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August 29th, 2007: Another First of KDH as Ontario Hospital Association Pays Visit
Kemptville District Hospital
2675 Concession Road, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
Tel: (613) 258-6133; Fax: (613) 258-7853
August 29, 2007
Another First of KDH as Ontario Hospital Association Pays Visit
For immediate Release – August 29, 2007
Kemptville, ON, August 29, 2007 – The message was simple to everyone in the room. “Kemptville District Hospital is vital to health needs of its growing communities.” That was a key message delivered by Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) President & CEO Hilary Short as she made her address to the nurses, doctors and administration staff at the Kemptville District Hospital last week. The visit is another first for the Kemptville District Hospital adding to a string of successes the hospital has experienced in recent times. The tour addressed the tough issues of hospital operating funds and local hospital board governance.
Throughout the morning Ms. Short along with the OHA Chair Ruthe-Anne Conyngham and members from the Hospital Board of Directors and Administration were given a tour of the hospital where they learned about the kinds of services KDH provides along with how the use of new state-of-the-art equipment has improved the quality of patient care.
Along the way the delegation saw how electronic patient records reduce the time required for conventional paperwork and ultimately allowing the physician to spend more time with patients. They saw how the use of a Picture Archiving and Communication System, designed to work with the hospital's diagnostic equipment such as e-ray or ultrasound, is valuable in a rural hospital setting. The system enables images to be examined by more than one physician at a time in more than one location. That saves precious time and can lead to a quicker diagnosis and treatment.
After walking through the OR Department Ms. Short commented that in her more than 30 years of service in health care she was never afforded the opportunity to suit up in a surgical gown to tour a surgical suite. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago the hospital surgical suits sat empty and unused. That’s a drastic change when last year the dedicated team of KDH doctors and nurses treated more than 1,993 patients.
OHA Chair Ruthe-Anne Conyngham, herself a voluntary Chair of a hospital in London, Ontario stressed that if it were not for the strong leadership through voluntary governance KDH may be in a very different situation today. The OHA advocates for voluntary governance at the hospital level rather than moving to a regionalized system that has occurred in provinces such as Alberta. “I can’t see Ontario moving to that kind of system,” said Ms. Short. “There are many important decisions that need to be made at the hospital level.”
It is decisions like investing in new technologies, services and programs that have made KDH a thriving hospital with a growing future. Innovation occurs in every department. State-of-the-art equipment is changing how quality care is delivered and visits from organizations like the Ontario Hospital Association only validates the hospital is on the right path.
The Ontario Hospital Association represents 159 public hospitals across the province and is a major public voice in health care. The OHA works tirelessly to advocate on behalf of members for a sustainable system that meets patient care needs
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For more information, please contact:
Colin Goodfellow, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 613-258-6133 x132
cgoodfellow@kdh.on.ca