Annual Report
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF
Barbara Clive, MD, FRCPC
Chief of Medical Staff
For the Medical Staff of The Credit Valley Hospital the past year can best be described as "in limbo" - - a state of uncertainty. After years of budget cuts, we received the Health Services Restructuring Committee directives which gave us the message to start rebuilding and expanding our hospital to meet the future needs of our growing population. These directives arrived at a time of ongoing fiscal restraint as our budget was still insufficient to meet the growing patient volumes.
The inquest into the untimely death of young Kyle Martyn, and the strength shown by his family during this difficult review in the Fall of 1998, touched the hearts of all staff. Unfortunately, Kyle’s death could not have been avoided. However, his unfortunate death served a purpose in that it focussed public attention on lengthy waits in our emergency department, and the serious overcrowding and insufficient resources we are experiencing as a result of financial cutbacks. Physicians and staff continue to work with increasing patient volumes and workloads. They have taken on the added responsibility of planning for the new regional cancer centre, regional maternal child program and an increased number of inpatient beds in the areas of Mental Health, Rehabilitation, Continuing Care and Acute Care. The staff has rapidly changed mindsets from one of cutbacks to future planning. Our success in doing so can be attributed to the continued dedication to innovation and leadership that has always existed at The Credit Valley Hospital.
The Restructuring Commission left our hospital with independent governance. We were not merged into a larger corporation of hospitals. The Medical Advisory Committee began to explore what aspects of our hospital would make us unique and attractive to quality medical practitioners in the midst of larger corporations around us. We began to focus on our strengths in teaching and research recognizing that these are the foundation of maintenance and enhancement of quality patient care. The Credit Valley Hospital has always been very involved, in a voluntary way, with teaching of physicians and other regulated health professionals. Dr. Srigley, Chief, Laboratory Medicine, is chairing a task force to explore ways to participate more formally in medical teaching with the universities around us. A great deal of clinical research has gone on at CVH for many years. The volume of studies approved by our Research Review Committee continues to grow and we have now made a commitment to establish an office of Clinical Research to centralize and standardize our approach to research.
Changes in medical leadership included the resignation of Dr. Steven Hirsch, Chief of Family Medicine, so that he could pursue other volunteer community commitments. Dr. David Clarkson served as the Acting Chief of Family Medicine and was subsequently appointed by the Board as the new department chief. He has provided strong leadership at a time of change within the department. The role of the family physician needs clarification during these times of increased specialization and regionalization of medical services. The hospital remains committed to enhancing the role of family medicine in the hospital, recognizing they are key to continuity of patient care and our link to the community. Dr. Marino Battigelli was reappointed as the Chief of Psychiatry and we look forward to another five years of outstanding leadership. The search for a Chief of Anaesthesia continues and we appreciate the leadership and work by Mr. Peter Smith, the volunteer Board member, on the Search Committee. We are grateful to Dr. Dyke for his ongoing commitment in this role after two terms as chief. The hospital suffered a great loss at the passing of Dr. Donald Black, founding chief of the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, on September 12 , 1998. Much of our success as a leader in maternal care can be attributed to the vision and high standards of Dr. Black. I appreciate the effort by the entire department in continuing to provide patient care in one of our busiest departments following the loss of a colleague and friend.
We remain poised for innovation and growth yet the upcoming year’s budget at this time is still less than the actual budget of last year. These past few years have been difficult for the creative minds of The Credit Valley Hospital. In the words of Helen Keller, "one can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar". In the years ahead we will soar again.
Annual Report of the President and Chairman
Annual Report of The Credit Valley Hospital Foundation
Annual Report of The Credit Valley Hospital Associates
Annual Report of The Chief of Staff
1998 Nominees and Recipients of the Dr. Calvin Gutkin Award
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The Credit Valley Hospital.
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Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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