New Mackenzie Health and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Partnership to Enhance Patient Care

Richmond Hill/Vaughan, ON – Mackenzie Health and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Sunnybrook) are expanding and formalizing their collaboration to optimize access to high quality healthcare services for the people of York Region and beyond.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in February 2014, the two organizations are working together to establish closer and more integrated collaborative relationships.

The goals of the partnership are to:

• enhance each organization’s ability to provide high quality services to the patients they serve;
• reduce duplication and improve health system capacity by using the program strengths of each organization;
• create a corridor of care for referral and repatriation for highly specialized tertiary and quaternary services needed by the residents of York Region; and
• explore opportunities for enhanced research and teaching activities between the organizations.

A number of clinical collaborative initiatives are already in place between the two organizations. The recent MOU will govern the advancement of these existing initiatives, as well as further initiatives.

Clinical services, including a number of existing collaborations, that Mackenzie Health and Sunnybrook agree to explore for the purposes advancing the goals of this MOU include but are not limited to:

• Vascular Surgery (existing collaboration in progress);
• High Risk Maternal and Newborn (existing collaboration in progress);
• Cardiac Services (new);
• Cancer Services (new);
• Chronic Kidney Disease (new);
• Rehabilitation and Complex Continuing Care (new);
• Stroke Services (existing collaboration in progress);
• Seniors’ Care (new).

This agreement does not preclude any pre-existing partnerships that Mackenzie Health and Sunnybrook enjoy with other local, provincial, national and international partners.

QUOTES

“At Mackenzie Health, patients are at the centre of everything we do. Through our formalized partnership with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, we are now able to create a corridor of care for referral and repatriation for highly specialized services needed by the residents of York Region. This will mean seamless care for people in our communities to further support our vision to create a world-class health experience.”
Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health

“Sunnybrook is proud to be partnering with Mackenzie Health. Our organizations share a strong commitment to achieving excellence in patient care and through this agreement both hospitals will be able to improve the coordination of highly specialized and community-based care for people in the York Region. We look forward to our teams working more closely together.”
Dr. Barry McLellan, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

“The partnership between Mackenzie Health and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a strong commitment between our two organizations. The Board of Directors is confident that the enhanced collaboration will enhance access to tertiary and quaternary care services – such as cardiac and vascular surgery – for our residents and improve health system capacity.”
Dina Palozzi, Chair, Board of Directors, Mackenzie Health

“This partnership represents another great step the healthcare system is taking to improve cooperation among institutions and ensure patients receive timely access to the services they need. We are pleased to be working more closely with Mackenzie Health to extend the reach and availability of the world-renowned programs and services Sunnybrook offers.”
Blake Goldring, Vice Chair/Chair Elect, Board of Directors,  Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

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About Mackenzie Health

Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional healthcare provider, serving a population of more than 600,000 people across Southwest York Region and beyond. Nationally recognized for its commitment to safety and quality patient care, Mackenzie Health is a healthcare leader with a variety of academic partners. In 2019, Mackenzie Health will open the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and will continue to operate Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital. Mackenzie Health also offers care through a network of community-based services in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and surrounding communities. For more information, please visit www.mackenziehealth.ca

About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of healthcare for the 1.2 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 10,000 staff, physicians and volunteers. An internationally recognized leader in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook as one of Canada’s premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for high-risk pregnancies, critically-ill newborns and adults, offering specialized rehabilitation and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and psychiatric disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries and burns. The Hospital also has a unique and national leading program for the care of Canada’s war veterans. For more information about how Sunnybrook is inventing the future of healthcare, please visit us online at www.sunnybrook.ca