The launch of the innovative Socks Off! initiative, which aims to reduce the need for lower limb amputation among patients living with diabetes and vascular disease. The initiative is in partnership with the Greater Hamilton Health Network (GHHN), one of Ontario’s Health Teams.

HHS, our Centre for Paramedic Education and Research (CPER), and regional emergency medical services partners have collaborated to provide better support for patients who are at their end of life. As of 2023-24, CPER has trained more than 1500 paramedics in the Hamilton region to provide a tailored approach to patients with palliative care needs. This unique program has helped more than 60% of palliative patients to comfortably remain at home, where they prefer to stay. The program has strong support from patients, families and paramedics.

Dr. Kourosh Sabri, an ophthalmologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital, spearheads an innovative outreach program to provide eye exams to Indigenous children in remote Northern Ontario. In 2023 this initiative, aimed at enhancing access to routine eye care and glasses, has now expanded into Saskatchewan. With this expansion, more children will receive vital vision care, contributing not only to their improved eyesight but to their overall health and wellbeing.

In 2023 we launched the Extensive Needs Program at McMaster Children’s Hospital, which applies a team-based approach to support the physical, mental, behavioural, developmental, and social needs of children with multiple, complex diagnoses. The program was launched in conjunction with Holland Bloorview Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and several local partners and saw more than 300 children enrolled in 2023-24.

In 2023-24 we increased our use of patient armband barcode technology to validate medication administration. In addition to the barcode technology, this system is supported by a robust network of pharmacists who help ensure that every patient gets the right medication at the right dose, reducing the risk of medication errors.

We’ve partnered with regional emergency medical services to significantly reduce the amount of time paramedics spend in our emergency departments (EDs) while they wait to transfer a patient into our hospital’s care. By implementing new and innovative practices in our Juravinski Hospital and Hamilton General Hospital EDs, we’re able to facilitate a quicker transfer of care so that paramedics can get back on the road sooner.

In 2023 we piloted CARE Data, an initiative to collect patient demographic information like Indigenous identity, race, ethnicity, and language preference. This helps us better understand our patient populations and the barriers they face to receiving equitable, quality care. The program is currently in place in select areas of our hospital with the goal of making it standard practice across our organization, informed by the feedback of patients and health care providers.

HHS has prioritized Indigenous Health and Truth and Reconciliation, acknowledging constitutionally protected Indigenous rights. With guidance from an Indigenous Strategic Advisor, we’re co-designing an Indigenous Health Plan based on community input. This plan will align with Indigenous rights, treaties, and frameworks like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

At McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH), we’re implementing Black Health initiatives to address significant needs in Hamilton. This includes aligning our own EDI Plan with Ontario Health’s Black Health Plan. We’re collaborating with Black health leaders and connecting with Black communities to understand their unique health care needs, so that we can equip our health care providers to deliver safer, more equitable care. Our goal is to advance health promotion and disease prevention efforts within Black communities in Hamilton.

In 2023-24 HHS was grateful to receive funding from the provincial government to add seven critical care beds at our Hamilton General Hospital site. The beds enable HGH teams to help more patients requiring intensive care in the most appropriate setting, improving patient flow across the site including through the emergency department, which sees some of our region’s most serious medical cases.

Enabled by a historic investment by the provincial government, we added more beds in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at McMaster Children’s Hospital. These beds allowed us to provide critical care to more kids during the viral season, and to reduce the amount of time they spent in the emergency department waiting for a PICU bed to become available.

We partnered with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Mohawk College, and McMaster University to open the Centre for Integrated and Advanced Medical Imaging (CIAMI) where education, clinical care, and research intersect to reduce diagnostic imaging wait times, advance best practices, and educate new generations of health care providers.