Orangeville, ON, March 30, 2009 – Headwaters Health Care Centre is participating in Accreditation Canada’s voluntary evaluation process that aims to assess and improve the quality of health services. Two surveyors from health organizations in Ontario and Quebec will visit Headwaters from April 6 to April 8, 2009 for three days of interviews and tours of the hospital’s Orangeville and Shelburne sites.

The accreditation process is a way of reducing risk and supporting health care organizations to foster continuous quality improvement.

Accreditation surveyors, external, objective reviewers will follow a patient’s path of care through Emergency, surgery and inpatient care areas to assess the organization’s clinical and operational performance against a set of national standards. The surveyors also meet with Board members, frontline staff, physicians, caregivers, patients and family members to discuss their experiences, perceptions and expectations.

For more than 50 years, Accreditation has been an important part of continuous quality improvement and one way to ensure that safe, efficient, and reliable care is being delivered within the health system. Organizations that participate in Accreditation Canada’s accreditation program receive a thorough assessment that leads to an action plan for improving patient safety, quality of services and the care they deliver.

 “Our past Accreditation results are a credit to the hard work and high standards set by our staff and physicians. They are committed to providing high quality patient care and introducing best practices and improvement projects,” said Cholly Boland, President and CEO, Headwaters Health Care Centre.

The findings from the survey are summarized in a written report and focus on the organization's strengths and areas to improve. Recommendations are made to help the organization identify areas to improve and results are posted on the hospital’s website, wwww.headwatershealth.ca.

Headwaters maintains openness, accountability and transparency through participating in Accreditation Canada, in addition to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Hospital Report Card, Hospital Service Accountability Agreements (HSAAs), Ontario’s Wait Times Strategy (results are posted on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website), and public reporting of patient safety indicators posted on Headwaters’ website.

The public is invited to provide comments and suggestions about hospital services. Please contact Cholly Boland, President and CEO, Headwaters Health Care Centre at 519-941-2702 ext. 2200.

Headwaters Health Care Centre
Headwaters Health Care Centre serves more than 110,000 residents in Caledon, Orangeville, Shelburne and Dufferin County. The hospital operates two sites – Headwaters Orangeville, a 108 bed acute care hospital and Headwaters Shelburne, a 33 bed chronic care hospital. Visit www.headwatershealth.ca.