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A MESSAGE FROM RUNNYMEDE PRESIDENT & CEO, CONNIE DEJAK

September 15, 2017

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Over our 72 year history, Runnymede Healthcare Centre has earned a reputation for providing excellent, innovative patient-centred rehabilitation to those with complex medical needs. Working with our system partners, including acute care hospitals, we stand as an important member of the healthcare system, and are able to provide our patients with the right care in the right place at the right time.

A variety of collaborative agreements that we have with our acute care partners is helping to improve access to rehabilitation programs and services for patients. These partnerships are actively helping Runnymede patients regain the skills, mobility and independence they need to return home. Just this year alone, there have been close to 600 patients discharged successfully from our hospital and back into the community.

One notable example of a recent partnership is our Innovative Journey for Stroke Recovery program that we have undertaken in collaboration with Trillium Health Partners (THP). In this program, we seek to optimize the rehabilitation potential of patients who have suffered a severe stroke by admitting them into our Low Tolerance Long Duration Rehabilitation (LTLD Rehab) program. Giving patients the opportunity to access a slower-paced rehabilitation environment allows them to increase their tolerance, and eventually work their way towards the higher intensity rehabilitation offered at THP.

Under our new designation as a Rehab Hospital from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network, we will continue to intensify our focus on rehabilitation, medically complex and short stay programs, while continuing to collaborate with our system partners. This designation is a major turning point for our hospital and is providing us with the opportunity to build on our current partnerships and cultivate new ones.

It’s a time of major change, not only for Runnymede, but for the system as a whole. We are here to stand as a leader in our field alongside our system partners, providing our patients with the highest quality of care as we evolve into a community health hub. Here at Runnymede, we’re excited and ready for what comes next, because healthcare is changing and so are we.