Healthcare

The Health System - Universal Care

Canada's publicly funded health care system is best described as an interlocking set of ten provincial and three territorial health insurance plans. Known to Canadians as "Medicare," the system provides access to universal, comprehensive coverage for medically necessary hospital and physician services. Health Canada’s mandate is to help Canadians maintain and improve their health. In Ontario, health care is cost-effective, publicly funded, and universal.

Source: Health Canada, Health Care System

Regional Hospitals

Cambridge Memorial Hospital

Phone: 519.621.2330

Beds: 180
Budget: $100 million
Employees: 1165
Medical Staff: 227
Nurses: 484
Volunteers: 377

Cambridge Memorial Hospital serves 135,000 area residents of Cambridge and North Dumfries and annually…

• Completes 84,974 diagnostic procedures
• Accommodates 60,736 outpatient visits
• Sees 45,937 emergency visits
• Performs 12,348 surgeries
• Completes 2,768 breast screenings
• Is home to 1,493 births
• Removes 1,503 cataracts
• Replaces 432 hips and knees

Grand River Health Care Centre

Phone: 519.742.3611

Beds: 495
Employees: 2500
Volunteers: 800

Grand River Hospital includes the Kitchener-Waterloo Health Care Centre (KWHC) and Freeport Health Centre (FHC), and is a comprehensive community hospital that provides patient-centered care to more than 450,000 residents in the Region of Waterloo and the surrounding communities.

During the next few years, the Grand River Hospital is remodeling/expanding:

• A new inpatient oncology unit with an increase of six patient beds
• A new ambulatory care centre
• A new mental health unit which includes, a crisis assessment facility, day hospital and child and adolescent inpatient psychiatry unit
• A new, spacious intensive care unit with an additional 8 patient beds
• A new brachytherapy surgical suite to treat appropriate cancer patients by administering radiation internally
• A new and expanded fracture clinic

St. Mary’s General Hospital

Phone: 519.744.3311

Beds: 191 beds
Employees: 1250
Medical Staff: 176
Volunteers: 403
Statistics:

• 7,000+ admissions/year
• 100,000+ outpatient visits/year
• 45,000+ emergency department visits/year
• 18,000+ surgical procedures performed/year
• 4,000+ cardiac procedures performed/year

St. Mary’s General Hospital is a leader in health care excellence, with a reputation for providing compassionate and innovative care consistent with the Catholic traditions and values of the Sisters of St. Joseph. St. Mary’s provides adult acute care and is home to the Regional Cardiac Care Centre - which scores top marks among Ontario's cardiac care centres.


The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has reorganized the Ontario health care system into 14 regional health authorities called Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). The health authority in the Waterloo Region is called the Waterloo Wellington LHIN.

Regional Health Authorities

Community Health Centres

Community Health Centres (CHCs) located in Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, and St. Jacobs are not-for-profit organizations that provide primary health and health promotion programs for individuals, families and communities. CHCs work with individuals, families and communities to strengthen their capacity to take more responsibility for their health and wellbeing. They provide education and advice on helping families access the resources they need from other community agencies. CHCs work together with others on health promotion initiatives within schools, in housing developments, and in the workplace. They link families with support and self-help groups that offer peer education, support in coping, or are working to address conditions that affect health.

CHCs' health promotion programs that contribute to child and family health include :

• domestic violence prevention/treatment including direct counseling, addictions counseling, conflict resolution, anger management, stress management, self-esteem enhancement
• parenting education, both individual and group, to improve healthy child development
• parent-child resource rooms and drop-ins
• anti-racist initiatives and other programs to promote tolerance, cultural diversity and acceptance of minority groups
• education, counseling and groups related to weight/body image issues, peer relationships, healthy sexuality
• programs for teen mothers

Region of Waterloo, Public Health

Offers information on finding a physician, and available public health services.

P.O. Box 1633
99 Regina Street South, 3rd floor
Waterloo, ON
N2J 4V3

Phone: 519.883.2000
Fax: 519.883.2241
email: publichealth@region.waterloo.on.ca

150 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, ON
N1R 6P9
Canada

Phone: 519.621.6110
Fax: 519.622.5868
email: publichealth@region.waterloo.on.ca

Waterloo Wellington Community Access Care Centre

For Senior Citizens

Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) are local organizations established to provide Ontarians with better access to government-funded community-based health services and supports to promote independent living, and to facilitate the placement process into long-term care homes. Anyone can make a referral to a CCAC — an individual requiring service, a family member, caregiver, friend, physician or other health care professional.

To receive services from the CCAC, you must have:

• A valid Ontario Health Card
• Needs that cannot be met on an outpatient basis
• A medical condition that can be adequately treated in the home
• A need for at least one health care professional or personal support service.

The Waterloo Wellington CCAC also co-ordinates health services such as nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and personal support for people who are recovering from illness or injury, and for those who are living with chronic illness or disability.