October 8, 2015
Media Release
Wilson Memorial and McCausland Hospital Boards Approve Participation in Pilot
Project
Marathon ON and Terrace Bay ON – The Board of Directors of the Wilson Memorial General Hospital and The
McCausland Hospital have issued resolutions to proceed with becoming a pilot site to test new ways of delivering
integrated health care services in Northwestern Ontario. This resolution enables the two hospital sites to explore the
feasibility of further merger of their operations, a journey that began back in 2008 when the sites entered into a Joint
Venture Agreement.
Adam Brown, CEO of Wilson Memorial General Hospital and The McCausland Hospital, noted that the Board
resolution will allow the hospitals to develop a business case to explore opportunities to change the way that health
care is organized between the Marathon and Terrace Bay sites through increased integration. “This is not just about
finding ways to reduce cost. Traditionally, we’ve looked at funding services or programs that are independent of
each other. This is about re-thinking our approach, about planning to the needs of the people of our region and
building services and programs around that.”
There’s good reason for Brown to be excited about this resolution. For the past year, he has been the hospital Lead
of the Integration Scenario Planning Project, a North West LHIN-funded initiative that brought all hospitals from
across the region, the North West Community Care Access Centre and the Northwest Health Alliance together with
the LHIN to explore innovative ways to deliver health care to residents through system level integration in small and
rural communities. “We’ve developed a number of scenarios that we believe will improve how people experience
care, that will build value from better coordination to better health outcomes, all in a way that is sustainable,” said
Brown, ‘And I am excited to see the concepts become reality.”
Brian Ktytor, Senior Director of Health System Performance with the North West LHIN and Co-Lead of the Integration
Scenario Planning Project Advisory Committee, is looking forward to partnering with Wilson Memorial General
Hospital and The McCausland Hospital on this forward-looking, transformational pilot project. “Enabled by the North
West LHIN Health Services Blueprint, the LHIN has worked closely with health service providers and their boards
over the past three years to build shared foundational knowledge, a solid base. Together, we are embarking on
transformational change, system-level change, to build a health care system designed to help residents achieve the
health outcomes that are important to them, and is sustainable now and for generations to come.”
The longer term goal, Brown notes, is that residents will start to see changes to how health care is organized: “We
are building care, not reducing it. Residents can expect to see improvements to how care is coordinated, to how you
access services and navigate through the health care system – for the better.”
October 8, 2015
Quick Facts
 Wilson Memorial General Hospital and The McCausland Hospital entered into a Joint Venture Agreement in
2008 which allowed the sharing of senior administration between the two organizations.

Introduced in 2012 after many months of consultation and research, the North West LHIN Health Services
Blueprint is a 10-year plan to reshape and transform the health care system.

The North West LHIN Health Services Blueprint is a plan designed by Northwestern Ontario for
Northwestern Ontario.

Years one and two of the North West LHIN Health Services Blueprint focused on education and shared
understanding among all LHIN-funded health service providers, and beyond. Year three shifted the focus
from building awareness and knowledge to clinical integrations, and established the foundation of an
integrated service delivery model.

Over the past 12 months, the North West LHIN, in partnership with all regional hospitals, the North West
Community Care Access Centre, and the Northwest Health Alliance, has developed forward-looking, valuebased scenarios to inform implementation of an integrated service delivery model of care designed around
the client experience and health outcomes .

Value-based health care measures value based on achieving the health outcomes that matter to people
relative to the cost of achieving those outcomes.

In alignment with the North West LHIN Health Services Blueprint, year four has been designated as a time
to pilot these value-based scenarios right here in Northwestern Ontario.
LEARN MORE
For more information about Wilson Memorial General Hospital, please visit: www.wmgh.net
For more information about The McCausland Hospital, please visit: www.mccauslandhospital.com
For more information on the North West LHIN, please visit: www.northwestlhin.on.ca.
Media Contacts:
Wilson Memorial General Hospital or The McCausland Hospital
Adam Brown, Chief Executive Officer
807-825-3273 ext. 150
abrown@nosh.ca
North West Local Health Integration Network
Kim Callaghan, Corporate Communications & Community Engagement Consultant
807-684-9425, ext. 2013
Toll free 1-866-907-5446, ext. 2013
kim.callaghan@lhins.on.ca