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Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has achieved 95.8% of Accreditation Canada’s standards for excellence. Of the more than 1,900 applicable standards tested by Accreditation Canada, 1,886 were met.

Accreditation is the voluntary process by which hospitals evaluate their performance against national standards. The external peer review provides an assessment and improvement opportunities based on standards of excellence.

“I am very proud of the team here at GBGH,” Interim President and CEO Barb Guidolin said. “We received perfect and near perfect scores in many areas. GBGH has put a very strong emphasis on quality improvement and patient safety over the last several years and I believe this accreditation proved we are going in the right direction.”

The accreditation process began with self-assessment on-line surveys, involving, staff, board members and focus groups over many months. A five-member team of health care professionals surveyors visited the hospital’s two sites in November to complete the process. The surveyors looked at all aspects of the organization, reviewing documents; interviewing teams representing leadership, support and patient services; touring the facilities and holding focus groups and impromptu conversations with patients, staff, board members and community partners.

The surveyors described the organization’s strengths as: staff commitment; strong board of directors; huddles and compliance with them; standard work philosophy; strong medical leadership.

The surveyors made special mention of the housekeeping team for the safe and clean environment at GBGH and the volunteers for being the frontline warriors of a very robust hand hygiene program.

They also commended the organization for successfully bringing together the two sites following integration and a very successful branding exercise that resulted in the new name and logo for the hospital.

Georgian Bay General Hospital is a 116-bed hospital with sites in Midland and Penetanguishene.

Staff, physicians, volunteers and friends of Georgian Bay General Hospital celebrated December 13 at the official ground breaking for the Emergency Department expansion project.

“Thank you for joining us on this truly historic day. It is hard to put into words how important today is for the Emergency Department physicians and staff at our hospital as we break ground on a project that is long past its due date. This is the day we have been waiting for,” Barb Guidolin, GBGH Interim President and CEO said.

The fundraising campaign – Our Best Care – started in 2005 to raise the funds necessary to provide a space able to meet the growing demands of the communities served by the hospital and best practice standards in health care.

The official ground breaking included the return of two hospital friends co-chairs of the Our Best Care Campaign that started it all - Doris Shirriff and Dr. Jim Young.

Phase one is a $5-million addition to the current department and the first step in the $12.7-million project that will also see the addition of an enclosed four-bay ambulance garage when complete. The $5-million phase one is called an own-funds projects as the monies were raised in the community with no provincial contributions.

“I invite you all back to join us 14 months from now when we cut the ribbon to officially open phase one of this project,” GBGH Board Chair Brian Scott said. 

The Emergency Department project will add more than 6,000 square feet to the department and includes a new triage area, entrance, trauma room and treatment rooms.

The GBGH Emergency Department saw 45,000 patients last year in a space designed in 1976 to accommodate 18,000. Despite the cramped quarters, wait times in the emergency department have dropped 40% since 2008 and the hospital has consistently been among the top performers in large volume hospitals in the province.

The heavy equipment may not be here to stay just yet but the Emergency Department redevelopment project at Georgian Bay General Hospital moved one step closer to reality this week.

Equipment was on site to conduct geological testing in preparation for what officials hope will be the ‘big dig’ in 2012.

“The Emergency Department project has been front and centre here since 2006 when the Foundation kicked off its Our Best Care Campaign,” President and CEO Paul Heinrich said. “And while we are thrilled the Digital X-Ray and Picture Archiving Communication System came to pass, we have also been working diligently with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care since the campaign came to a close in 2008, seeking approval to move forward with the construction.

“Construction is still many months away but it certainly is nice to have this very visible symbol of the project on site.”

The Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation through the Our Best Care Campaign holds $2.1 million in funds for the estimated $12.7 million project; Simcoe County will contribute $2.6 million and the hospital is seeking support from the Ministry for at least 90 per cent of the remainder of the $12-million.

The hospital has completed a Master Plan and Business Case to support the project and is moving ahead with a three-phased approach to construction. The three-phases will allow the department to continue its 24-hour service and use the funds already raised to begin construction on phase one while the Ministry continues its review of the other two phases.

The Emergency Department saw 45,000 visits last year; last summer the number of visits on a single day hit an all time high at 185. The department was honoured with a visit by Health Minister Deb Matthews in the spring as the Minister praised the staff for being among the very best in the province in terms of wait times. The department was originally built to handle 18,000 visits per year.

While Aboriginal healing has been going on unofficially in "various ways, places and spaces" at Georgian Bay General Hospital it is time to provide a permanent home, hospital President and CEO Paul Heinrich says.

That was realized, he added, when the hospital officially opened the Neegaan Naabwag (Looking into The Future) Healing Room on November 28, 2011; the room  provides a visible, sacred place for aboriginal healing right off the main lobby of the hospital.

"This is very meaningful for our community," said Beausoleil First Nation Chief Roly Monague. "It brings our traditions to the forefront in a very visible way at the hospital.”

The room has been outfitted with a separate ventilation system to allow for the burning of traditional medicines during a smudging ceremony.

"This is one of only a few hospitals in the province to offer such a facility inside where the patients are,” said Chief Monague.

Providing such a space has been on the agenda since the hospital’s new strategic plan was adopted in 2009, Mr. Heinrich said. A recent event, he noted, made it clear the time was now to proceed.

“We serve a large percentage of First Nations people here at Georgian Bay General Hospital. Our Board takes very seriously our need to engage our diverse communities and do all that we reasonably can to make this a hospital for all. This room is another sign of our commitment to our partners.” Mr. Heinrich said.

“With direction from the Elder’s Advisory Council and our team at the hospital, we were able to make this happen in less than 60 days,” Mr. Heinrich added. “Our whole team is happy to be able to demonstrate our respect for their culture.”

"It's a huge partnership that brings together traditional and western medicine to increase the well-being of everybody," Chief Monague said.