2015 Report from the Board Chair

REPORT FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

REPORT OF THE BOARD CHAIR MIKE MCCANN HSN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING June 18, 2015

2014 proved to be another year of significant accomplishments.

These were achieved in a difficult and challenging environment. The pressures facing the health care system in our province are well-documented. All hospitals in Ontario, including HSN, are facing sizeable financial constraints. HSN has made some tough but necessary choices to manage these challenges.

But what is much more noteworthy is what HSN has been able to accomplish in this climate. We’ve been able to achieve great things because HSN has great people. Quite frankly, our people are among the best health care providers in the province.

They have embraced change, innovation, organizational excellence and lean thinking because it is the best path for improving patient care.

This past year, HSN enhanced or expanded vital patient care in several areas, such as pediatrics, surgery, critical care and cardiac care. HSN improved treatment times in the Emergency Department and decreased wait times for key surgical services.

HSN’s research affiliate, AMRIC, secured over $10 million dollars in capital funding, while researchers attracted new investment dollars for clinical trials, particularly in seniors’ health and infectious disease.

HSN and its clinicians earned national awards and international recognition for their work, and HSN is now counted among Canada’s leading research hospitals.

In terms of accountability and community engagement, HSN led a number of public forums on health care issues that are of interest in our community, such as pediatric care, seniors and end-of-life care, and care transitions.

At our Board meetings, board members heard from patients about their experiences at HSN and what we need to do to improve.

HSN’s Board of Directors worked with management to develop quality improvement plans and strategies to enhance patient safety. These plans have clear goals and a portion of executive compensation is linked to the achievement of these goals.

As you can see, we’re well into the construction of a new parking lot at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre, which will add over 900 new spaces for patients, visitors, and staff.

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HSN showed excellent stewardship of the resources provided to us. We achieved a balanced budget while minimizing as much as possible the impact on our patients and employees.

Our fundraising partners, the HSN Foundation, the Northern Cancer Foundation and the HSN Volunteer Association, enjoyed a fruitful year with new events and initiatives that raised much needed dollars for patient care. The donations made to our hospital demonstrates the confidence in the community for the direction we’ve taken to enhance patient care.

As I said at the beginning, there are challenging times ahead. Provincial funding reform is driving change in how hospitals do business. We must be diligent in how we use precious public resources.

There is no room for complacency. We have to maximize the efficiency of the resources at our disposal. The programs, services and people we invest in must bring measurable value and results to our patients.

That is the standard by which everything we do will be judged. Given what we’ve accomplished so far, and the circumstances we’ve faced, I am more than confident that HSN is fully up to this challenge and will succeed.

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