TOGETHER
Facing Crisis Through Collaboration
During times of health crisis , communities band together – hospitals , organizations , community leaders and businesses – to protect and support each other through the situation .
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the positive impact of community collaboration and cooperation . Together , a dedicated collective that each carried the necessary resources , people and know-how to create a proactive response , were vital to ensuring that this health crisis did not overwhelm our community .
The focused teamwork of hospital leaders in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Norfolk Brant Burlington ( HNHBB ) region , including JBH President and CEO Eric Vandewall and Chief of Staff Dr . Ian Preyra , led to the creation of the Regional COVID-19 Model of Care Strategy . The strategy set out to ensure that no single hospital and its patients lacked available patient care beds due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and that surgeries did not have to be reduced unless absolutely essential to preserve bed capacity . As one of four designated hospitals providing acute COVID-19 care in our region , we worked with our hospital partners to ensure patients could get the care they needed .
Since the beginning of 2021 , JBH has accepted 56 patient transfers from outside our HNHBB region , including patients from the Greater Toronto Area . Receiving these patients helped to reduce pressure across the healthcare system . We are incredibly proud of our staff who redeployed to other units in our hospital that needed additional support to provide compassionate care to the most critically ill patients .
JBH also participated in the Mayor ’ s Task Force through the City of Burlington .
This cross-functional collaborative of community leaders and decision-makers met regularly throughout the pandemic for the purposes of sharing information , mobilizing community and agency resources , and monitoring the overall situation week to week . JBH ’ s Task Force members included Eric Vandewall , President & CEO of JBH , Anissa Hilborn , President of JBH Foundation , Dr . Steve Selchen , Deputy Chief of Staff and Dr . Dale Kalina , Interim Medical Director of Infectious Disease . JBH participated as panelists on Mayor Marianne Meed Ward ’ s public telephone town halls .
The collaboration demonstrated over the past year illustrates the strong partnerships between JBH and other partner hospitals and local leaders . This framework will serve as a foundation as we move forward , with the safety of patients , community , staff and physicians always at the centre of what we do . feedback on changes to the proposed Essential Caregiver Policy to ensure the safety of everyone coming into or staying in our hospital .
Based on the success and work of the inaugural JBH PFAC , JBH has proceeded with broader recruitment of additional PFAC members in 2021 to expand patient and family involvement across the hospital to help improve the patient experience .
JBH Patient and Family Advisory Council
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