As we wind down the calendar year at Eastern Health and some of our health-care professionals enjoy a little downtime throughout the holiday season, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly commend our 13,000 employees for their hard work and commitment during the past 12 months.
Health care offers both great rewards and great challenges to those who dedicate their lives to the care of others, and often the only constant is change. Best practices, technology and appropriate resources — both human and financial — must be navigated to ensure both quality care, and the sustainability of that care.
That’s why the news we received on Dec. 18th from Accreditation Canada was particularly gratifying. Eastern Health was advised it had been given a new designation of “Accredited with Exemplary Standing,” the highest possible rating from Accreditation Canada for a health-care organization.
Just two months prior, on Oct. 18, 2017, we were awarded a status of “Accredited with Commendation” based on a 97 per cent compliance rate with national standards of excellence. But, upon careful review of the accreditation report and in keeping with the Accreditation Canada appeal process, Eastern Health decided to appeal the decision regarding some criteria. During the past two months, Eastern Health was able to successfully demonstrate evidence that 16 criteria originally deemed to be unmet during Accreditation Canada’s on-site survey visit in September of this year were, in fact, met, but simply not captured during the survey period.
As a result, 12 of those 16 criteria have now been deemed met by Accreditation Canada, bringing our total of met criteria to 4,219 out of 4,343 — and upgrading our designation to that of Exemplary Standing. This is a first for Eastern Health — and a proud landmark for all employees throughout our program and services. I’m honoured to be the CEO of an organization that demonstrates this commitment to excellence.
This top designation from the national standard-bearer in health care is evidence that Eastern Health employees continue to move forward with skill and confidence to enhance the quality of care we provide.
As we head into 2018, we intend to build on this success for the greater benefit of our patients, clients, residents and their families. We will place even greater priority on access to health care, particularly within the field of mental health, take additional measures to ensure the physical and mental well-being of our employees, and engage even more with those we serve, their families, and the community at large.
Again, on behalf of the executive team at Eastern Health, I extend our appreciation to our staff — whose commitment and expertise has not only been recognized by those who benefit from it, but by their peers across Canada. Well done!
I invite all who are interested to read Accreditation Canada’s updated report which can be accessed on our website under the “Publications/Reports” section at http://www.easternhealth.ca/publicreports.aspx.
With best wishes to all for a joyous holiday season and a healthy, happy new year.
David Diamond, president and CEO
Eastern Health
