Message from the Board Chair
and President & CEO
These have been unprecedented times – unlike anything
many of us have ever seen or experienced in our lives,
COVID-19 has tested the strength and resilience of our
hospital, our physicians, our staff, and our community in
ways we couldn’t anticipate.
In January 2020, news of a “novel coronavirus” emerging in
China served as a catalyst for the development of a strong
pandemic plan, employing teamwork and creativity to
ensure Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH) was ready to provide the
needed care for our community. As the COVID-19 pandemic
began to unfold, we continued to rethink our efforts and
retool our approaches in the face of each new challenge:
reducing surgeries and clinic visits, constructing the
Pandemic Response Unit (PRU) in preparation of a projected
surge of COVID-19 cases, and providing virtual care visits.
The pandemic transformed how we provide care, and our
team of staff and physicians never wavered from their
commitment or efforts to provide compassionate care,
exemplary service, every time. COVID-19 shone a spotlight
on their resiliency, adaptability, and positivity in the face of
constant change and uncertainty. Their dedication to our
CARE commitment in the delivery of quality patient care and
the compassionate treatment of others has never been more
apparent. We, along with our community, feel immense
pride in what they have accomplished under the most
challenging of circumstances, knowing the sacrifices they’ve
made in the service of others.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a top priority for the
organization during the latter part of the year, and continues
to be a top priority as we plan, learn, and redesign how
care is provided in a COVID world. However there are many
additional accomplishments to be recognized in 2019-
2020, as the hospital continued to focus on delivering
on the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan. Through the hospital’s
commitment to continuous learning, innovation and
improvement, the programs and services provided to our
community continues to grow and evolve.
A significant effort was focused on achieving timely and
well-coordinated care for patients admitted through our
Emergency Department (ED). Even with a steady increase
in ED patient visits, momentous improvements were
achieved and sustained this year. Joseph Brant Hospital
was recognized as the Most Improved Medium-Volume
Community Hospital by the Provincial Government, with a
reduction of 44.0% in 90th Percentile ED Length of Stay,
from Fiscal Year 2018-2019 to Fiscal Year 2019-2020. In
March 2020, our ED was ranked 9th out of all 74 Ontario
hospitals, for ED Pay-for-Results (P4R) performance.
In December 2019, Burlington became one of the first
communities in Ontario to move forward with establishing
an Ontario Health Team (OHT). Our community has a long
history of working together through collaboration across
primary care, acute care, home care, community support
services, long-term care and social services. This partnership
has led to the development of a number of integrated
care delivery models that will evolve as the Burlington OHT
continues to develop.
The JBH Board of Directors developed a new meeting
structure this year, which enhanced effectiveness and
efficiency of the Board’s function for our members and the
hospital. The Board of Directors also focused efforts on
ensuring the Board is continuously innovative and agile. This
is evident in how the Board quickly adjusted to the evolving
environment through COVID-19. Thank you to the 2019 -
2020 Board of Directors for all of their contributions.
The funding environment is an ongoing challenge in our
province and is expected to continue to be a challenge
with the added pandemic-related pressures. These funding
pressures, coupled with inflationary pressures and the
Hospital’s significant growth in patient care service volumes,
has resulted in expenses being greater than our funding.
As a result, JBH is reporting an $7.967 million deficit, as
reported in the audited financial statements. The Hospital
continues to implement efficiency models that address high
quality, safe and effective patient care.
2 Joseph Brant Hospital