Leading with Innovation: Takeaways from the Rural & Northern Healthcare Leadership Conference

"How do we do things differently? How do we innovate? How do we change our culture around innovation to move our system forward?" — Ann Ford, President & CEO, Brightshores Health System

Healthcare organizations in our rural and remote communities face unique challenges. From limited access to medical resources to the recruitment and retention of staff, these organizations must constantly adapt and innovate to provide quality care.

Despite these obstacles, healthcare professionals in these regions continue to develop creative solutions, demonstrating resilience and a deep commitment to the communities they serve.

Spark Conference’s recent Rural & Northern Healthcare Leadership Conference provided an important platform to highlight this work, showcasing strategies and innovations that are making a difference.

There was a ton of great information shared and discussions had. Here are key takeaways from a few of the sessions that you should know about:

The Nursing Retention Toolkit: A Collaborative Approach

Nurse retention, especially in rural and remote areas, continues to be a significant challenge. It’s why Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer, and her team at Health Canada developed the Nursing Retention toolkit:

• The toolkit was co-created with nurses from each province and territory, emphasizing the importance of structural changes to support nurses and improve retention.
• Developed through a fast-paced and collaborative process, the toolkit was validated through consultations with unions, professional associations, and participants in the Nursing Retention Forum.
• The toolkit highlights the need for workplace resources, transparent leadership, and an organizational culture that values respect, anti-racism, and accountability and represents a critical step to ensuring nurses receive the support they need to thrive.
• Key features include flexible work design, mental health and wellness support, mentorship and career development, how to reduce administrative tasks, and much more.

Sustaining a Thriving Work Culture in a Small Hospital Setting

Siobain Moore, VP of Support Services and Human Resources at Dryden Regional Health Centre (DRHC), discussed proactive steps their organization has taken to enhance employee well-being and engagement, using these efforts to drive success and retain talent:

• Fostering a positive workplace culture through employee recognition and engagement initiatives. Improved work-life balance with flexible scheduling, wellness programs, and active collaboration with unions to enhance working conditions.
• Outdated policies were a major obstacle. To address this, policies were revised, working closely with unions to create a more attractive employment environment.
• Recognizing the importance of leadership in shaping workplace culture, DRHC implemented initiatives such as their Emerging Leaders Program, a revised accountability system, mandatory monthly rounding, and business acumen training.
• DRHC has also taken steps to engage future potential healthcare professionals early in their education by speaking with high school students through outreach programs.

"When you realize you're dealing with new leaders, who hold the culture of our entire organization in their hands, you need to support them," said Moore. "We want people to become leaders. We want to grow people, not just within our organization, but attract high-level leaders to our organization."

Brightshores Research Institute, Addressing Unique Rural Challenges

Research and innovation in healthcare are often associated with large academic hospitals in urban centres, but Brightshores Health System and its newly launched Brightshores Research Institute are proving that rural communities can also be at the forefront of medical advancement.

President and CEO Ann Ford, along with Neil MacLean, Executive Director of the Brightshores Research Institute, outlined their vision for improving rural healthcare through collaboration, technology, and strategic investment:

• The Research Institute serves as a hub for research and thought leadership, aiming to support recruitment efforts and innovation in rural healthcare. A key priority is engaging frontline nurses and allied health workers to have them bring real-world solutions to a structured research and development environment.
• The Institute also fosters partnerships with like-minded organizations, universities, and private sector stakeholders to drive innovation and research, and it is strategically positioned to navigate challenges of rural healthcare sustainability, workforce retention, and patient access to care.
• Brightshores envisions its hospitals becoming knowledge centres and innovation hubs, integrating AI and automation to reduce admin tasks and improve service delivery.
• Brightshores is focusing on initiatives that harness tech and frontline expertise, such as the deployment of the Swift Digital Wound Care App, which significantly improved wound management and tracking in rural areas.
• A significant component of their approach is ensuring better coordination of healthcare services for Indigenous communities, incorporating patient navigators and developing improved primary care models.

“How do we leverage technologies to support remote patient monitoring so people can actually self-monitor at home, knowing there’s a safety net from other community providers as a backstop?” said MacLean. “The ability for someone to age comfortably, confidently at home is one of the ‘wicked’ problems we’re taking on.”

Expanding Access to Care Through Strategic Partnerships

Frank Vassallo, CEO, Kemptville District Hospital, explained how strategic partnerships and integrations can provide greater access to care, responding to the challenge of maintaining essential services within the community his organization serves:

• Successful integration of emergency services between Kemptville District Hospital and The Ottawa Hospital, involving renovations to their ED, addition of new CT scanner, and commitment to filling vacant shifts.
• This integrated model prioritizes independence while leveraging the resources of their larger partner. Critical for Kemptville to retain its local identity, preserving its unique rural culture.
• Boards are encouraged to think broadly about community health needs, rather than focus solely on hospital operations.
• Discussion underscored the necessity of aligning values and goals with potential partners, with trust being fundamental to successful integration.
• A new nurse practitioner-led clinic planned exemplifies the spirit of innovation and partnership, as it aims to address the primary care gap faced by their community.

Addressing Psychiatrist Shortage with Team-Based Model of Care

In 2022, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) faced a critical shortage of psychiatrists in its southwest region. With a population of 60,000, the region was served by only one psychiatrist. Michael Seiferling and Patti Dekowny, of the SHA's Mental Health and Addictions team, shared their experience implementing a team-based model of care to address this challenge:

• SHA collaborated with primary healthcare providers and local physician leadership to develop a comprehensive plan. The resulting model integrates behavioural health consultants into primary care settings and establishes a collaborative practice agreement with pharmacists.
• Behavioral health consultants and mental health therapists providing psychosocial interventions were strategically placed within primary care physicians’ offices to reduce treatment delays and improve communication.
• The solution model significantly reduced service disruptions and increased efficiency, with behavioral health consultants managing a substantial number of appointments monthly and projecting a dramatic increase in referrals.
• The team-based model also incorporates "network nursing," with nurses acting as a central hub connecting various services. This emphasizes the crucial role of nursing in driving improvements and the importance of removing barriers to support their work.

The dedication and ingenuity of our rural and remote healthcare professionals are truly inspiring, and sharing their stories about how they continue to navigate challenges and find innovative solutions is more important than ever.

If you’re a healthcare professional working in a rural or remote setting and implementing new approaches to care, we’d love to hear from you and help showcase your work. Please connect with us at [email protected].

By Marc Aiello, Communications and Marketing Specialist