Message from the Bruyère Board Chair and President and CEO

Bruyère’s mission is firmly rooted in the legacy of our founder, Mother Élisabeth Bruyère.

At the core of that mission is a deep respect for the value and dignity of every human being and a commitment to serve those most in need in our community. Everyone at Bruyère is committed to that mission and to making sure respect is a part of every
interaction with patients, residents and family members.

Bruyère’s programs stretch across the eastern most region of the province serving a population of over 1.3 million. Approximately 16% of residents are seniors with a life expectancy of 81 years. Many are living with multiple chronic conditions that continue to increase in complexity.

Bruyère is well positioned to address the growing needs of this aging and diverse population. We can’t do this alone. We need to work closely with our acute care partners who provide the majority of our referrals. They’re in the business of saving lives, and we’re in the business of making people better. Working together is the only way to make sure patients have access to the right care, at the right place, at the right time, and at the right price.

Over the past year, we have taken steps under each of our four strategic directions to make this happen.

As part of our commitment to excellence in care, we continue to look for ways to provide care that is innovative, adaptive and responsive to needs in the community. We have reduced the length of stay at Saint-Vincent Hospital in complex continuing care and implemented a “Path to Home Passport”. Our goal is to ensure a positive patient experience during hospitalization and take early steps to identify what is necessary for a successful return home.

Bruyère is not a destination. We are part of the system and our job is to try to make people as independent as possible so they can have the highest quality of life upon returning home. We have expanded our inpatient and outpatient stroke program to meet regional needs, thereby reducing wait times for these programs and services.

This spring, we launched an employee and physician feedback survey as part of our commitment to our people. Results will be shared with staff and physicians to identify ways to work together on priority issues. It’s time to shine the light on our teams. Staff and physicians are our greatest resource. Their daily interactions with patients, residents and families are central to understanding and improving the patient care experience. It’s our responsibility as leaders to create winning conditions so they can deliver quality care.

Our commitment to education, research and innovation means looking at ways to integrate research, education and best practices into care.

In November, the Bruyère Research Institute partnered with the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute to launch a joint fundraising
campaign for improved memory and dementia research, education and care. This collaboration is a key step in Bruyère’s development as an international leader in transforming care for aging adults.

Under our commitment to partnerships, we are implementing the recommendations of the sub-acute review conducted by the Champlain Local Health Integration Network. This will mean realigning existing resources to better meet current and future needs.

The goal is to increase access to rehabilitation and restorative type programs. The end result for patients will mean better access to care, shorter wait times, improved health and safety, and ability to regain independence. This transformation marks the continuation of Bruyère’s leadership role in defining the next generation of ‘specialized’ care.

At the governance level, membership criteria on our board of directors was expanded this year to include the appointment of a patient/family representative. This individual serves as a member of the board’s Quality Management and Mission Effectiveness Committee. His role is to ensure the perspective of patients and families are front and centre in discussions around quality care at Bruyère.

We are proud to present Bruyère’s annual report for 2017-18 and hope you will enjoy reading the stories that highlight some of our key achievements over the past year. We are committed to continuing to work with our partners to create a shared vision together to improve the patient journey through the healthcare system.

The future is all about creating the next generation of care and designing a truly integrated care delivery model for our region so that we can continue to better serve patients and families.

We are grateful to all who gave their time over the past year serving on our board of directors and patient/family advisory councils. We thank our staff, physicians, and volunteers as well as our partners for their contribution to serving our patients and residents who inspire us every day with ways to improve and provide quality care at Bruyère.

Barbara Kieley, Chair	Guy Chartrand, president and CEO