Tree planting ceremony at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). Tree planting ceremony at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).
Chatham

CKHA Launches 2018-2021 Strategic Plan

The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) has launched its new strategic plan, which focuses on working together as one team, in two sites to grow a healthier community.

CKHA announced its 2018-2021 Strategic Plan at both the Wallaceburg and Chatham sites on Wednesday.

The plan provides a three-year approach to achieve the organization's vision: "Together, Growing a Healthier Community." The plan was developed in response to feedback from community and staff engagement sessions, as well as an analysis of an environmental scan.

To celebrate the launch of the new strategic plan, CKHA celebrated with tree-planting ceremonies at both sites. The tri-colour beech trees pay tribute to the Public General Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and Sydenham District Hospital that joined to form the CKHA. The three colours of the leaves of the tree represent each of the preceding organizations and the organization's new mission "One Team, Two Sites - Serving Chatham & Rural Kent."

This new mission solidifies CKHA's role as one organization with one common goal that serves a broad community.

"The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance is for every community member within Chatham-Kent. Every resident of Chatham-Kent should feel proud that they have a hospital that is unique, that has been developed for them, and that stands as two sites, but one hospital to meet all of their needs," says CKHA Board Chair Greg Aarssen.

CKHA Board Chair Greg Aarssen at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). CKHA Board Chair Greg Aarssen at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).

The plan includes three Strategic Directions designed to advance the quality and safety of the care CKHA delivers through engagement and partnership:

  • Provide exceptional quality and safe care within a comprehensive community hospital
  • Engage with patients, families and the community to deliver patient-centred care
  • Enhance access to healthcare for our community
CKHA's Strategic Enablers, which dictate how services are delivered, include:
  • Leverage technology and infrastructure to enable care
  • Optimize our culture and provide a safe environment for our people to be their best
  • Ensure value and optimize our operating performance
Aarssen says the strategic board is going to lead everyone in the right direction.

"It's the basis for us going forward. It's a culmination of us going to the community, the employees of the hospital, the patients of the hospital, and all the stakeholders to make sure that we understand what their needs are and what their ideas are and it brings it forward," explains Aarssen.

CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall says the new strategic plan features a few key improvements.

CKHA President & CEO Lori Marshall at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent). CKHA President & CEO Lori Marshall at 2018-2021 Strategic Plan announcement. June 20, 2018. (Photo by Sarah Cowan Blackburn News Chatham-Kent).

"The first is around just being really a comprehensive community hospital providing high quality and excellent care," says Marshall. "One of the things we've heard about repeatedly I would say is urology services and there being a gap. That's an example where we're now going to look at that and see how is it that we could possibly bring that back to Chatham-Kent in the next three years."

Marshall says CKHA is also "reinvigorating" its approach to patient/family-centred care and having them involved all aspects of health care. She says CKHA also wants to think differently about how people access care, especially in rural areas.

There will also be a big investment in the hospital's health information system, including IT infrastructure, this year.

"It will truly impact every single person and I would say is the largest project that we'll be working on this year," says Marshall.

CKHA hosted four Community Engagement sessions in Wallaceburg, Chatham, Ridgetown, and Tilbury to gather feedback from staff, physicians, and volunteers prior to launching the new plan. The hospital's Board of Directors approved CKHA's strategic plan at its May 28 board meeting.

More information about CKHA's 2018-2021 Strategic Plan can be found online.

Read More Local Stories