ESPANOLA GENERAL HOSPITAL
STRATEGIC PLAN 2006/2009 “AT A GLANCE”

Background

Espanola General Hospital is a modern health care facility which provides a broad array of programs and services including: primary, preventive and therapeutic care, acute care, long-term care and assisted living, as well as management of senior's housing, all on one site. In an effort to meet the needs of the community and respond to a rapidly changing provincial health care system, the Board of Directors now launches a new Strategic Plan to chart the future course of the hospital from 2006 to 2009.

Based on an extensive planning process which included feedback from the hospital Board, management, staff and volunteers as well as its community partners and the general public, the following priorities were identified. Included here are some of the strategies we will be working on, with a yearly review. The full document is available upon request, and on our web site.

Strategic Priorities:

1. Updating the Hospital's Vision, Mission & Values
•  Revise the vision, mission & values statements to reflect the range of programs and services delivered as well as re-define the organization's identity.

2. Expanding Patient-Focused Programs & Services
•  Adopt a “patients-first” philosophy and strive to be a leader in its peer group for indicators such as wait times in the emergency department and overall patient satisfaction.
•  Work in close collaboration with the newly formed Espanola & Area Family Health Team to enhance the integration and delivery of primary care services.
•  Pursue the integration and co-location of mental health services

3. Maintain & Enhance Effective Local Health Care Administration
• Further develop a formal public relations and hospital communications strategy to keep the community informed of hospital issues and developments while continuing to expand strategic partnerships with local/regional organizations.
• Establish and foster positive working relationship with the administrative body of Northeast LHIN 13
• Pursue the establishment of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) to improve information sharing amongst health care providers and enhance patient care.
• Build state-of-the-art multi-media classroom for delivery of innovative health education for patients, as well as new collaborations with the Espanola & Area FHT, academic and other teaching partners.

4. Valuing Human Capital
•  Management and staff will work together to reduce work place stress and burnout
•  Promote continuous learning and growth
•  Establish an internal process for staff recognition.

5. Infrastructure Renewal and Growth
•  Work with the MOHLTC and other funding partners to ensure the expansion of the current medical clinic building to house the new Espanola & Area Family Health Team.
•  Develop a 10-20 year Master Program for the hospital including priorities such as: renovating the emergency department including re-location of the current waiting room, renovating laboratory space, creating a staff lounge and increasing storage space throughout the facility.

6. Supporting Local Governance
• Board of Directors to continue governance training, self-assessment process, and other strategies to enhance and build on existing local governance success.