Historic year for children’s health care in Ontario
By Bruce Squires
President, McMaster Children’s Hospital,
Vice President, Women’s & Children’s Health, Hamilton Health Sciences
Thanks to a historic investment by the provincial government, children and youth in our province will have better and quicker access to the care they need, when and where they need it.
The pediatric health care system has faced growing wait lists, a competitive labour market, increased emergency department visits, and a global pandemic with profound impacts on child mental and physical health.
The outcome is many thousands of kids waiting longer for the care they need.
In July, the provincial government announced a transformational $330 million investment in pediatric health care.
McMaster Children’s Hospital, a Hamilton Health Sciences hospital, is home to world-class pediatric care, including one of Ontario’s fastest-growing kids-only emergency departments, Canada’s largest neonatal intensive care unit, and a wide spectrum of specialized care. However, due to sector-wide challenges, more than 60 per cent of kids are waiting beyond the clinically recommended window for their surgeries. This situation is the same for many necessary assessments and treatments that kids require.
Transformational investment means faster access to better care
In July, the provincial government announced a transformational $330M investment in pediatric health care. When combined with other investments over the past 18 months, McMaster Children’s Hospital has received more than $49M in new ongoing funding – the largest investment ever made to our hospital – enabling us to address wait lists and improve access to and quality of care.
This marks a turning point in the history of our hospital and sector. What does it mean for young patients and their families? In short, it means faster access to better care.
We’re recruiting hundreds of new health-care workers, adding new, modern technology and equipment, and improving the spaces where kids receive care.
Hospital teams are already hard at work implementing the plans. We’ve made excellent progress in a short time.
More people, new spaces, new equipment
The investment has created more than 300 hospital roles, and we have already filled almost 70 per cent – a huge first step. A larger team will support expanded services, improving the timeliness of care so children aren’t stuck on waiting lists for months.
This marks a turning point in the history of our hospital and sector. What does it mean for young patients and their families? In short, it means faster access to better care.
New state-of-the-art tools, like advanced MRI technology that will help produce critical, time-intensive scans for 14 patients daily, will significantly increase the volume, speed, and accuracy of results and diagnoses for children.
Redesigned hospital spaces will improve functionality and comfort for our teams, patients, and families. We’re renovating areas to create efficiencies, such as utilizing a day clinic space at night for our Rapid Assessment Service, which improves emergency department flow.
The potential and sheer magnitude of this investment really hits when you see it in action: a patient completing a critical surgery and being the first to benefit from a new surgery bed, or reduced emergency department wait times.
This has been no small feat. Every inch of our hospital is experiencing growth, and our teams have worked hard and quickly to put plans in to action so that kids can benefit sooner.
The future looks bright
There’s still a lot of work to do.
We still have critical, outstanding needs, such as a local pediatric hospice, improving hospital-to-home transition supports, and more. We also need to continue prioritizing solutions to address health inequities.
But we’re ready. The future looks bright and we’re energized about this new era of pediatric health care in our region.
To MCH patients and families: we remain committed to ensuring every child gets the best care possible. This is a calling that you have entrusted us with for decades, and we are so grateful for your continued belief in us.
To our staff and physicians: you are the beating heart of McMaster Children’s Hospital. It is awe-inspiring to witness your compassion for patients and families. Your expertise and care are what will make this future vision a reality.
Finally, I wholeheartedly thank our community, the Ministry of Health, Government of Ontario, and partners for championing the well-being of kids.
Together, we’re enabling a future where all children can grow, thrive, and dream limitlessly.
Originally published in The Hamilton Spectator, December 19, 2023
