We’re in the business of making people better
02/27/2018
Summary of an interview with Guy Chartrand, president and CEO, Bruyère Continuing Care — part of the Focus on Bruyère segment on 580 CFRA’s News and Views with Rob Snow.
How were your first six months on the job?
It's a pleasure for me to be in Ottawa—the people are great. It’s an honour to be a part of the Bruyère family and the great legacy that was passed on to Bruyère by its founder, Mother Élisabeth Bruyère.
When you look Bruyère’s incredible history and its facilities—it’s the second-largest health care provider in Ottawa. What are some key points you want to get across about the future of this organization?
There are great opportunities, especially with Bruyère’s position in regards to the subacute care delivery model that's required for the future. Bruyère is very well positioned to bring this to the next level. Part of our job is to support our acute care partners. They're in the business of saving lives, and we’re in the business of making people better. We’re are trying to prevent hospital admissions, reduce the length of stay—treating patients at the right place, at the right time, with the right care and at the right price. Unfortunately as a system, we fail in transitioning patients from one place to another, and that's where we need to pay a bit more attention. We need to pay a great deal of attention to the patient experience and the patient journey as people transition through the system.
So are you talking about transitions through the entire system—like from an acute care hospital to a more therapeutic facility like Bruyère and then the transition home?
Yes, because people will have different phases within the health care system and it is a very complex system to navigate. Our job as leaders is to try to simplify that path for the people we're here to serve so they have a seamless transition wherever they need to go. I know many things need to be done. I've had very serious discussions with all of the partners in Ottawa and what I'm really trying to push is that we really need to act as one. We need to plan better together and try to connect all of the dots for the people we serve.
There was a time when people would go to Saint-Vincent Hospital and never leave. Those days have changed. What do you see as the future for Saint-Vincent Hospital?
The length of stay has reduced dramatically at Saint-Vincent Hospital. Right now, we are at about 120 days. Our objective is to try to bring down to about 90 days. The goal is to make people better and try to facilitate their transition home. We are not a final destination. We are part of the system and our job is to try to make people as independent as possible so they can have the highest quality of life possible in their own home, when possible.