorgio@smgh.ca; or Nicole Vaillancourt, Senior Communications and Engagement Officer, St. Joseph’s Health System, nvaillan@stjoes.ca.