Tag: government

January 10, 2020

Dear Health System Partners,

I am writing to share information with you about the World Health Organization’s announcement (WHO’s) yesterday, of the identification of a new (or novel) coronavirus in China.

This new virus was identified as part of the investigation of a cluster of 59 people in Wuhan, China that presented with viral pneumonia of unknown origin over the past few weeks. These laboratory findings are preliminary, and more investigation is needed to understand the epidemiology of the virus. Persons under investigation (PUIs) associated with this cluster have also been in identified in neighbouring countries/ autonomous regions (Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea) and these individuals had reported travel history to Wuhan.

Together with Public Health Ontario (PHO) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), we have been monitoring this cluster closely since it emerged over the holidays. The identification of a novel coronavirus is a key step in understanding this outbreak. Other important features of the outbreak to date include that:

• Cases have been identified in a discrete geographic region (Wuhan, China), and there are additional PUIs among returned travellers from Wuhan, China to other regions and countries (Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea).
• The initial reports link many cases to a seafood market in Wuhan, which has since been closed and cleaned.
• No deaths have been associated with the cluster in Wuhan, and many patients have been discharged from hospital.
• No significant human-to-human transmission has been documented.
• No cases have been reported in health care workers.

Given what is known at the present, the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus to Ontario and to Ontarians is low.

Read the full memo here.

December 20, 2019

MEMORANDUM TO: Ontario Health Stakeholder Partners

FROM: Bill Hatanaka, Ontario Health Board Chair

As a valued partner, I am very pleased to share with you that the Board of Directors of Ontario Health has appointed Matthew Anderson as Ontario Health’s President and CEO effective February 1, 2020.

Since 2016 Matthew has been serving as the President and CEO of Lakeridge Health, the health system and hospital network that serves Durham Region, Ontario. He has been working in health care since 1992 and rose quickly to leadership positions. He became Chief Information Officer of University Health Network (UHN) in 1998, became a Vice President at UHN in 2000, and in 2004 was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 by the Globe and Mail. In 2008, Matthew was named CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network and in 2010, became CEO of William Osler Health System.

Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with stakeholders across Ontario’s health system, finding opportunities, forging relationships and building strong partnerships to advance integrated and patient-centred models of care and most importantly, provide better quality care to Ontarians.

We are delighted that Matthew is joining the team at Ontario Health as its President and CEO. He has extensive team-building, system change and health care experience, including immersion in hospital and community networks. He is highly focused on the needs of patients and caregivers and brings a wide range of experiences to draw on as he leads the transformation of Ontario’s health system.

Please see the complete memo below:

• EN – Stakeholder Communique – 2019-12-20 (PDF)
• FR – Stakeholder Communique – 2019-12-20 (PDF)

Memo sent on Behalf of Susan Fitzpatrick, Interim CEO, Ontario Health

Good Morning,
 
As a valued partner in the health care system, I wanted to let you know that earlier today transfer orders were issued by the Honourable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, to Cancer Care Ontario, eHealth Ontario, HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency, Health Shared Services Ontario, and Ontario Health Quality Council operating as Health Quality Ontario. The transfer orders list December 2, 2019 as the day they will transfer to Ontario Health.
 
You can find all of the transfer orders on the ministry’s website and Ontario Health’s new website, which is www.ontariohealth.ca
 
As you may be aware, on June 6, the Connecting Care Act, 2019 was proclaimed into force. The government’s Connecting Care Act brought into effect changes that will create the framework for health system transformation in Ontario. Among these changes, 20 health care agencies are coming together through transfer orders issued over the coming months to form Ontario Health. 
 
Working closely with the ministry and the transferring agency leadership, Ontario Health is approaching this first wave of agency transfers thoughtfully, in order to retain continuity of patient and provider services as Ontario Health gets established. There will be no impact to patient care during or following these transfers.
 
I also wanted to let you know that Ontario Health has put in place a change that involves aligning the 14 LHINs to five interim and transitional regions. This is not a merger of the LHIN boundaries. Rather, these changes are a means of streamlining the regional oversight as the ministry continues its work to integrate home and community care supports with Ontario Health Teams.
 
Effective today, November 13th, five LHIN CEOs have been appointed as Transitional Regional Leads reporting to me, as Interim CEO of Ontario Health, for approximately the next year and responsible for the ongoing management of LHIN operations including:
 

• Coordinating patients’ access to home and community care and long-term care;
• Continuing the day-to-day administrative oversight of health service providers;
• Engaging with patients and families through the LHIN patient and family advisory councils;
• Engaging Indigenous and Francophone peoples, and;
• Leading and managing LHIN workforces within their region.

 
The Transitional Regional Leads/LHIN CEOs are: 
 

• Bruce Lauckner who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in western Ontario (and managing Erie St. Clair, Hamilton Haldimand Norfolk Brant, South West and Waterloo Wellington). 
• Renato Discenza who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in eastern Ontario (and managing Champlain, South East and Central East LHINs). 
• Scott McLeod who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in central Ontario (and managing Central, Central West, Mississauga Halton and North Simcoe Muskoka). 
• Tess Romain who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in Toronto (and managing Toronto Central). 
• Rhonda Crocker Ellacott who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in northern Ontario (and managing North East and North West). 

I know that you will join me in expressing my sincerest thanks to the departing LHIN CEOs for their tremendous contributions and years of dedicated service. Ontario has greatly benefitted from their leadership, commitment, ongoing professionalism and excellence ensuring health service planning and delivery in their regions. 
 
In closing, I wanted to add that everything we aim to achieve will only happen if we work in collaboration with important organizations such as yours. We, at Ontario Health, really look forward to finding opportunities to work together in order to reduce strain on the system, to invest more resources on the frontline and, most importantly, to provide better quality care to all Ontarians.
 
Sincerely,
 
Susan Fitzpatrick
Interim CEO, Ontario Health

 
En tant que partenaire important du système de soins de santé, je voulais vous informer que des ordonnances de transfert ont été délivrées par la ministre de la Santé, l’honorable Christine Elliott, à Action Cancer Ontario, cyberSanté Ontario, l’Agence de promotion et de recrutement de Professions SantéOntario, Services communs pour la santé Ontario, et le Conseil ontarien de la qualité des services de santé qui mène ses activités sous le nom de Qualité des services de santé Ontario. Les ordonnances de transfert indiquent le 2 décembre comme date de transfert vers Santé Ontario.
 
Vous pouvez trouver toutes les ordonnances de transfert sur le site Web du ministère et le nouveau site Web de Santé Ontario, www.ontariohealth.ca. 
 
Comme vous le savez peut-être, le 6 juin, la Loi de 2019 pour des soins interconnectés est entrée en vigueur. La Les changements prévus par la Loi pour des soins interconnectés du gouvernement constitueront le cadre de la transformation du système de santé de l’Ontario. Parmi ces changements, 20 organismes de soins de santé se sont regroupés dans le cadre d’ordonnances de transfert délivrées au cours des mois à venir pour former Santé Ontario. 
 
En étroite collaboration avec le ministère et la direction des organismes transférés, Santé Ontario entame sa première vague de transfert de manière réfléchie, de sorte à préserver la continuité des services offerts aux patients et fournisseurs pendant l’établissement de Santé Ontario. Il n’y aura pas de répercussions sur les soins des patients pendant ou après ces transferts.
 
Je souhaitais également vous informer que Santé Ontario a mis en place un changement prévoyant l’alignement des 14 RLISS sur cinq régions provisoires et transitionnelles. Il ne s’agit pas d’une fusion des délimitations des RLISS. Ces changements constituent plutôt un moyen de simplifier la supervision régionale pendant que le ministère poursuit son travail d’intégration des soutiens de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire avec les équipes de Santé Ontario.
 
À compter d’aujourd’hui, le 2 décembre, cinq directeurs généraux de RLISS ont été nommés comme responsables régionaux de la transition et travailleront sous ma direction, en tant que PDG intérimaire de Santé Ontario pendant un an environ et chargé de la gestion continue des activités des RLISS, notamment :
 

• Coordonner l’accès des patients à des soins à domiciles et en milieu communautaire et à des soins de longue durée;
• Poursuivre la supervision administrative quotidienne des fournisseurs de services de santé;
• Communiquer avec les patients et les familles par l’intermédiaire des conseils consultatifs des patients et des familles des RLISS;
• Mobiliser les peuples autochtones et francophones;
• Diriger et gérer la main d’œuvre des RLISS au sein de leur région.

 
Les responsables régionaux de la transition/PDG des RLISS sont : 
 

• Bruce Lauckner qui deviendra responsable régional de la transition de l’Ouest de l’Ontario (et directeur des RLISS d’ Érie St. Clair, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant, Sud-Ouest et Waterloo Wellington). 
• Renato Discenza qui deviendra responsable régional de la transition de l’Est de l’Ontario (et directeur des RLISS de Champlain, du Sud-Est et du Centre-Est). 
• Scott McLeod qui deviendra responsable régional de la transition du Centre de l’Ontario (et directeur des RLISS du Centre, du Centre-Ouest, de Mississauga Halton, et de Nord-Simcoe Muskoka). 
• Tess Romain qui deviendra responsable régionale de la transition à Toronto (et directeur général du RLISS du centre de Toronto). 
• Rhonda Crocker Ellacott qui deviendra responsable régionale de la transition du Nord de l’Ontario (et directeur général des RLISS du Nord-Est et du Nord-Ouest). 
• Je sais que vous vous joindrez à moi pour remercier sincèrement les directeurs généraux de RLISS qui nous quittent pour leurs immenses contributions et leurs années de service. L’Ontario a grandement bénéficié de leur leadership, engagement, professionnalisme et excellence pour assurer la planification et la prestation de services de santé dans leur région. 

 
Pour conclure, je souhaiterais ajouter que nos objectifs ne pourront être atteints que si nous travaillons en collaboration avec des organisations importantes telles que la vôtre. À Santé Ontario, nous sommes impatients de trouver des occasions de travailler ensemble pour réduire la pression sur le système, pour investir plus de ressources en premières ligne, et surtout, pour offrir des soins de qualité supérieure à tous les Ontariens.
 
Cordialement,
 
Susan Fitzpatrick
PDG par intérim, Santé Ontario