The Change Foundation announces project winner: Northumberland PATH

Groundbreaking community partnership holds promise for provincial game-change.

After a rigorous, year-long selection process, The Change Foundation today announced the Northumberland Community Partnership as the winner of its $3-million investment in a trail-blazing project: PATH – Partners Advancing Transitions in Healthcare (PATH): a first with Ontario patients.

The Northumberland Community Partnership unites 12 health and social care organizations with seniors and caregivers who will identify healthcare transition problems across Central East Ontario and work with a full range of service providers to redesign care and improve experiences. The Northumberland PATH, led by Northumberland Hills Hospital, is the first system-wide patient/provider co-design venture of its kind in Ontario. The two-year project aligns well with the patient-centred care emphasis in Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care and with the region’s priority to build excellence in seniors’ care.

PATH is the centrepiece of The Change Foundation’s strategic plan, Hearing the story, changing the stories. The Change Foundation CEO Cathy Fooks says Northumberland was chosen from a roster of other quality proposals because its winning set of strengths set it apart. “Northumberland had an acknowledged need to improve transitions for one of the country’s largest concentrations of seniors with chronic health conditions. They assembled a wide cross-sector community partnership, with a strong primary care presence, and an innovative technology component; they involved seniors and caregivers from the get-go and have an enviable track record of meaningful public engagement,” she said. “In short, they showed the smarts, the heart, the team, the ideas, and the experience – to make PATH a success,” she said.

The Foundation plans to funnel all that it learns from the Northumberland PATH and related research and public engagement into a capstone Summit in 2015 that will result in key recommendations for change. Stay tuned for regular updates and milestones as the Northumberland Community Partnership paves a new PATH in Ontario healthcare.

Learn more:

Read full media release
PATH backgrounder
Loud & Clear: Seniors and caregivers speak out about navigating Ontario’s Health System