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ifr 16 economist sunsuntribune saturday april 2 2005 mmrmmtm for the residents of york simcoe muskoka world class cardiac care from lento right janis klsiflrsnorrnan and dr dravid fellafe proud of the new cardiac facilities aralcle gbujhlgftjncluding th programs modern cathejerizationfgeccjg j southlake 59f davis drive mewmatkei ontario 13y 2r telephone 058954s2l main fax 90583ow2 administration rax 9058532220 wtbiite wvwwilhlnkclcaonnlon dear neighbours the face of york region is changing and so too have the services offered at southlake regional health centre designated by the provincial government to offer five regional programs including cardiac care we have proven ourselves to be an organization that excels in all that we do during the past six years we have steadily evolved our regional cardiac care program into a centre of excellence that proudly serves the residents of york region simcoe county and muskoka thanks to our success in recruiting cardiac experts from across canada and around the world a number of cardiac firsts in the gta are taking place at southlake for our patients this means that they no longer have to battle toronto traffic to receive such lifesaving services as openheart surgery angio plasty and revolutionary new treatments that can cure irregular heartbeats on these pages over the next four weeks you will meet someof the 400 staff and physicians who have passionately contributed towards the establishment of southlakes cardiac program or who continue to seek out innovative ways to provide care that is centred around the unique needs of their patients you will learn about lead ing research studies the cardiac team is involved with and the ability for cardiologists from our referring hospitals to follow their patients to southlake to perform their diag nostic tcstsa service that brings great comfort to their patients most importantly you will meet several patients whose lives have been saved or their quality of life greatly improved thanks to the early intervention they received and the level of expertise avail able at southlake the establishment of the regional cardiac care program coupled by the opening of our new sixstorey building in june 2004 has been hectic rewarding and transfor mational for our hospital we look forward to using our experiences as we move for ward with our plans to open a regional cancer centre at southlake during 2008 sincerely daniel p carricro prealiloniceo a i t i o i is cherished change i v wtiryfgfiwf sfpf southlakes regional cardiac care program is proud to be associated with south muskoka memorial hospital jzbottbgsaeisi fflt algonquin t iiwrnlsbrvifibs vflrk cenlrnl iiospimi mirkham stouflvillc hospital ra- ni soldiers jmemorial jl f s a matter of the heart for dr david fell so too for pat norman and janis klein when the trio all veteran members of the regional cardiac care program at southlake regional health centre speak of their work their words resonate with enthusiasm and pride as physician leader dr fell recounts how in six brief years the program has grown and earned a reputation as a nationally recognized advanced cardiac care facility staffed by some of canadas most gifted medical specialists ms norman vice president of regional pro grams recites the many medical milestones achieved by a dedicated team that has multiplied fourfold from the 100 original members in 1998 ms klein the pro grams director describes the wide range of cardiac serv ices advanced tech nology and the pro grams future plans with pride the program it seems is as justifiably a special place to those who work there as it is to the many patients they serve the cardiac care pro gram at southlake was born of necessity as canadas fastest growing region the close to one million people of york as well as the resi dents of simcoe and muskoka required highly evolved cardiac services closer to home in the early 1990s the district health council identified a huge gap in services for the citizens of york region said ms norman southlakes administrators developed a strategic plan for the hospital identifying five areas of focus that included cardiac care we knew we could make a difference in this area because of the sheer number of people the age of the population and the increasing demand for cardiac services she said in december 1998 the provincial government announced that we would be the regional cardiac centre for york simcoe and muskoka recognizing that our service area was much larger than originally anticipated we began an intense planning process that matched our determination to succeed in the beginning we had a small ccu coronary care unit which every commu nity hospital would have and some med ical beds dedicated for patients with a heart condition thats all between 1998 and 2003 we planned a program built a building and started to provide a full spec trum of service including open heart surgery today more than 125000 square feet of the hospitals entire 450000 sq ft facility and 75 in patient beds are dedicated to cardiac services the cost of this high level of cardiac care is not for the faint of heart in 1999 the program had an annual operating budget of 1 million now at 40 million per year provided by the ministry of health and long- term care the cardiac program expends 21 per cent of the hospitals annual operating budget of 182 million we knew we could make a difference in this area because of the sheer number of people the age of the population and the increasing demand for cardiac services the collaboration we enjoy with other health care providers is rewarding and speaks well to how everyone is working to make this a model regional system the program which invested 14 million for start up equipment draws resumes globally as such this handpicked team of highly skilled spe cialists perform thousands of diagnostic and treatment procedures and followup visits per year impressively the team works reciprocally with other hospitals for the benefit of patients and practitioners alike from the very beginning we wanted to devel op a program that would also meet the needs of the nine other hospitals in our service area said dr fell referring to health facilities within york simcoe and muskoka weve involved them in the planning process from the very beginning cardiologists come here from some of the hospitals to perform certain tests on their patients this is a very unique service to offer and it makes a world of difference to the patients as a relatively fledging cardiac cen tre the strides and v achievements are remarkable from southlakes inaugural cardiac catheterization or angiogram procedure in early 1999 to successfully perform ing a number of highly advanced procedures that have never been performed outside of a hospital with academic ties the programs reputation as a centre of excellence is growing throughout canada challenges remain dollars to meet patient and equipment demands transportation for repatriat ed patients providing ongoing training and edu cation for the health care team new and expand ed programs and services the list like at all hos pitals is substantial the confidence in the programs future is unwavering said dr fell we will be at the leading edge of health care through the application of stateoftheart tech nology in the hands of skilled and dedicated pro fessionals he said the collaboration we enjoy with other health care providers is rewarding and speaks well to how everyone is working to make this a model regional system theres a real connec tion with the commu nity that was the plan and if s working ms klein adds weve accomplished a lot in terms of creating a program that has con sidered the needs of our patients every step of the way maintaining this important focus will ensure our longterm success the vision that created the program becomes stronger and more focused daily said ms norman whafs so outstanding about the program at southlake is our culture and our team she said there is this positive energy that exists in every facet of the program theres a sense of pride in what has been accomplished and a willingness to embrace new ideas if it means that the program will be stronger because of it were a team and our goal is excellence in all we do