MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2011
(LONDON, Ontario) – Today, the delivery of obstetrical and neonatal care in the city of London forever changed as perinatal patients were safely and successfully transferred from St. Joseph's Health Care, London to London Health Sciences Centre.
In a little under four hours, 38 patients, including 23 neonatal infants, were safely moved from St. Joseph's Hospital to the new purposefully-built facility at Victoria Hospital. The successful completion of the transfer marked a significant milestone for both hospital organizations.
“Today is a day of great change for St. Joseph’s,” says Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. “It is a day that represents years of planning and collaboration, as well as a conclusion to what was an emotional journey for many of our staff, patients and families. We are proud to have passed on a world-class program to LHSC and look forward to the many exciting changes that the next phase of redevelopment will bring at St. Joseph’s.”
The consolidation of the perinatal programs at Victoria Hospital is part of a larger acute care redevelopment project that has been taking place across the city’s hospitals that is commonly referred to as Milestone 2, Phase 2 (M2P2) restructuring.
“After working together for more than a decade, it’s almost hard to believe this day has finally come,” says Laurie Gould, vice president, patient centred care, London Health Sciences Centre. “I thank all staff, physicians and move partners for making today’s safe transfer possible. I’m pleased to announce that we are now together in a beautiful new space that will allow us to provide an exceptional care experience for women, babies and families, today and for future generations to come.”
The safe and seamless transfer of patients, staff and equipment could not have been possible without the participation of the extraordinary move teams that consisted of staff and physicians from both organizations, Health Care Relocations, Middlesex-London EMS, Voyageur Patient Transfer Services and Campbell Bros Movers.
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About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 135 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca.
About St. Joseph’s Health Care London
St. Joseph’s Health Care, London is a major patient care, teaching and research centre with a distinguished legacy of service to London, Southwestern Ontario and the veterans of Canada, dating back more than 130 years. St. Joseph’s five key role areas include acute/ambulatory care, complex care and veterans care, long-term care, rehabilitation and specialized geriatrics and specialized mental health care. Facilities and services including St. Joseph’s Hospital, Parkwood Hospital, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care and Regional Mental Health Care London and St. Thomas are part of the St. Joseph’s family. Our research arm, the Lawson Health Research Institute, continues to direct their research to the development of new knowledge that is continually being applied directly to patient care. More than 400,000 patients annually receive care from close to 6,000 physicians and staff at St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.
For media inquiries contact:
Mandy Merryweather
Citywide Communications Consultant – Restructuring
519-685-8500 ext. 75157, pager 17178
mandy.merryweather@lhsc.on.ca
Michele Martin
Citywide Communications Consultant – Restructuring
519.646-6100 ext. 64646, pager 16529
michele.martin@lhsc.on.ca
