Strategic Plan 2024-2029

• We are delivering quicker and more seamless care since opening our Urgent Care Centre in March 2024. 

• We launched a new Interprofessional Primary Care Team (IPCT) at General Hospital to address the high number of Scarbrough residents who do not have a primary care provider (PCP) and significant increase in these unattached patients coming to the emergency department. All unattached patients are referred to the IPCT, which provides follow-up care and ensures patients are connected to a PCP.  This allows for consistent, preventive, and coordinated care and leads to better health outcomes. In our first six months, SHN has attached more than 600 patients to a PCP. 

Year 2 Priorities:  

• Improve access to primary health in Scarborough   

• Assess vertical integration opportunities 

• Enhance partner success through back office/administrative services 

Dr. Mehta is SHN’s Corporate Chief of Family Medicine and the Medical Lead for the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, a Scarborough Ontario Health Team partner. Dr. Mehta’s vision for Scarborough is a healthier community with seamless and connected healthcare. In Scarborough, nearly 100,000 people are without access to a regular primary care provider, resulting in high numbers of emergency department visits for lower acuity conditions, and elderly patients presenting in declining health. Dr. Mehta is committed to implementing innovative models so that more patients have access to primary care, and expanding this access to residents outside hospital walls. Dr. Mehta and SHN are exploring new partnership models, creating on-site teams and clinics for primary health services, and building the education infrastructure with the University of Toronto Scarborough to train the next generation of diverse primary care doctors, right here in Scarborough.

• We developed our first-ever Health Literacy Strategy 2024-2029 to reduce barriers in accessing healthcare and understanding health information, and to empower patients in managing their health. 

• We implemented self-identification signage for Indigenous patients and their families within key areas, like emergency departments and patient registration. 

• We implemented best practice quality standards to transform care for patients living with sickle cell disease (SCD). This condition disproportionately affects the Black community, and historically there have been barriers to care for this population. Partnering with patients, families, and the community, we put in place specialized processes, training, and services to support patients in the emergency department who experience painful sickle cell disease symptoms, achieving the lowest wait time for initial physician assessment in Ontario. In addition, we hosted our second annual community event to continue co-designing sickle cell disease care. 

• We organized breast cancer awareness and screening events for Black, Filipino, and South Asian communities.  

• Our Nanji Stroke Centre of Excellence at Birchmount Hospital achieved an award of Stroke Distinction™ for the Acute and Inpatient Rehabilitation standards from Accreditation Canada.  

• As SickKids’ largest community hospital partner, we completed more than 400 cases from their surgical wait list by the end of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, helping kids and families access the care they needed sooner. 

• We performed more than 400 total knee replacements with unparalleled precision using our new, donor-funded, state-of-the-art Velys surgical robot. 

Year 2 Priorities:  

• Advance health equity and improve population health outcomes 

• Grow our Centres of Excellence and specialty services  

Meet SHN’s inaugural Indigenous Patient Navigator, Ellie Henry, a Registered Practical Nurse from Alderville First Nation Reserve. Ellie lived in Scarborough in her youth and returned to spearhead more inclusive healthcare and services to better meet the needs of Indigenous patients and their families. This includes weaving more traditional practices into their healthcare journey, building new care approaches, and growing connections between the hospital and community.

Ellie is one of many people at SHN who are dedicated to offering equitable and culturally sensitive healthcare to marginalized groups in Scarborough, and improving health outcomes through research, education, and an evidence-based approach.

• We launched our Education Strategy 2024-2029 to provide a bold framework for learners across disciplines—medical, nursing, allied health and non-clinical—fostering a culture of teaching, academic eminence, and interprofessional collaboration. This strategy is key to developing the next generation of
  healthcare professionals trained in Scarborough for the Scarborough population. 

• In partnership with the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health, we advanced preparations for expanded clinical training, starting with an increased intake of medical students in 2025–2026. We also adapted infrastructure to support the growing scope of teaching and learning, adding learner hubs at each hospital and upgrading clinical areas to support learners at the bedside. 

• SHN Research Institute developed their research strategy and business plan. 

Year 2 Priorities:  

• Grow our education capabilities  

• Grow our research capabilities  

Dr. Grover leads SHN’s education and research portfolio, as well as our partnership with the University of Toronto in the development of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health. He is also the inaugural Research Chair in Education at SHN Research Institute, focused on providing better healthcare through research that matters to Scarborough. With Scarborough’s incredible diversity—made up of 60% new Canadians and 75% visible minorities—our patient population often presents with more culturally prevalent conditions. This offers unique opportunities to better learn and understand a wide range of illnesses, treatments, and supports.

Dr. Grover will advance our education and research footprint, all with an eye toward improving patient outcomes in Scarborough. SHN is in a position like no other, to train the next generation of health professionals and impact healthcare services and outcomes through research and education.