News Release

February 5, 2008

CMH An affiliated teaching site of McMaster school of medicine

Cambridge, ON (Feb. 5, 2008) – Cambridge Memorial Hospital is now an official teaching site.

“Today is about our future,” President and CEO Julia N. Dumanian told a crowd gathered at CMH to celebrate the formal agreement making Cambridge Memorial Hospital an affiliated teaching site of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Unveiling of banner

Ms. Dumanian, flanked by officials from the university, province and region, said the teaching partnership with McMaster is a milestone for healthcare education and community-based training.

“This is innovation in healthcare… in education, in training and in delivery,” Ms. Dumanian said. “We are now a 24/7 teaching site affiliated with McMaster University – one of the leading medical schools in the world.”

Ms. Dumanian said the relationship with McMaster means community-based teaching and educational excellence and innovation happens right here in Cambridge. “It’s innovation in a learning environment that is real life.”

In December 2007, 15 medical students at the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University started taking classes in Kitchener. They’re the first medical students in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine to learn here. Outside the classroom of 50 Queen St. N. in Kitchener, the students will learn at the hands of healthcare professionals at Cambridge Memorial Hospital.

“For a community hospital in Ontario – or Canada – to be a full-fledged teaching hospital means teaching and educational excellence happens here with our physicians and staff, and with our patients and with learners from our community. These are exciting times.”

Cambridge Memorial Hospital sees this joint venture with McMaster as an investment in the future of healthcare. “It’s a huge shift in our traditional approach to providing acute-care services within the Waterloo Region and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN),” said Ms. Dumanian.

“The benefits of having medical students learn and train here enhances our quality of care because all of us will learn through this process,” she said. “For our patients, it means a renewed focus on quality of care through the eyes and ears of learners challenging all of us.”

And don’t worry, she said in her call for the community to welcome medical students to the hospital. “We will help you identify who’s who through the short and long coats, and the yellow and red name tags that indicate different levels of learners and their roles.”

With 40% of McMaster medical students expressing interest in family medicine, Ms. Dumanian said the affiliation with the school of medicine provides an opportunity to have them stay and work in the community upon graduation.

“It also means – hopefully – we have access to research opportunities and funding,” she said.

As the second-largest employer in the city, Ms. Dumanian said Cambridge Memorial Hospital has a responsibility of evolving to meet the diverse needs of its residents in the years ahead. With a community that over the next five years is projecting an 8.8% population growth, “we’ll be ready… with modern facilities, locally trained healthcare professionals, and a staff focussed on making CMH the best community hospital it can be”.

In reference to the physical changes at the hospital, CMH announced in October that it was proceeding with a $39.1 million expansion that will feature a new wing to the existing structure that by 2010 will house the newest in medical technology as well as expanded patient services.

Ms. Dumanian also used today’s event to unveil a new Centre for Learning Excellence at Cambridge Memorial Hospital that will compliment for staff the lifelong learning objectives that come with being a teaching hospital.

“If we want to build a sustainable community, we must invest in the human capital as well as the bricks and mortar and instrumentation,” echoed CMH Board Chair John K. Bell.

“In October 2007 we rejoiced the long-awaited funding for our capital redevelopment project – an activity that will reflect the technological advances available in healthcare today,” said Mr. Bell. “And now, three months later, we celebrate the innovation of community-based medical education and training taking place between Cambridge Memorial Hospital and world renowned McMaster University.”

This is a signal to everyone, he said, that community-based medical education and training is critical to enhancing patient care, addressing the physician shortage, improving research, and fostering collegial relationships across communities.

“It is an investment that will pay huge dividends for everyone and it took vision, courage, passion and leadership to make this day a reality.”