We celebrated our tenth anniversary! TOH was created in 1998 with the amalgamation of the Civic, General, Riverside and Grace hospitals. Since then TOH has grown to include the Cancer Centre and The Rehabilitation Centre and become one of the largest teaching hospitals in Canada.

At TOH more than 12,000 employees, 1250 physicians and 2,000 volunteers work together to fulfill our vision of being nationally recognized as the academic health sciences centre of choice.

The implementation of TOH’s Model of Nursing Clinical Practice began in 11 hospitals across Canada. The Clinical Nurse Expert (CNE) Assignment is an integral part of the Model of Nursing Clinical Practice and assists nurses, and in particular novice nurses, to transition into the workplace and acts as a “safety net” for patient care. The Clinical Nurse Expert (CNE) Assignment received the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care’s Award of Excellence for Health Human Resources at the Innovations in Health Expo 2008.

The Mental Health Crisis Line, a bilingual regional resource funded by four hospitals in the Champlain region, launched an advertising campaign last year that resulted in a call volume increase of 40% since the beginning of the awareness campaign.

A Rehabilitation Outpatient pain project has been initiated between the chronic pain program at TOH Rehabilitation Centre and our rehab outpatient program at the Riverside Campus. The program ensures that there is integration and appropriate direction of patients with chronic pain to the appropriate setting.

The Short-term Rehabilitation Unit moved from the Civic Campus to a newly renovated space at the General Campus. The purpose-built unit is ideal for the needs of our patients on short-term rehabilitation. The renovated gym and other therapy areas ensure the success of the program.

In January of 2009, TOH renamed the gymnasium in the Rehabilitation Centre in honour of the Ottawa Senators Alumni who have been involved in major fundraising for the Centre. We are very proud of our relationship with the Ottawa Senators and grateful for the work they do on our behalf.

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) was awarded a “once-in-a-generation” sum of $32M to lead a bold new collaborative health research program that brings together TOH, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the University of Ottawa. The TIMEx program (Translation of Innovation into Medical Excellence) funding will support the construction of sophisticated new facilities to investigate the molecular basis of health and disease, manufacture new therapies and conduct early stage clinical trials in patients.

TOH’s Emergency Department implemented a Nurse Practitioner Outreach program to improve the integration between the community and the hospital for patients in long-term care facilities. The successful program has resulted in a reduction of transfers to the Emergency Department, ambulance visits and it promotes provision of care in the most appropriate setting.

The Joint Replacement Clinic project at the Riverside Campus successfully completed its first year. The outpatient assessment, education and planning class improves patient care and minimizes time to recovery by improving patients’ knowledge of their surgical procedure, the plan for care and the plan for recovery. Patients in the class are screened for issues associated with extended length of stay and their home environment is evaluated in order to develop a workable discharge plan before the patient is even admitted to hospital for surgery.

The Ottawa Hospital Pharmacy implemented an innovative medication reconciliation process across the hospital. The new program relies on specially trained pharmacy technicians in the Emergency Department and nurses in the Pre-Admission Unit to provide complete medication histories to the physicians who write admission orders. The program will reduce adverse drug events that may occur at admission, transfer, or discharge, and are related to unintended differences between what the patient has been ordered in the past and what he is prescribed at the hospital.

TOH Thrombosis Clinic physicians and staff supported the development of a satellite thrombosis clinic at the Montfort Hospital. This new satellite clinic replicates policies, practices, medical directives and standards used at TOH. Cross-credentialing of physicians to the Montfort provides additional physician coverage to the new clinic while nursing and clerical staff were provided with education and orientation by TOH Thrombosis Clinic staff.

TOH received Ottawa Hydro’s Company for Conservation Award for its efforts to reduce the use of electricity by implementing lighting upgrades, recycling existing lighting tubes and other materials as well as creating greater efficiencies with a new building automation system.