Patients to benefit from seamless approach – from acute care to recovery
TORONTO, ON (July 18, 2011) – St. John’s Rehab Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre are pleased to announce today they have reached agreement on a memorandum of understanding that would see the two organizations merge voluntarily to become a comprehensive health care provider.
Following the acceptable results of a due diligence process, and approval from the Toronto Central and Central Local Health Integration Networks and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, St. John’s Rehab and Sunnybrook would become a single health care organization dedicated to providing a system of care for patients from acute illness or injury, through to rehabilitation and recovery. The new organization will maintain the reputation of excellence in patient care, research and education that each hospital has developed over the years.
“This move makes sense for patients and for the Ontario health care system,” said Barry McLellan, President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “With this next step, we will continue to work toward an eventual merger that would see both organizations continue to provide the high level of quality service that people have come to expect from Sunnybrook and St. John’s Rehab.”
St. John’s Rehab and Sunnybrook have collaborated in the past and the signed Memorandum of Understanding comes as a logical next step for both organizations. Each has complementary programs for patients who have complex health issues such as acute interventions and rehabilitation for people with cancer, cardiovascular disease, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions, neurological issues such as stroke, and traumatic injuries such as major burns.
“St. John’s Rehab and Sunnybrook have highly complementary organizational cultures and philosophies of patient care,” said Malcolm Moffat, President and CEO of St. John’s Rehab Hospital. “We both have a strong commitment to innovation and finding new and better ways of caring for patients. The Memorandum of Understanding outlines for us what would become a ‘one-stop-shop’ for complex rehabilitation and acute care, giving people the care they need, when and where they need it. This is positive for patients and the healthcare system.”
Teams from both organizations will be working through details over the next couple of months including collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the amalgamation continues in the best interest of patients and those who rely on both institutions for care.
Information will be updated periodically about the merger and will be available on the hospitals’ websites at www.stjohnsrehab.com and www.sunnybrook.ca.
About St. John's Rehab Hospital
St. John's Rehab Hospital rebuilds people's lives following complex life-changing illnesses and injuries. A community-affiliated teaching site of the University of Toronto, St. John's Rehab develops research and provides customized care with a focus on the whole person - body, mind and spirit. Home to Canada's only organ transplant rehab program and Ontario's only burn rehab program, St. John's Rehab is moving to the forefront of specialized rehabilitation. For more information, visit us at www.stjohnsrehab.com.
About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the 1.2 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 10,000 staff, physicians and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for Canada’s war veterans, high-risk pregnancies, critically ill newborns, adults and the elderly, and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries.
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Media Contact:
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre:
Craig DuHamel
Vice President Communications and Stakeholder Relations
416.480.4040
craig.duhamel@sunnybrook.ca
St. John’s Rehab Hospital:
Marcus Staviss
Director, Strategic Communications
416-226-6780 ext. 7002
mstaviss@stjohnsrehab.com