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Summer 2018
Communit-E-Cast
Comments or Questions
If you have any comments, questions you want answered or would like to be added/removed from our confidential mailing list please send your message to
communications_broadcast@cmh.org.
Welcome to Cambridge Memorial Hospital’s electronic newsletter, communit-E-cast.
It contains a collection of short write-ups we want to share with our friends and community partners. These anecdotes and stories are compiled from CMH’s weekly staff communication, e-Cast.
Communit-E-cast is usually published the last Friday of every second month (February, April, June, August, October, December) or the next business day if it falls on a holiday.
You can also connect with CMH through Twitter @_CMHospital and Facebook.
Handover delayed to August 30
On June 11, ProjectCo informed the hospital it is delaying the handover of the new patient care wing to August 30. This is its sixth delay of the year and its 19th since the original handover date of November 26, 2016. Once the hospital gets possession of the new patient care wing, it will have eight weeks to train staff, install equipment and move patients out from the current Wing B.
$2M announced at public launch of WeCareCMH
Earlier this year marked the beginning of the Foundation's public launch of their campaign - WeCareCMH. With the fanfare of a mini-Super Bowl, the hospital's auditorium took on the energy of a Coachella concert after a rousing rendition of "If I had $10M." Then the [Youtube] fireworks started! Both the North Dumfries Community Campaign and Work for a Cure announced gifts of $500K each. The highlight came from former Board Chair and local philanthropist Bob Cunningham who gave the hospital a $1M gift. What a great launch to what will be a great campaign. As of that afternoon, the total needing to be raised rests - but not for long - at $6.9M. Many thanks to the tireless Foundation for helping us get to this point.
Good words about exceptional care
"My wife visited the Emergency dept recently and the processing of her case was handled very efficiently. I think that they work very hard to handle many varieties of situations and a little understanding goes a long way. Good work." - Peter
"My son had a medical emergency last night and had to be rushed to the hospital. We are first time parents, and this was a very emotional evening. Everyone at the hospital was outstanding. To receive gentle and empathetic support from strangers was absolutely amazing. Thank you CMH!" - Chantel
"Every time I come in and see Cara's artwork, it puts a smile on my face. She brightens my day! This level of commitment to patients and families is really awesome!" - Maria
"The staff had made us feel right at home and well taken care of: polite, understanding, patient and most importantly, informative. We would like to extend a GIANT thank you to Dr. Butler, Rosemary, Ainsley, Silja, Natalie, Patty & the rest of the staff who assisted with the C-Section and recovery. What a wonderful and unforgettable experience at such an important time in our lives." - Kyle, Isabel and (baby) Naiara
"The staff were just amazing. I know they had a genuine concern for my wellbeing and that has touched me more than you may know. To take such good care of a complete stranger like myself and to do it with such compassion means the world to me." - Ozzie
Domino's Pizza Donation
Sandeep Chaudhari from Domino's Pizza dropped by early in March to drop off gift certificates for our amazing volunteers. Sandeep wanted to acknowledge ths work that our volunteers' do here at CMH, and generously donated 1 free large 3 topping pizza for each volunteer. These git certificates will be handed out during Volunteer Appreciation Week. Thank you Sandeep, and thank you to all of our volunteers.
Ontario Service Awards
On Wednesday, April 4th, some of our very own volunteers were honoured by the Province at the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards. Recipients included:
- Barb LeBrun, 35 Years (pictured)
- Ernie Crump, 10 Years (pictured)
- Betty Hetherington, 10 Years
- Sheena Quigg, 5 Years
- Robert Miller, 5 Years
- Paige Haimes, Youth
- Kayleen Ryan, Youth
- Jasmine Soomal, Youth
We applaud all recipients and thank you for your continued years of service and caring at CMH!
Congratulations Chuck Snider
On April 19, Chuck Snider received the prestigious “Outstanding Leadership Award” at the Volunteer Impact Awards. Chuck was the Volunteer Association’s president for six years, guiding it through major milestones like committing the organization to a $1.25 million pledge towards the hospital’s capital redevelopment project. Thank you Chuck for all of your contributions and congratulations on your well-deserved recognition.
Thank you Galt Knights of Columbus
Galt Knights of Columbus – Council 2184, donated $5,000 to the WeCareCMH campaign!
Grand Knight Terry Sudden, Kathy Wilson (Foundation) and Selwyn Langlois
Lab Accreditation Official
It's official! Our amazing Laboratory team received their certificate, keeping them honest with their near boastful claim they were accredited to the highest possible standard - ISO 15189. Meeting 2500 checks across 465 reviewed Laboratory requirements, they only had eight minor "non-conformances" identified during their grueling accreditation. This keeps them company with only a few such designated labs from across Ontario, which suits them fine since they are a naturally introverted lot (not!). Congratulations!
Our newest patient engagement forum
Introducing CMH Comment Cards! The cards are a user-friendly way for you - patients and families to tell us about your care – the good, the bad and the ugly. The cards will be collected, reviewed by administration, and displayed on huddle boards, etc. as a way to share patients’ voices with our teams. The cards are available throughout the hospital and can be submitted into the grey Comment Card boxes around the hospital or to the Patient Relations office. For anyone requiring follow up on questions/concerns/compliments - please reach out to the program or unit manager or patient relations.
Donated Quilt
Early in March, a quilt was donated to CMH by Eaton Realty. This quilt was made by Nancy Fisher and was made in memory of Christopher who passed away in 2016. This quilt will be used by our porters on stretchers travelling from a floor to the morgue. Thank you Eaton Realty for your thoughtful donation.
Improving the Patient Experience - A new referral system
CMH, along with six other hospitals in the Waterloo-Wellington Region took a significant step this year to improve the patient experience for those needing diagnostic imaging (DI) tests. The new electronic referral system will not only streamline the referral process for family physicians, specialists and DI hospital staff, it will also decrease administrative delays for patients. What does this referral system do for you, our patients?
- Patients can be notified by email throughout the appointment booking process
- Patients can confirm appointments directly through email
- Patients have real-time access to all of the information they need
- Patients can choose their referral based on location
Our hospital is a champion and leader for this technology, having implemented an eReferral solution in November 2015. Our experience was invaluable in the region-wide implementation and launch of the system at the end of March.
Christmas in April for Paeds
A family’s fun twist on Secret Santa brought Christmas joy to our youngest patients this April. Melissa Polli visited us with a wheelchair full of gifts that her extended family ‘exchanged’ this past Christmas. The concept was simple. Give your loved one a gift you think they would have enjoyed when they were a child. After a few guffaws and a great time reminiscing of childhood dreams, Melissa’s family donated the unused gifts to our Paedatric Department. Thank you for your creativity and spirit of giving!
Queen's Medical Students learning at CMH
Early in June, first-year students from Queen's University visited CMH for ROMP (Rural Ontario Medical Program) week. ROMP bring students to rural areas to experience life and get a hands-on learning experience with family physicians and specialists. Click here to read the full story from the Cambridge Times.
Fashion for life/White Party does it again!
We are thrilled to announce that Fashion For Life once again raised $30,000 for CMH's Breast Reconstruction program through their White Party event! Thank you for your continued support Fashion for Life!
