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WRH is an organization that has a vision of providing outstanding care with no exceptions for all patients. Their mission is to deliver outstanding patient care with a passionate commitment to excellence. WRH strives to achieve this mission by operating under four core values: compassion, accountability, respect, and exceptionality.

It is obvious that the hospital cares about delivering outstanding patient care, as evidenced by the findings of the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The data shows that WRH is moving towards better safety and accessibility and is ahead of the provincial average. WRH is committed to bettering it's Total Societal Impact in ways that are meaningful to the public, such as providing a pilot program to help patients recover at home.

Although the hospital's vision looks toward creating good corporate citizenship, there is some evidence to suggest that the hospital can still do more to promote outstanding care. The wait times at WRH have been long for patients in the emergency room, as the hospital has been at over capacity.

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Windsor Regional Hospital's Mission and Vision Statement

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Windsor Regional Hospital's Mission and Vision Statement

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Windsor Regional Hospital's Canadian Institute for Health Information Indicator Results

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Windsor Regional Hospital's Canadian Institute for Health Information Indicator Results

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The Canadian Institute for Health Information gathers information from Canadian hospitals in categories such as safety, accessibility, effectiveness, and overall level of patient care. For example, the data featured here shows that WRH has a very low rate of surgical patients being re-admitted to the hospital, compared with the rest of Ontario. This data aligns with the hospital's core values as outlined in their mission - to keep patients the centre of all the hospital does.

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$1M health pilot project helps patients recover at home, 'stay in home as long as they're able' 

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$1M health pilot project helps patients recover at home, 'stay in home as long as they're able' 

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A $1 million pilot project to get people out of the hospital faster and back home has shown remarkable savings and helped about half of the participants stay in their homes instead of going to long-term care.

"This helps patients to stay in home as long as they're able to," David Simpson, director of hospitals, emergency departments and alternate level of care for the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network said this week.

The program called Intensive Hospital to Home runs until March and offers increased health services geared individually to patients in their homes for 60 days. It is helping patient flow at hospitals, reducing costs and giving people time to recuperate at home before they have to make a major decision such as going to a long-term care facility.

The program has existed for two years but the $1 million in funding at the end of September allowed it to increase from 30 days to 60 days and tailor services to each patient. It was for patients who no longer needed acute care but would have ended up staying in the hospital anyway.

The program has been "very successful," and the network will ask the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to make the funding annual, Simpson told the network's board Wednesday.

He called the savings to the health care system "remarkable." The cost to provide beefed-up health services at home ranged from $166 to $194 a day. If those patients remained in hospital it would cost about $730 a day, he said.

For hospitals it means patients can be discharged earlier which increases patient flow, an advantage this week during what has been called the worst flu season for Windsor in 20 years.

"Especially during these times it helps," said Gina Bulcke, Windsor Regional Hospital's director of organizational effectiveness who oversees patient flow.

Bulcke said what makes the program different is the intensive level of health services available in homes and how a plan is custom-made for each patient. "It's about what's in the best interest of the patient."

The services at home included nursing care, personal support, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, counselling, dietetics and equipment such as a rented hospital bed or wheelchair. After the 60 days the patient is responsible for renting or buying the equipment.

It's positive for the patient who can be in their home in familiar surroundings and it's positive for caregivers, she said. Once families are reassured that under this program there are extra in-home health services available for 60 days it gives them more options.

"Now it's more intensive services so rather than one visit a day, you might get four or five visits a day or you may get hours of care. So that has changed," Bulcke said. "Now with intensive services, it gives them an opportunity to look at how can I make this work."

The program is in Windsor, Sarnia and Chatham and included 76 people in the Windsor area from April 1 to Jan. 9.

About half of the participants in the three regions were able to remain in their homes. About 36 per cent went to a long-term care facility after 60 days, Simpson said. The rest ended up back in hospital or died.

"Fewer patients are ending up in long-term care homes prematurely," Simpson said.

Simpson said for patients it reduces the risk of developing an illness while hospitalized and the risk of losing strength and mobility.

Windsor Regional Hospital president and CEO David Musyj said the program has freed up about 70 beds. "That's dramatic," Musyj said. "It's a very positive program. That's where people generally want to be is back home."

You don't need a doctor referral to call Home and Community Care about services at 1-888-447-4468. There's more information about local health services at www.eriestclairhealthline.ca.
shill@postmedia.com twitter.com/winstarhill

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$1M health pilot project helps patients recover at home, 'stay in home as long as they're able'

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A $1 million pilot project to get people out of the hospital faster and back home has shown remarkable savings and helped about half of the participants stay in their homes instead of going to long-term care.

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Long patient waits as Windsor Regional Hospital at overcapacity

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Long patient waits as Windsor Regional Hospital at overcapacity

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This article highlights the challenges the WRH faces in terms of providing accessible patient care in times where the hospital is running at over capacity. This article shows that WRH still has some work to do in order to make patient care outstanding, which is the organization's core vision. In order to have a positive TSI WRH needs to ensure that patient wait times are addressed.

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Anyone attending Windsor Regional Hospital - including those who need the emergency department - should expect longer than average wait times due to a dramatic flu-related surge in patient volume, says hospital president and CEO David Musyj.

According to a message Musyj sent to all staff just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, both campuses of Windsor Regional Hospital are currently overcapacity - operating at 118 per cent at the Met Campus and 104 per cent at the Ouellette Campus.

At the time of Musyj's message, there were 74 patients in the emergency room at the Met Campus and 50 patients in the emergency room at the Ouellette Campus.

"Since the new year began, there's been a steady increase," Musyj said later in the day. "More patients, higher admission rate."

On the night of Jan. 21, there was a particularly sharp rise in intake that continued into Monday.

At the same time, the discharge rate lowered.

"Anytime the flow becomes limited, it creates capacity issues," Musyj said.

Musyj cited "a wide range of issues" for the situation, but he pointed specifically to "influenza-like symptoms, respiratory (cases) and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases)" for swelling the number of admissions.

"Right now, there are 12 long-term care homes that are on 'outbreak' status. Meaning, they have people with influenza or influenza-like symptoms in their facilities. Last year, at the worst (of the season), I recall there being nine."

"When someone has COPD and they're struck by influenza, then they have serious breathing issues. Ninety per cent of the time, they have to be admitted to a hospital bed."

Musyj added that this year's flu cases seem to be less age-specific than previous years: The admissions show a spectrum of patients, including children, middle-aged adults, and the elderly. "It's not discriminating."

The crowds at Windsor Regional Hospital's emergency departments have been causing difficulties for paramedics. Ambulances are reportedly getting tied up trying to offload patients.

Essex-Windsor EMS is now urging the public to consider all options for non-emergency medical needs.

"Those who require emergency care will be taken care of," Musyj assured. "The issue is those who don't need emergency care, and could possibly be seen by their family physician or clinic."

If the capacity situation does not improve, Musyj said Windsor Regional Hospital may need to postpone pre-scheduled elective surgeries. "We haven't done that yet. We're not asking people to postpone their surgeries. All we're saying is that if it gets worse, that's where we head to."

Musyj noted that Windsor Regional Hospital was operating at around 110 per cent capacity this time of year in 2017, throughout January and into February.

"It was difficult," Musyj said. "But we were able to work through it."

Musyj said he expects the flu-related surge to last just as long this year.

"From all indications, this is a North American issue now," he said. "It's upon us ... I expect this to last until early March. It'll be a few weeks."
dchen@postmedia.com

Paramedics having difficulty offloading patients @ local hospitals. Inability to offload means ambulances are tied up & unable to respond to emergency calls. Please consider utilizing alternative health care options for your non-emergent medical needs. https://t.co/ScqhW0IwiQ
- Essex-Windsor EMS (@EssexWindsorEMS) January 23, 2018

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Long patient waits as Windsor Regional Hospital at overcapacity

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Anyone attending Windsor Regional Hospital - including those who need the emergency department - should expect longer than average wait times due to a dramatic flu-related surge in patient volume, says hospital president and CEO David Musyj. According to a message Musyj sent to all staff just before 6 a.m.

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1. WRH should continue to communicate their vision and values to their employees and other stakeholders in order to remain accountable. WRH should come up with a plan for all departments to report on their achievement of the goals in the mission on a weekly or monthly basis.

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