How we got here
Meeting the growing needs of the patients and communities we serve
Our Communities
Oak Valley Health is one of Ontario’s leading community health care organizations.
Across our two hospitals, Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital, our care space in the Reactivation Care Centre, and our clinics in the community, we provide high-quality, patient-centred care to more than 468,000 patients each year. We offer diagnostic and emergency services and deliver clinical programs in acute care medicine and surgery, addictions and mental health, and childbirth and children’s services.
We are also proud to be part of the Eastern York Region North Durham Ontario Health Team.
Our 586 professional staff (including physicians, midwives, and dentists), 3,180 staff, and 934 volunteers serve patients and families with an honoured to care mindset, and are focused on delivering an extraordinary patient experience to the residents of Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Uxbridge, and beyond.
Markham
65.7% - 15 to 64 years
18.3% - 65+ years
36% English
11% South Asian languages
Whitchurch-Stouffville
62.7% - 15 to 64 years
17.9% - 65+ years
10% Chinese languages
3% Tamil
3% Italian
Uxbridge
63.4% - 15 to 64 years
21.4% - 65+ years
8% Other
Footnote: [1] *numbers from 2016 census; [2] **numbers from 2021 census
Facts and Stats
Our People
Our Patients
Our COnnections
Our Services
All numbers are from 2022/2023
Factors that influenced the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan
While the past four years have brought unprecedented challenges to health care, they have also served as a catalyst for change. Looking forward, we will address the challenges and mitigate risks by playing to our strengths, and create opportunities for growth and advancement.
- A culture of caring, compassion, and collegiality
- Developing and maintaining healthy partnerships
- Supportive relationship with our community
- Agility in our response
- Willingness to take calculated risks
- Creativity in finding solutions
The health care landscape is changing at an unprecedented pace. Changing priorities, increased complexity, and privatization pressures require health care organizations to adjust quickly to meet the needs of patients, the communities we serve, and the greater health care system. We are committed to improving the individual experience of care that results in an extraordinary patient experience.
Our people are our most valuable asset. Health human resource shortages were projected long before the added pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s time to reimagine the health care employment models of the past, and adapt them to better meet the demands of the future. We must also work to improve the experience of providing care for our dedicated health care professionals.
Over the years, the escalating costs of health care, impacts of the pandemic, and fluctuations in the global economy have created concern for health care organizations. In this lingering atmosphere of financial uncertainty, we foresee the need to continue to ensure long term fiscal health by actively seeking creative solutions to address shortfalls, strategically reducing health care costs wherever possible.
to care
Throughout the years, we’ve witnessed a transformative shift in the health care system’s approach to care. Our dedication extends beyond engaging patients in their care to encompass the needs of their families, caregivers, the communities we serve, and health care providers. By structuring our efforts around the comprehensive needs of individuals, we adopt a people-centred approach in everything we do – whether it’s with patients and their families, among ourselves, or in collaboration with our partners.
Approximately 15 per cent of Ontarians do not have access to primary care. In our region, this number is higher. This puts pressure on our emergency services. Our regional demographic data shows higher incidences of disease for certain populations. We are focusing on creative solutions to advance health equity and improving population health.
volumes
The regions we serve are experiencing rapid growth. Projections for York and Durham regions suggest nearly a doubling in size over a 30-year period (2021-51). Notably, there is an anticipated growth of over 70 per cent in the senior population. This places considerable strain on our health care facilities, which are already undersized and facing increased demands.
infrastructure
To meet the growing needs of the communities we serve, our sites require constant renewal and redevelopment. In the next few years, our Uxbridge Hospital will be completely rebuilt and a long-term care facility added to provide a comprehensive campus of care. Planning for increased capacity at our Markham Stouffville Hospital is underway as we have outgrown our current space despite having doubled our size only 10 years ago.
Co-design of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan
A significant dedication of time and effort went into the creation of this strategic plan.
We wanted to make sure we got it right – to ensure we meet the needs of the patients and communities we serve, while setting up the organization for continued success.
In the extensive preparation leading up to a year-long strategic exercise, we reviewed the literature, government priorities, Ontario Hospital Association directives, evolving health care trends, regional growth projections, and identified health care gaps. We incorporated the Quintuple Aim of high-value health care and the principles of high-reliability, and took valuable insight from our 2022 accreditation results, our information technology and data maturity review, as well as invaluable lessons distilled from navigating the challenges of the pandemic.
While acknowledging the importance of the foundational work and respecting expertise, we intentionally started our strategy engagement at the heart of health care and right at the point where care is delivered – with our frontline staff, patients, families, and the communities we serve. Guided by a commitment to people-centred care, we took time to actively listen to the perspectives of our patients, their families, caregivers, as well as our staff, volunteers, and learners who are honoured to care every day. With each iteration, we went back to them, and in doing so, co-designed this strategy from bedside to boardroom and beyond.
From virtual and in-person meetings to staff interactions, community and patient surveys, as well as town halls, our foremost commitment has been to ensure meaningful engagement. This dedication has paved the way for a strategy that reflects the diverse communities we serve and our people who care for them.
(4 dedicated sessions)
