Kingston Health Sciences Centre strategy for Transforming care, together
Kingston Health Sciences Centre strategy for Transforming care, together
Credit
Matthew Manor/KHSC

In early 2016 Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital announced plans to create a new academic health sciences centre that would bring together the operations of the two hospitals. As a result of that announcement Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) became the official integrated organization, bringing together the KGH and HDH hospital sites.

To help shape the vision for our new health sciences centre, everyone who works, learns, volunteers, partners with and receives care at KHSC was challenged to dream big and help map out what the future of KHSC could be.

Now, another exciting milestone has been reached on our journey.

After over 90 different engagement sessions and conversations with more than 2,000 people from across our region, KHSC has finalized the strategy that will help make our dreams for the future a reality.

“Over a year ago we planted an Autumn Blaze maple tree in City Park, a symbolic gesture of putting down roots as we started building our new Kingston Health Sciences Centre,” says President and CEO Dr. David Pichora. “Launching our strategy marks another important chapter of growth for us by providing us with the blueprint that will guide how we work and partner with others in our community over the next five years.”

Transforming care, together is both a bold plan for the future and our commitment to caring for patients, families, partners and each other. As a new health sciences centre, KHSC had a unique opportunity to create a new mission, vision and set of values that will define our purpose and culture for years to come. Our plan includes four strategic directions that will help KHSC achieve better health for our communities while transforming the health care system. They are:

  1. Ensure quality in every patient experience
  2. Nurture our passion for caring, leading and learning
  3. Improve the health of our community through partnership and innovation
  4. Launch KHSC as a leading centre for research and education

“Together we have new and better opportunities to deliver care where and how it is needed most, to transform the patient experience and partner with other organizations to improve the health of people across our region and beyond,” says Dr. Pichora. “This strategy is our map towards a world-class health care, research and teaching environment that we all know is possible and that our patients and families deserve.”

Throughout the process of building the strategy, community partners, patients and staff were regularly consulted to ensure that we were on the right track and that the mission, vision and values are a true reflection of KHSC as an integrated organization with two proud site-specific histories.

 “The mission speaks to me very loudly that we’re all in this together; that every person across the organization, regardless of their position, has a role to play in bringing this strategy to life,” says Donna Perrin, a Patient Experience Advisor and member of the KHSC Strategy Steering Committee. “Every single person here has an opportunity to make one another feel that they’re included; that they’re part of the work we do here and that we care. I see that in this strategy.”

The values in the strategy were created with lots of input from patients and staff to help KHSC define the culture and help guide the actions that are taken every day to deliver care to our community.

 “When I look at the values it makes me think of the reasons why I wanted to become a nurse,” says Alyson Lazier, a charge nurse at KHSC. “I think we come to work every day to provide the best care possible while wanting to have an environment of respect and partnership with patients and their families, and I really see that desire reflected in the values.”

Though the Transforming care, together strategy has launched, the work to bring it to life is just starting. KHSC leaders, with input and guidance from community partners, patients and staff, will soon begin the work to map out the specific actions we’ll undertake in each of the next five years to bring the strategy to life.

“I would like to thank everyone who gave their time, energy and effort to help us dream big about the future of KHSC and shape our strategy for Transforming care, together. This is an exciting moment in our history and wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s support,” says Dr. Pichora. “I am proud to help launch a strategy that reflects the perspectives of all of our staff, patients, physicians, volunteers, partners and community members.”

To read the full Transforming care, together strategy, please visit www.KingstonHSC.ca/OurPlan 

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