MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADERS

2023-2024 Joint Message from Windsor Regional Hospital President and CEO David Musyj, Chief Nursing Executive Karen Riddell; Chair of the Board of Directors, Patti France; Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad;

The healthcare sector is continually evolving, always challenging, and forever rewarding. As we reflect on the 2023-24 fiscal year, we look back with immense pride at how our staff adapted to new technological advancements, rallied to support each other and the community in the face of a regional criminal cyberattack, and then moved forward with a system recovery and a stellar Accreditation Canada process.

As we continue to transition further away from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic which gripped the globe for several years and has now become endemic, the WRH team has continued to demonstrate its high standards for excellence in all that they do. What follows below and in the highlight sections of this online annual report are evidence of the incredible efforts of our more than 4200 employees, more than 700 professional staff, over 300 volunteers, over 1000 Nursing and Allied Health Students and some 150 local medical students – all of whom have contributed to our successes as Windsor-Essex’s largest employer and true leader among our Ontario hospital peers.

Strengthen the processes that drive a culture of patient safety and quality of care

WRH is always working to innovate behind the scenes. Those efforts bore fruit in the 2023-24 fiscal year as we celebrated remarkable technological advancements for our patients and the dedicated clinicians who practice with us.

WRH surgical teams rolled out sophisticated technology including the new, state-of-the-art endoscopic ultrasound machine and minimally invasive, accurate, and the most sensitive method in staging GI cancer and benign disease performing 88 cases in 2023.

Our operating room teams were also proud to announce the acquisition of ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) navigation system to improve the accuracy and efficiency of sinus surgeries and our Windsor Surgical Centre performed 4,000 cataract procedures on our patients.

Our Diagnostic Imaging teams have replaced the 3D Mammography Units, installed a 3T MRI Scanner at the met Campus, replaced three Nuclear Medicine Cameras and upgraded its PACs and CVIS system for improved image storage and interpretation.

Thanks to provincial government financial support, our Paediatric Program, in collaboration with our ED, expanded its operating hours to seven afternoons per week, resulting in 1,300 paediatric patients being diverted from our Emergency Department. The revamped program also completes over 100 follow up appointments per month.

Our Medicine teams kicked off the Senior Friendly Initiative including a polypharmacy project, antibiotic stewardship program and mobility committee, our medical daycare has reduced Iron Infusion wait times by 50% and our Stroke Team has incorporated an ED pharmacist into our Code Stroke response team which has reduced our door to needle time.

Uphold the principles of accountability and transparency

Challenges bring about the best in our team. The criminal cyberattack in fall 2023 was a most unexpected development that tested the abilities and professionalism of our entire WRH team, who quickly had to shift and adapt to paper-based processes and care delivery during an extended period of significant disruption to electronic systems at WRH and our partner hospitals in southwestern Ontario. What emerged from this time period was the clear dedication of our staff to supporting each other and working together to continue to provide optimal care to our community despite this significant workplace challenge. The experience and profound ability of our team to elevate their collaboration and teamwork in the face of barriers to health care delivery is beyond extraordinary.

Even prior to the cyberattack our Enterprise Risk Management system and our Emergency Preparedness Programs had helped us to be prepared for known and anticipated risks and continues to evolve with improved identification, mitigation and reporting of key organizational risks as well as routine drills and exercises to ensure effective response whether to a Code Red, Code Blue or Code Grey (and many other emergencies).

Redefine our collaboration with external partners to build a better healthcare ecosystem

Sometimes improvements involve thinking not just outside of the box, but beyond it – a case in point is the Nurse-Police Team initiative where dedicated Emergency Department nurses from WRH team up with members of the Windsor Police Service to respond to individuals facing addictions and mental health crises in the community. The program has prevented hundreds of emergency department visits, and ensured that patients receive care proactively preventing crises. The NPT has received numerous accolades and international attention and we are incredibly proud of this coordinated effort and partnership with our Windsor Police Service who are helping some of our community’s most vulnerable population. In addition we have an embedded police officer in each of our Emergency Departments.

Another great example includes the partnership with our Windsor Family Health Team and the roll out of an award-winning oral health program for our inpatient mental health patients, a first of its kind and huge success for not only improvement of health and hygiene, but also early cancer screening and detection.

Our hospital Patient Family Advisory Committees (with close to 50 patient and family members) made great strides over the past year and were responsible for many improvements including but not limited to: leading the development of a NICU peer support program, hosting the annual Preemie Picnic which was a huge success, supporting the implementation of patient and family centred rounding in the Critical Care Programs, providing feedback into the Cancer Centre adoption of Zoom healthcare for virtual care appointments and promotion of completion of Your Symptoms Matter and Your Voice Matters surveys, providing recommendations for our service recovery program, developing a solution for after-hours meal provision for surgical patients, implementing a translation ID badge program for volunteers who speak another language, providing feedback into multiple polices, brochures and educational programs and most importantly sharing their lived experiences with our teams to help us improve the care and services that we are providing to our community.

Maintain a responsive and sustainable corporate financial strategy

With the support of vital investments by the Ford government, a third MRI machine went into service at WRH, adding thousands of annual scanning opportunities for patients. The province also proceeded to allow WRH to move ahead with construction of a fourth Linear Accelerator (LINAC) to conduct radiation procedures for cancer patients, and a commitment to a second cardiac catheterization lab in a soon-to-be renovated second floor at Ouellette Campus. These investments highlight the outstanding partnership WRH has solidified with the Ontario government and we look forward to working with them further as 2024-25 brings new opportunities for projects to serve our community well into the future.

In addition to provincial funding our Windsor Regional Foundation and Cancer Centre Foundation have provided support for millions of dollars in new technology,patient care equipment and much more, including Cinema Vision for our MRI suites, NeoPuff CPAPP for our NICU, microtomes for our Lab, toys, parking coupons for our Paediatric Program, adult zoll and baby airway resuscitation equipment, tuition and education funding to mechanical lifts, patient beds, software for radiation treatment planning, MR Image Distortion system, Tug Robotic Medication Delivery System, and Cold Caps. We couldn’t work toward our vision without their support.

Create a dynamic workplace culture that establishes WRH as an employer of choice

Of key importance to our WRH team is the safety and protection of our WRH team members and the patients and loved ones that we serve. To that end, WRH implemented new technology aimed at helping reduce the threat of weapon-based violence by individuals who come to our facilities. The EVOLV security technology differs from more traditional metal detection systems by using a quick scan of an individual entering our Emergency Department doors to help detect potential threats. The technology has detected hundreds of items that could be used as weapons and is one important step in ensuring our staff and community that we have their safety top of mind.

WRH has continued to expand on the successes of our Workplace Wellness program. It allows employees and professional staff the opportunity to participate in activities around Windsor-Essex – exploring their creativity with a new art or craft, getting moving physically through athletic opportunities, or relaxing and taking the time to enjoy the scenery around our region. We look forward to continuing to organize outdoor and community opportunities our team can enjoy with colleagues, friends and family.

From a recruiting perspective, WRH continued its focus on ensuring we are maximizing our ability to recruit and retain new staff. We launched a new diagnostic imaging recruitment campaign to help address shortages of these positions, offering incentives and marketing inside and outside of our region for talent.

WRH also continued to leverage provincial initiatives aimed at helping hospitals hire new nurses, resulting in some of the lowest nursing vacancy rates we have in our history (less than 5%). An example is our very successful WRH Extern program, which employs nursing students during their studies. At the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year, close to 233 externs were working at WRH.

A second provincial program - the Community Commitment Program for Nurses (CCPN) - attracts Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners to work in the hospitals and other health sector facilities in Ontario. The program provides $25,000 in grant funding to eligible nurses in exchange for a two-year commitment to an eligible employer. As of the close of the fiscal year, WRH had been able to hire 260 nurses using the CCPN.

Further, through the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership program, internationally trained nurses can complete a supervised practice experience to help get them working in Ontario faster, strengthening hospital frontlines. WRH has provided 68 individuals with this experience since the program began with 21 of those nurses joining our team following registration.

Our Human Resources Department continues to drive a positive workplace culture with our union partners and 23/24 saw the launch of our long awaited Leadership Development Framework and our Safe Workplace program has seen a dramatic reduction in workplace violence incidents and injuries.

Our safe workplace program with representatives from frontline, management, security, our unions and occupational health and safety have supported a significant reduction in workplace violence incidents and injuries and continues to work with our teams to implement and develop best practices.

Our efforts to innovate continue. In the past year, WE-SPARK Health Institute and its funding partners received funding for some 18 exciting research grants to look into new modernized ways of providing care. WRH is among five local institutions collaborating to develop research with the assistance of many students and volunteers across our region.

Continue pursuit of the NEW state of the art acute care facilities

The 2023-24 fiscal year was a monumental period of progress and partnerships for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital Project. High-level plans and early block diagrams for both a new state-of-the art hospital and redevelopment at the Ouellette Campus were submitted to the Ministry of Health, following extensive consultation with hospital staff, professional staff, patients and community members. Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) leadership and the Project Management Team are now working closely with Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health as we get ready to ramp up planning in the next stage and get shovels in the ground.

In an effort to stay focused on meeting Infrastructure Ontario’s timeline for the project, effectively manage project risk, and ensure the final outcome aligns with the project vision and guiding principles, a new governance structure was implemented this year and the project leadership team was expanded to include a wide-range of expertise. With the new governance structure and enhanced team of experienced leaders in place, WRH has the capacity to act quickly, decisively and with confidence as we move through the evolution of the project design, construction and transition into a new facility.

Throughout the planning process, WRH has been privileged to work with and receive support from numerous community partners, including regional First Nation communities and Indigenous community organizations who are working closely with the Project Team to ensure the new hospital is a welcoming and safe place for Indigenous patients and visitors. This year, that work was celebrated and the land where the new hospital will be built was honoured at a traditional land ceremony led by Caldwell First Nation.

We look forward to moving to the next planning stage, which is expected to begin this year. Thanks to the ground work that has taken place this year as well as our strong local and provincial partnerships, WRH is well positioned to meet the schedule outlined in Infrastructure Ontario’s recent market updates, showing the tendering process beginning in 2025 and shovels in the ground the following year.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2024-2025?

We have many exciting projects and advancements to look forward to in 2024-2025- From celebration of our Accreditation with Exemplary Status to the development of our new Strategic Plan building on our strengths and establishing our new operational plans, to the continued advancement of our New Hospital project, the new cardiac cath lab construction project kick off, new MRI installation at the Ouellette Campus, implementation of centralized intake, installation of our new LINAC, development of our complex malignant hematology and local stem cell transplant program, advancement of our research program and continued collaboration with our regional and provincial partners, Windsor Regional Hospital looks forward to a dynamic year ahead and continued improvements to the care and services that we provide to the community and advancement toward our Vision of “Outstanding Care no Exceptions” and our Mission to “Provide quality person-centred health care services to our community.”