(November 25, 2013) – The physicians’ organizations representing doctors at Rouge Valley Health System and The Scarborough Hospital fully support a merger of the two hospital corporations.

 

The Medical Advisory Committees and the Leaders of the physician staff associations at both hospital corporations fully endorse the motions approved by the two hospital Boards of Directors at their meetings on November 12.

 

Dr. Naresh Mohan, Chief of Medical Staff at RVHS, said, “We know that a merged corporation of the four hospital sites that comprise Rouge Valley Health System and The Scarborough Hospital will attract more specialists, provide more services in the long run and provide more access to those services in the Scarborough and west Durham communities.”

 

Dr. Tom Chan, Chief of Medical Staff at TSH, said, “The time is now to plan and act together for a better health care system for the communities served by our hospitals. A merger of The Scarborough Hospital and Rouge Valley Health System will make the best use of scarce medical resources, providing a seamless, high quality spectrum of health care to meet the needs of our residents both now and into the future.”

 

The leaders of the medical staff associations, Dr. Henry Huang at RVHS and Dr. Robert Ting at TSH, who represent the physicians at  their respective hospitals, also announced their support of the merger recommendations made by the hospital Boards. (The Medical Staff Society at RVHS and the Medical Staff Association at TSH represent their physician members and are entirely independent of the two hospital corporations.)

Dr. Ting said, “This merger is also a tremendous opportunity for us to address our aging facilities as one, unified organization. As it stands, it will cost about $1 billion over the next two decades just to maintain our facilities at a satisfactory level; and, we will need an additional $500 million to address other capital project upgrades, such as the 1957 operating rooms at the General site. In west Durham, the Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering site only has the capacity to look after thirty percent of their population, and the Birchmount site ranks in the lowest 10^th percentile in the province in terms of hospital facility condition. Both Scarborough and west Durham clearly need facility investments from the province comparable to other communities. The merger proposal submitted to the Central East LHIN highlights the benefits of facility renewal for our patients, communities and taxpayers.”

Dr. Huang agreed saying, “Physicians can speak with one voice on this question: Are we better as one hospital corporation? Yes, we are. The benefits are long-term, but we must plan and act on our future today. In only a few years, a merged hospital corporation will make patient transition from one department, and one hospital site, to another rather easy – eliminating the obstacles that our separate corporations have. One health record could exist within one system, offering a full set of hospital services at four sites with four emergency departments.”

 

The four physician leaders agree that a merged hospital corporation will provide better services and allow for a sustainable high-quality hospital system for Scarborough and west Durham.

 

The hospital Board motions recommending a merger now go to the Central East Local Health Integration Network Board of Directors for consideration at their November 27^th meeting.

 

Any recommendation to proceed with a merger must be approved by the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

 

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For more information, contact:

 

Dr. Naresh Mohan                                                                              Dr. Tom Chan

Medical Chief of Staff                                                                         Medical Chief of Staff

Rouge Valley Health System                                                               The Scarborough Hospital

416-281-7387                                                                                      416-438, 2911, ext. 8101

drnmohan@rogers.com                                                                     chiefofstaff@tsh.to

 

 

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