Media Release: Health Links Program Being Developed in Greenstone
Media Release: Health Links Program Being Developed in Greenstone
October 2016
The Geraldton District Hospital will soon be improving care for people with complex conditions through an initiative called Health Links. This innovative approach brings together health care providers and community organizations to better coordinate care for high-needs patients. The Greenstone Health Link is currently in the development stage and will be launched in the coming months.
Five per cent of patients account for two-thirds of health care costs. These are most often patients with multiple, complex conditions who may be high users of the emergency department. The Greenstone Health Links team will work with these patients to design a coordinated care plan that outlines their healthcare goals as well as a plan for how to achieve them. This coordinated care plan will:
- identify their health care goals.
- put them at the centre of their health care plan.
- connect them with service agencies that will help provide the care and assistance they may require.
- ensure communication between healthcare providers.
- decrease their visits to Emergency Rooms and hospital admissions.
With improved coordination and information sharing, patients will receive faster care, will spend less time waiting for services and will be supported by a team of health care providers at all levels of the health care system.
Everyone in the patient's personalized care network — including doctors, nurse practitioners, coordinators, therapists, dieticians, social workers, mental health workers, pharmacists, housing agencies and other community organizations — shares information about the patient's health in order to meet the patient's goals and to improve their journey through the health care system.
Better coordination of care for these patients will result in better care and significant health system savings that can be devoted to other patients, ultimately improving the sustainability of public health care.
As of December 2015, there are 69 of 82 Health Links actively recruiting patients in Ontario. There are 5 in Northwestern Ontario, with each constructed to meet the needs of local healthcare users.
For More Information Contact:
Lucy Bonanno
Chief Executive Officer
Geraldton District Hospital
T: 807-854-4107