The Ontario Ministry of Health has approved the amalgamation request of the Kirkland and Englehart hospitals.

According to officials, the approval clears the way for the two organizations to complete the legal filings necessary to finalize the amalgamation process and officially become known as “Blanche River Health”.

President and CEO, Sean Conroy states “reaching this key milestone has been a significant focus for our hospitals over the past few years. We embarked on what started as a relationship of sharing resources over 10 years ago, which progressed to integrating many roles and organizational structures, that has led us to the next logical step – the formal amalgamation of our two organizations.”

He adds “we were thrilled to receive the official approval from the Minister of Health, and on behalf of the Board of Directors for each hospital, I want to thank our staff, physicians, Ministry of Health, Ontario Health / Northeast LHIN, and our communities for their commitment and support as we evolved and navigated through this process.”

“The decision to amalgamate came naturally since the two hospitals have been operating in many respects as one entity,” says Chief of Staff, Dr. Mark Spiller. “Amalgamation provides the hospitals more opportunity to access clinical, financial, and operational efficacies, as well as the ability to further improve patient care through increased sharing of resources and medical expertise.” Dr. Spiller adds.

Plans are already underway to officially introduce and launch the new entity in alignment with the completion of the required legal steps to combine the two organizations into a single corporate entity. Future communications will provide more details as plans and timing are finalized.

The Joint Board of Directors representing the Kirkland and District Hospital (KDH), and the Englehart and District Hospital (EDH) are pleased to announce that Sean Conroy, current Interim President, and Chief Executive Officer as well as Vice-President of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, has accepted the permanent role as President and Chief Executive Officer for both KDH and EDH. Conroy's appointment has been approved by the Joint Board of Directors following an extensive recruitment effort and will take effect on June 15, 2020. Conroy has been with KDH and EDH for several years as a key member of the Executive Team, with him he brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience with a broad range of organizations to the position. Conroy has been instrumental in many of the current initiatives our Hospitals have undertaken, including the CT Scan project and our Hospitals’ amalgamation efforts,  and has exemplified great leadership and community support as he has guided the Hospitals through the current COVID-19 pandemic.
 
“I want to thank the Joint Board of Directors for their support and the opportunity to guide the Hospitals into the future, especially as we aim to finalize the amalgamation of the two organizations to serve the residents of North and Central Timiskaming", said Conroy. "I look forward to continuing to work with our Board members, physicians, management team, and staff, as well as our community and government partners on the various initiatives that support the provision of the best health care services possible in our region,” Conroy added.  

An ongoing facelift at Englehart and District Hospital is designed to “build a hospital for the future,” says CEO Gary Sims. Over the past couple of years, the hospital has made substantial repairs to its exterior.

Please click for news article