CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) held its annual general meeting on Thursday, June 13, discussing many of the hospital’s yearly accomplishments and future challenges.
As of March 31, the hospital had a surplus of $839,353 for its 2018-2019 fiscal year, running on a total operating budget of over $129 million. The surplus, although greater than last year’s of $242,955, is largely a strategy to pay off capital debt obligations, according to CCH CEO Jeanette Despatie. The hospital saw an overall revenue up by 3.6 per cent.
“We have an obligation to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to eliminate the working capital debt by 2023. To do so, we must generate operating surpluses for the next few years, and we’re well on our way,” said Despatie.
Despatie expressed her gratitude towards staff, partners, volunteers and donors for the many successes made and seen within the hospital in the year. She also acknowledged areas in which the hospital is still striving to improve.
“We are mindful of those challenges that continue to be the focus of our improvement efforts, including…access to the emergency department. We are committed to continuing our efforts to meet community needs and expectations with wait times in the emergency department,” said Despatie.
Amy Gillespie, Executive Director of the CCHF, said that $88,000 has already been raised in the $150,000 fundraiser to adopt medical resident students of Queen’s University to work for two years in the hospital’s emergency department.
Despaite also noted that changes may be seen within the health care system under the new Ford government.
“We are challenged to prepare for and anticipate possibly the largest provincial healthcare transformation in several years, or even decades. At CCH, we intend to be very much involved in this transformation by working with our local health care providers to deliver on an integrated, patient-centred system,” said Despatie.
