Hospital Improvement Plan Implementation

Niagara Health System

• Developing the Plan
  • About HIP
    • Why a HIP?
    • Questions and Answers
    • Case for Change
    • Quality Care
    • Financial Pressures
    • Factors Driving Change
    • How Can We Change?
    • NHS at a Glance
    • Better Ways of Delivering Care
  • Background
    • Key Messages
    • National Trends in Health Care
    • Niagara’s Population
      • Geographic Overview
      • Travel Maps
      • Population Projections
      • Population Characteristics
      • Income and Employment
      • Health Determinants & Practices
      • Health Status, Life Expectancy
      • Hospitalization
      • Prevalence of Chronic Conditions
      • Disease Prevalence Maps
  • FAQs
    • The Hospital Improvement Plan
    • Emergency Care in Fort Erie/Port Colborne
    • Women’s & Children’s Health
  • Vision / Plan
    • HIP Addendum – December 2008
    • HIP Addendum & Site Charts – November 2008
    • Kitts Review & Recommendations – October 2008
    • Consultation Summary Report – October 2008
    • Draft Hospital Improvement Plan – July 2008
    • Health Experts Say …
      • Centres of Excellence
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
    • Vision Details
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
    • Video Briefing
• Implementing the HIP
  • Implementation Plan – Year 1
  • Early Opportunities
    • Surgical Program
    • Medicine Program
    • Emergency Services
    • Maternal/Child Program
    • Addictions & Mental Health
  • Services at our Sites – Now and by 2013
  • Planning for Changes
  • Effective Use of Patient Care Equipment
  • HIP Implementation Steering Committee
• Stakeholder Relations
  • Community Information
  • Community Advisory Forums
  • Chair’s Message to C.A.F.
  • Vice Chair’s Address
• Contact
• News
• Videos
• Contact

Emergency Services

Conversion of Port Colborne and Fort Erie Emergency Departments to Urgent Care Centres

The emergency department at Port Colborne site was converted to a 24/7 urgent care centre in July/09 and a similar conversion at Douglas Memorial Site is targeted for September 28/09.

The Port Colborne ER had 22,860 patient visits in 2008. With the conversion to an urgent care centre, over 95% of those patients will continue to come to Port Colborne Site for their urgent and non-urgent outpatient needs each year.

Life and limb-threatening emergency cases will go primarily to Welland site, which was built to manage 40,000 patients per year (currently has 28,000 visits/year) and has the space, access to specialist care and diagnostics to serve the approximately 1,400 more cases each year which will present with serious conditions.

Patient satisfactions surveys show that Port Colborne residents are pleased with the level of care they’re receiving in the Urgent Care Centre and also with the wait time. For the upcoming conversion in Fort Erie, we are working closely with all partners, including Niagara Emergency Medical Service (ambulance/paramedics) and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to ensure a similar smooth transition. Discussions include developing an appropriate funding model for physicians and new protocols that could see ambulances bringing non-emergency patients to urgent care centres. For more information on this urgent care conversion and what it means for patients, visit the Urgent and Emergency Care section of the Niagara Health System website.

Also, view a presentation made to Fort Erie residents July 15.