Draft:Kingston Health Sciences Centre

Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) is one of Canada’s top care, research and teaching hospitals, located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. As an academic hospital and major health-care training site, KHSC plays a critical role in providing comprehensive health-care services, advancing medical research, and contributing to groundbreaking advancements in health care. Consisting of its Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) sites, along with the Cancer Centre of southeastern Ontario, KHSC serves as the regional provider of complex-acute health-care for southeastern Ontario, delivering a wide range of specialized medical care to a diverse population of more than half-a-million people.

History

KHSC was established through the voluntary integration of Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) in 2017. This integration aimed to enhance the quality and accessibility of health-care services in the region, streamline operations, and foster a more integrated approach to patient care. Both legacy institutions have rich histories dating back to the 19th century, (KGH being founded in 1835 and HDH in 1845) and are now among the oldest continually operated hospital sites in Canada.

Regional Role

KHSC serves as the tertiary level care hospital for southeastern Ontario, encompassing a vast geographic area that includes numerous communities, including many northern rural communities located on the James Bay coast.

It provides specialized services that are not available in smaller community hospitals, making it an essential health-care provider for the region. KHSC is equipped to handle complex medical cases, offering advanced diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical services. KHSC offers world-class care through a number of regional programs including:

• Southeast Regional Renal Program (kidney care)
• Southeast Regional Cancer Program
• Trauma centre for southeastern Ontario
• Stroke Network of Southeastern Ontario
• Pediatric care (including pediatric oncology and pediatric critical care)
• Neo-natal care (level 3 NICU)
• Neurosurgery
• Cardiac care
• High-risk obstetric care
• Acute in-patient mental health
• Medical imaging (including Breast Imaging Kingston)
• Medical laboratory services (conducting lab tests for hospitals across the region)

Academic and Training

As an academic hospital affiliated with Queen's University, KHSC is one of the largest medical education sites in the country. It serves as a vital training site for medical students, residents, fellows, nurses, and other health-care professionals. KHSC also partners with St. Lawrence College and Algonquin College to provide training to future health-care professionals.  

KHSC offers a diverse range of training programs across various specialties, providing hands-on experience and mentorship from leading experts in the field. The hospital's commitment to education ensures that future generations of health-care professionals are well-prepared to meet the evolving needs of patients and the health-care system.

Research and Innovation

Kingston Health Sciences Centre is renowned for its contributions to medical research and innovation. Lead by the KGH Research Institute, KHSC facilitates a broad spectrum of health research, including oncology, cardiology, neurosciences, and gastroenterology. KHSC collaborates with Queen's University and other research institutions to conduct pioneering studies that translate into improved patient outcomes and advancements in medical knowledge. KHSC is continually ranked as one of Canada’s top research hospitals on the annual Research Infosource top 40 list.

Teams at KHSC continue to push the boundaries of care available in southeastern Ontario through innovative programming, clinics and surgeries. KHSC is home to Canada’s leading colorectal robotic surgery program, North America’s premier centre for advanced endoscopic procedures and has pioneered many new minimally invasive surgical techniques. It has also been home to many Canadian and Ontario firsts, including Canada’s first heart donation after circulatory death.

Patient Care

KHSC is dedicated to providing compassionate, patient and family-centred care across a number of medical in-patient units, outpatient clinics and in the Emergency Department (located at KGH) and Urgent Care Centre (located at HDH) and in locations outside hospital walls across the region. KHSC's multidisciplinary teams work collaboratively to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care tailored to their individual needs.

The hospital's patient care philosophy emphasizes respect, dignity, and partnership with patients and their families. In keeping with this philosophy, KHSC continuously seeks to improve the patient experience through its patient advisory council and patient relations department that focuses on garnering feedback in an effort to ensure it is providing excellence in health-care delivery. For the last several years KHSC has been ranked as one of Canada’s top hospitals for patient care by Newsweek Magazine.

Employment

As one of the region’s largest employers, KHSC is home to more than 6,000 staff, approximately 700 credentialed physicians, more than 2,000 health care learners and hundreds of volunteers. KHSC has been ranked as one of Canada’s top 300 employers by Forbes.

External Links

Kingston Health Sciences Centre website (www.KingstonHSC.ca)

Queen's University Faculty of Health Sciences (https://healthsci.queensu.ca/)

Queen’s University at Kingston (https://www.queensu.ca/)

University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (fundraising arm of KHSC)