Page 6 - GBGH Foundation Newsletter - Winter 2024

AN UPDATE FROM GBGH

PRESIDENT AND CEO

MATTHEW LAWSON

Happy New Year to all and as we are now enjoying the
first months of 2024, I want to briefly highlight one of our
hospital’s biggest achievements of 2023. In November,
GBGH underwent a voluntary evaluation known as
Accreditation which occurs every four years. During the
Accreditation survey, our hospital was evaluated based
on approximately 2,000 quality and safety standards.
It was a very successful process for GBGH and I could
not be more proud of the result. We achieved a score
of more than 99%, resulting in our hospital being
granted the highest honour possible - Accredited
with Exemplary Standing. This accomplishment would
not have been possible without the dedication and
attention to detail of the GBGH team. Their efforts
made this survey such a resounding success!
We are proud of this outcome because it is an
So how can we be part of the solution? Last fall, GBGH
affirmation of the excellent standard of care we
submitted the third stage of a nine-stage process
provide at GBGH. Regardless of our Accreditation
to the Ministry of Health. This submission included
result, we never stop looking at ways to be better
detailed plans for our proposed program which has
for our community.
24 acute inpatient beds (16 adult, 8 geriatric). It also
includes a partial hospitalization program and an
One of the most urgent issues our hospital faces is the
outpatient program to help patients transition back
overwhelming number of acute mental health visits
to the community, as well as avoid being admitted to
to our Emergency Department. Last year, patients in
the hospital in the first place. These programs will be
mental health crisis visited our ED nearly 1,700 times,
housed in a 48,400 square foot addition to the existing
and some of those patients had to wait for more than
hospital. This is where you - our community - will play
100 hours before being transferred to another facility in
an essential role in helping us build this program.
our region with an appropriate mental health bed.
Together, we can improve access to mental health
We can improve these alarming statistics by bringing services in our community. Thank you for continuing
an acute mental health and outpatient program to to partner with us as we strive to Make Excellent Care
our hospital. This will alleviate some burden across the Personal.
region and serve our local community who needs the
support. Wait times for a mental health bed in Simcoe Matthew Lawson
Muskoka are already the second longest in the province,
Matthew Lawson
mental health visits continue to increase in volumes President & CEO
and prevalence. We know mental health patient days Georgian Bay General Hospital
far exceed the provincial average of 89 days per 1,000
residents. For example, in Penetanguishene, the patient
days are 297, with Midland at 212 days.

PAGE 6