The Town of Georgina, Southlake Regional Health Centre and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team (NYSS OHT) have joined forces to improve local health and wellness through a new memorandum of understanding (MOU). Signed during an announcement earlier today that included local MPP Caroline Mulroney, the agreement establishes a formal relationship between the parties around shared goals of improving services for residents in Georgina.
“This is a massive step forward to improving healthcare services in Georgina,” said Mayor Margaret Quirk. “Council will be modifying the Health Care Strategy and Action Plan approved in 2024 in order to expedite advancing access to health care in our growing community. This is extraordinary news for all residents as well as future generations in our community. We welcome this commitment by Southlake and the NYSS OHT to enhance health and wellness in Georgina.”
The new MOU outlines five shared areas for collaboration:
- Health Facilities and Resources
- Increase health-oriented service capacity through the development of new facilities and resources in Georgina, as well as the expanded use of existing spaces to increase access to care
- New and Expanded Health and Wellness Programs
- Improve health equity by increasing access to inclusive, evidence-informed programs and services that meet Georgina’s current and future needs
- Advocacy and Community/Partner/Provider Engagement
- Collaboratively pursue and advocate for support and investments from funders and decision-makers at all levels of government
- Data Sharing
- Working together to inform shared pursuits that leverage each organization’s information and insights, while upholding all applicable privacy requirements
- Research and Innovation
- Explore joint partnerships with academic institutions to bolster research that informs literature and advances knowledge and standards for leading edge care
Up to $210,000 is being invested by the Town of Georgina to help implement and advance the MOU’s shared goals. The funding will support MOU administration through a dedicated Project Lead at Southlake.
“We’re thrilled to be working with our partners on council and at the NYSS OHT to deliver integrated care to patients in Georgina,” said Paul Woods MD, President and CEO of Southlake. “While work to develop a second hospital site for Southlake is still ongoing separately, our capacity challenges cannot be ignored much longer. This partnership will help us strengthen local healthcare services as we work to bring care, closer to home.”
Central to the MOU’s shared goals is the pursuit of a new healthcare facility in Georgina to provide a suite of services based on the most pressing needs of the community.
“By taking a collaborative approach, we’ll improve coordination of initiatives, reduce duplication of efforts and make a bigger impact,” said Christina Bisanz, Co-Chair of the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team. “Georgina already has excellent representation in our OHT and we look forward to increasing programs and services to better serve residents in Georgina.”
“Since being elected to represent the great people of York-Simcoe, bringing healthcare closer to home for families has been a top priority. Today’s announcement reflects a strong partnership in our community to deliver care to those who need it most,” said Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York-Simcoe. “Our government will continue to explore innovative and creative healthcare solutions for residents and their families as we build up our healthcare system for the next generation.”