Hospital Annual Report highlights accreditation, new construction, and new doctors

Alexandria, Ontario, (June 20, 2017) -Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) held its annual general meeting yesterday and shared highlights of several accomplishments from the past year. Those successes include exemplary status from Accreditation Canada, the completion of much-needed upgrades and construction projects, and the news that two new doctors will be joining the HGMH team this fall.

HGMH announced its "exemplary" accreditation-the highest level awarded-in March, the result of several months of effort by the entire hospital team. Accreditation focuses on everything from organizational aspects like governance and leadership to hospital protocols on infection prevention, and emergency department services.

"Receiving an Accreditation with Exemplary Standing has been a huge achievement for our hospital this year. The accreditation survey takes place every four years, but the work to meet and maintain quality standards is ongoing. It really is a testament to the outstanding work our staff do every day to provide the best possible care to our patients," says HGMH CEO Linda Morrow. A celebration of this achievement is planned for the summer.

New upgrades and renovations over the past year give us further reason to cheer. This year saw the addition of three doctors' offices to the building, an expansion of our rehabilitation treatment space, and a renovation of the nurses' station. We are particularly grateful when the community supports our renovation efforts; for example, this year a generous donation in memory of Peter Bellware allowed us to replace all the tables and chairs in our cafeteria.

Finally, our people are our greatest strength, so HGMH is pleased to welcome new physicians Dr. Sara Accardi and Dr. Joanne Lau, who will be opening their family practice offices onsite in the newly constructed area in September 2017. "Hundreds of patients in our region are currently looking for a family physician, so we're very pleased we've been successful in recruiting two new family doctors who will be joining our team. These new doctors will also provide care to our admitted patients and have the option to take shifts in our Emergency Department," says Dr. Nadia Kucherepa, HGMH's Chief of Staff.

Our annual reports are available on our website.

About Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital

Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) is a patient-centred primary care hospital located in Alexandria, Ontario. We recently celebrated our fiftieth anniversary, and have grown to provide acute care, complex continuing care, 24-hour emergency services, and rehabilitation to over 23,000 residents every year. Our team includes 150 staff members, who all take pride in bringing quality health care to our local Eastern Ontario community.