Geraldton District Hospital, Building

Health Links Program Being Developed in Greenstone

Media Release: Health Links Program Being Developed in Greenstone

October 2016

 

BACKGROUNDER

Initiating Health Links in Ontario

In December 2012, The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care launched integrated regional patient care networks called Health Links, with the goal of increasing communications between all members of a patient’s health care team.

Health Links are a new way of coordinating local health care for patients with complex medical conditions who often receive uncoordinated care from several different providers.

Coordinating care is an important step in improving the services available to patients with complex conditions. These patients often default to the emergency department for care and are repeatedly re-admitted to hospital when they could be receiving care in the community.

The Greenstone Health Link is led by the Geraldton District Hospital, which has been working with their community partners throughout the region to ensure the success of the Health Links initiative.

 

Why is Health Links important to Northwestern Ontario?

Our region has several factors that demonstrate the challenges currently facing our health care system:

  • The highest rate of acute hospital use in the province.
  • High rates of preventable disease.
  • Limited chronic disease prevention and management programs.
  • Almost 40% higher health care spending than the provincial average.
  • An increase in the senior citizen population in coming years.

 

 

QUICK FACTS

  • The top 1% of health care users account for one third of all healthcare costs.
  • The top 5% of health care users account for two thirds of all healthcare costs
  • Heath Links will drastically reduce those numbers and also make the health care journey simpler for the patient.
  • The initial focus of Health Links are high users of the health care system including patients with multiple complex medical conditions including those with mental illness, addictions, the frail elderly and palliative patients.
  • A Health Link may include family doctors, specialists, hospitals, home care, long-term care and community support agencies.
 

Media Relations Contact

Lucy Bonanno

Chief Executive Officer

Geraldton District Hospital

E: lbonanno@geraldtondh.com

T: 807-854-4107