November 10, 1997, Toronto, ON - The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) today announced that it will expand its review of health services to include Waterloo Region, and Victoria, Haliburton, Peterborough and Northumberland counties

The review is part of a province-wide initiative to preserve and enhance Ontario's health system so that people receive services where and when they need them.
"Our goal is to achieve the best possible publicly-funded health system for the people of Ontario," said HSRC Chair, Dr. Duncan Sinclair, the former Dean of Medicine at Queens University. "Our work will improve the local health systems so people in these regions are served better."

The Commission makes recommendations about hospital services and also recommends reinvestment in community services such as long term care and home care. "We are keenly aware that reinvestment in community supports must take place before changes to hospital services occur," said Dr. Sinclair. "This realignment of resources is critical to the successful restructuring of health services."

Commissioners Doug Lawson and Muriel Parent will lead the review of health services in Waterloo Region. Commissioners Hartland MacDougall and Don Thornton will spearhead the review in Victoria, Haliburton, Peterborough and Northumberland counties.

HSRC vision: An integrated health system

The HSRC has developed a vision of health services that redefines the relationships among all health service providers with a view to making the system more accountable, responsive and focused on improving the health of the population. Hospital restructuring is the first step in this process and will lay the foundation for a truly integrated health system in the province.
An integrated health system means that health providers - such as nurses, doctors, hospitals, and community agencies to name a few - will work together to give people the best available health care. "An integrated health system will provide seamless, customer-focused health services, and will encourage health promotion and ways to improve everyone's overall health," explained Dr. Sinclair.

Community input invited

The HSRC approaches each community in the same way and makes decisions based on the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of the local hospital system. "We also take into account future needs related to a growing and aging population, as well as the distinct characteristics of the community," he added.

The Commission will study District Health Councils' restructuring recommendations given to the Minister of Health, and will review written submissions from interested people and organizations. Interested organizations and individuals are invited to forward submissions to the HSRC. Call 1-800-565-4453 for guidelines on submission format and length. The deadline for submissions is November 24, 1997.

The Health Services Restructuring Commission is a group of individuals appointed by the Government of Ontario to redesign the Ontario health system. It is an independent agency of doctors, academic health science professionals, hospital administrators, former hospital board members and other experts. The Commissioners work with local district health councils, hospital boards and other health professionals to restructure health services for each community. The Commission has a four-year mandate to restructure hospital systems and advise the Minister of Health on reinvesting in and restructuring other services to meet the health needs of the people of Ontario.

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