MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADERS

Karen Riddell, Acting President and CEO, Chief Nursing Executive
Dr. Wassim Saad, Chief of Staff, VP of Medical Affairs
Patricia France, Chair, WRH Board of Directors

As we reflect on the past year, we do so with deep gratitude and a renewed commitment to the health and well-being of everyone we serve. This past fiscal year has brought both challenges and progress, and through it all, our hospital has remained focused on what matters most: providing safe, compassionate, and high-quality care to our community.

This year, we expanded access to critical services, invested in modern equipment and technology, and welcomed new staff and physicians who bring skill, compassion, and innovation to our team. Our commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally safe care remains a guiding principle in every department and every patient interaction.

We are especially proud of the resilience and dedication shown by our frontline staff, physicians, and volunteers. Their unwavering efforts are the foundation of the trust our community places in us every day.

We also want to acknowledge you - our community partners, donors, patients and their cherished family and friends - for your support, input, and collaboration. Whether through fundraising, advisory councils, or simply sharing feedback, your involvement strengthens the care we provide and the direction we pursue.

What follows below are some of the many highlights at WRH from the 2024-25 fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, based on the categories ascribed to our management team from our 2025-2029 Strategic Plan.

Our drive towards continuous improvement led to important upgrades to our facilities and services. Chief among these was the completion of construction for a fourth Linear Accelerator (LINAC) to conduct radiation treatments for Windsor Regional Cancer Centre patients. We also commenced a major renovation of the second floor of Ouellette Campus to accommodate a long-awaited second cardiac catheterization table to provide life-saving cardiac angioplasty procedures. Both projects are funded through a $30-million investment by the Ontario government and we are tremendously proud to be the recipients of these needed investments in our existing infrastructure.

We also expanded our research and program initiatives with an eye on contributing to the improvements benefiting patients now and in the future, including pilot project to improve treatment outcomes for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients, and the implementation of our new autologous stem cell transplant program set to begin in the new fiscal year.

WRH works hard to meet the ambitious standards placed upon us to ensure we are providing the best and safest care possible throughout our health care footprint. In April 2024, Accreditation Canada and its experienced accreditors came to WRH to review hospital organization, policies and procedures. Accreditors found WRH exceeds all standards set by Accreditation Canada and awarded us with Exemplary Standing – the same Accreditation Canada designation the organization received in 2019. We were delighted to share in the success of this “Back2Back” result with our entire WRH team!

WRH also ramped up its emergency preparedness knowledge and best practices with simulated training exercises and reviews that provided important experience and education to our team on how to respond in the event of a community crisis.

WRH continues to benefit from our constant focus on ensuring our operating budget is as efficient as possible amid never-ending cost pressures across the national health care sector. We appreciated the continued support of the Ontario government, including support for the much-needed upgrades noted above. We also continue to receive substantial generous support from our local donors supporting the purchases of new equipment through the donations of individuals and groups across Windsor-Essex as well as significant donations for the new hospital.

The well-being and safety of our WRH team is always top of mind. Based on our ongoing commitment and focus on strengthening our workplace as a healthy one for current and new employees and professional staff, we were proud to receive Platinum status with our Gord Smith Healthy Workplace Award for 2024. This is an outstanding honour that recognizes our efforts to keep working to ensure we have a healthy, safe and respectful work environment for all. We continue to respond to employee surveys that suggest areas where improvements are needed and we look forward to continuing to address concerns going forward as we progress through the new fiscal year.

Our Safe Workplace program has contributed to continued lower incidents of workplace violence incidents and injuries. This program, involving representatives from frontline, management, security, our unions and occupational health and safety, continues to work with our teams to implement and develop best practices.

The EVOLV security technology installed at the Emergency Department entrances of both campuses continue to provide an elevated sense of security for everyone in identifying and avoiding potential threats coming into the hospital.

Across the corporation, our staff continue to benefit from the continued promotion of our unique Workplace Wellness program which allows employees and professional staff the opportunity to participate in activities around Windsor-Essex. They can explore their creativity with a new art or craft, try out new physical exercise opportunities, or relax and take the time to enjoy events around our region. We look forward to continuing to organize outdoor and community opportunities our team can enjoy with colleagues, friends and family.

WRH continues to maximize its ability to recruit and retain talent. Our nursing vacancies are now the lowest in the corporation’s history, thanks to many successful programs including provincially funded initiatives that have helped address gaps in the workforce. We will continue to develop new marketing campaigns aimed at attracting professionals to areas of need, in particular diagnostic imaging and additional physicians in key areas such as emergency and anesthesiology.

Building on its early successes as a pilot program, Windsor Police and Windsor Regional Hospital were excited to expand the Nurse Police Team (NPT) program to seven days a week. This program pairs frontline police officers with nursing professionals to deliver proactive healthcare to people struggling with substance use, with on-the-street outreach that helps these individuals avoid emergency visits and get the direct assistance they need.

We continued to collaborate with our system partners at Erie Shores HealthCare, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Essex-Windsor EMS to collectively update the community on higher seasonal volumes while working closely with the Windsor-Essex Community Health Unit in highlighting potential medical concerns.

Meanwhile our hospital Patient Family Advisory Committees (with close to 50 patient and family members) continue to make great strides and are responsible for many improvements including:

• Utilization of waiting room monitors to share pertinent information for patients and caregivers
• Introduction of caregiver counselling sessions
• PFAC Suggestion Box
• Development of a patient brochure outlining ways to keep personal health information safe
• NICU Peer Support Program
• NICU Feeding Tube Educational Materials for Parents
• Family Picnic for NICU Graduates
• Introduced our first PFAC member to the Police-Hospital Committee-an individual with experience as both a teacher and a police officer.
• Facilitated weekly on-unit visits from Brentwood to support addiction service intake.
• Coordinated regular on-site presence of both a Housing Worker and an Ontario Works representative, available multiple times per week.
• Provided therapeutic resources on the unit, including CBT and DBT workbooks, to support patient engagement and recovery.
• Expanded our post discharge clinic with CMHA- feedback from PFAC was instrumental
• Expansion of psychiatric services within Shelter Health focusing on unattached and unhoused individuals
• Developed recruitment strategies
• Support in developing operational plans
• • Support and approval of Capital Submissions
• Connect MyHealth
• Development of PFAC signage/posters/cutouts
• Palliative Care and MAID webpage development
• Glad you Asked Poster Campaign
• Discharge Brochure and Signage reviews

…and many more!

A lot has changed since planning a new acute care hospital began more than a decade ago, including major shifts in technology, society, geopolitics, and healthcare - changes that have and continue to shape this project. Most recently, Infrastructure Ontario’s June 2025 Market Updated showed an extension of approximately three months to the anticipated start of procurement for a design builder. This strategic delay reflects the evolving national and international construction market conditions including inflation, supply chain issues, skilled labour shortages, and tariffs.

Despite the changes, three things remain constant:

• The urgent need for modern, safe healthcare infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing region,
• Windsor Regional Hospital’s commitment to making the project a reality, and
• And the strong support we receive from community and government partners.

During a visit to the region last September, Premier Doug Ford reaffirmed the province’s commitment to accelerating the project timeline. Since then, planning for the first phase - including administrative and education building, a parkade, and essential site infrastructure – has advanced significantly. While the timeline to select a design-builder for the main facility has been strategically adjusted, we are, in fact, ahead of schedule to advance this initial phase, with groundbreaking expected in early 2026, if not sooner.

Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) leadership continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario to advance the second phase of the project. WRH User Group teams representing all hospital programs and services have held more than 200 meetings this year alone, with many more actively underway. WRH continues to work tirelessly with the Ministry of Health and Infrastructure Ontario to advance the project towards RFQ this summer.

Additional milestones achieved this year include:

• The celebration of a historic $15-million gift from the Solcz Family Foundation to support equipment and technology in the new facility;
• The development of an Information, Communication, and Automation Technology vision and strategy;
• The initiation of a Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) inventory and strategy to ensure the new hospital is equipped for success on opening day; and
• The launch an Operational Readiness and Transition plan to ensure a smooth transition into the new facility when it opens.

The new Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital represents the largest health care infrastructure investment in the region’s history. We look forward to continuing our work with partners and supporters as we advance this transformative project-and prepare to break ground on a world-class facility that will serve the region for generations to come.

Looking ahead, we are focused on building a healthier future by enhancing patient care and continuing to work closely with our regional and provincial partners to ensure health care is accessible to all.

The new hospital project, as noted above, is really coming into focus. You will see announcements over the course of the next few weeks and months which provide more detail and scope about the project moving forward that is sure to generate more excitement in our community about this generational investment in our region.

We continue to work towards the construction of our new cardiac catheterization lab at Ouellette Campus. This was a long time coming and we can’t wait for the project’s completion so we can unveil the extensive renovations taking place that will benefit all physicians working with our staff and caring for our patients.

We also have a number of exciting initiatives coming up that includes the upcoming opening of our new autologous stem cell transplant program at the Cancer Centre.

There are many initiatives taking place at WRH that you will see develop in the coming year. As always our doors are always open for your input and contributions to any discussion that improves our hospital and benefits the patients we serve every day throughout our community.

On behalf of the leadership team at WRH, thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your shared vision for a healthier Ontario.

Thank you!