Southlake offers new model of care with satellite facilities

NEWMARKET, Ont. – Southlake Health has issued a request for expressions of interest to identify potential partners to develop an advanced care centre in Georgina. The request is part of Southlake’s vision to transform into a Distributed Health Network (DHN), which was endorsed by Ontario’s government earlier this week, Southlake Health said.

Together, with two hospital sites and expanded services through new community-based advanced care centres, Southlake will enhance the patient experience, improve access, and expand capacity.

“Southlake Health continues to make strides in our vision to become a Distributed Health Network that will transform care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County,” said Dr. Paul Woods (pictured), president and CEO. “By working with our provincial, municipal, and community partners to develop a new advanced care centre in Georgina, we will bring leading edge care even closer to home.”

Advanced care centres will be a cornerstone of Southlake’s Distributed Health Network, the hospital stated. These community-based facilities will be designed to expand access, reduce pressure on hospital sites, and improve the patient experience by delivering care closer to home.

“With a new hospital in East Gwillimbury and expanded services through a new community-based, advanced care centre right here in Georgina, Southlake will help connect more people and families to the care they need, closer to home,” said Caroline Mulroney, MPP for York-Simcoe. “This initiative reflects our shared commitment to strengthening the regional healthcare system and ensuring families and residents can access high quality care.”

Southlake’s Distributed Health Network is now moving from vision to implementation – designing a modern, connected health system to meet patients’ needs. Planning will extend beyond physical infrastructure, evaluating a community’s health profile using population health management principles, to inform what types of health and wellness services are required to best meet residents’ needs, according to the hospital.

“Today’s announcement moves us significantly closer to creating a local health and wellness facility right here in our community – a facility that will be responsive to the unique needs of our Georgina residents,” said Mayor Margaret Quirk. “This important part of the process will guide us in direction of a site for the new advanced care centre facility in Georgina and provide further clarity on the timelines for completion of the project. I look forward to broad participation from our community in responding to this initiative.”

Through the request for expressions of interest, Southlake is seeking partners capable of developing a community-based health facility on supplier-owned land in Georgina. The intent is for Southlake to lease this space to deliver healthcare services, ensuring residents have localized access to the Distributed Health Network’s expertise.

“Through our triparty work with Southlake Health and the Town of Georgina, the NYSS OHT has helped build a stronger shared understanding of the current and future health needs of Georgina residents,” said Christina Bisanz, co-chair of the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team. “This next step reflects that collaborative planning, bringing partners together to better connect services in a way that is more co-ordinated, more convenient, and ultimately better for patients, families, and the broader community.”

Georgina’s current and future health and wellness needs have been carefully assessed through the tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Town of Georgina, Southlake Health, and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team. This work identified an opportunity to co-locate services – such as interprofessional primary care, diagnostics, outpatient clinics, and other community-based care – to better meet community needs.

In 2024, the Town of Georgina, Southlake Health, and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a formal relationship between the parties around shared goals of improving services for residents in Georgina.