In a groundbreaking achievement for healthcare in Waterloo Region, the merging of local hospitals has led to a staggering decrease in ambulance offload times.

The Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN), which incorporates two prominent hospitals in Kitchener-Waterloo, reports remarkable improvements over the last five months.

Back in April 2024, ambulance offload times at WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital KW Campus) averaged a troubling 107 minutes. Fast forward to today, and that time has dramatically decreased to just 28 minutes!

Similarly, WRHN @ Queen’s Blvd (formerly St. Mary’s General Hospital) experienced a significant decline, with offload times dropping from 83 minutes to an astonishing 27 minutes over the same period.

Brandon Douglas, Vice President of Patient Care and Site Lead for Queen’s Blvd, commented on the merger's positive impact: "Before the official merger, the urgent need to address rising offload times was clear. By combining our Emergency Departments under one leadership structure, we were able to implement strategies across both sites more effectively, building on the strengths of each hospital."

Since late June, WRHN has maintained a remarkable target, keeping ambulance offload times to 30 minutes for approximately 90% of patients.

Drastic changes in operation were key to this success, including the adoption of standardized processes and enhanced collaboration between WRHN and the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services.

Douglas elaborated, stating, "By utilizing a shared Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, standardizing procedures, and reshaping perceptions of the offload area as a 'horizontal waiting room' rather than a treatment space, we’ve improved efficiency and patient care significantly."