St. Joe’s has built this strategic plan through an extraordinary engagement and consultative process.

It begins, as do past strategic plans, on the foundation of a rich legacy of care carved out by the founding Sisters of St. Joseph, and embracing St. Joe’s mission, vision and values: Compassionate Care, Faith, Discovery.

It builds on the experience and gains of past strategic plans, ones in which we have seen concrete achievements, such as the creation of the Research Institute of St. Joe’s Hamilton, breaking down barriers with the opening of the Youth Wellness Centre, and pioneering new ways of providing care with Integrated Comprehensive Care.

In 2017, we began our first consultations with leaders. That was followed up in 2018 with an interactive lightbox survey that travelled to 170 teams across St. Joe’s, with more than 1200 staff, physicians, learners, researchers and volunteers sharing their opinions on compassionate care, innovation, and workplace engagement. We went out into the community with the St. Joe’s Check-up Booth, taking it to seven community events, and gathering the voices of more than 1300 members of our community.

In late 2018, to promote a greater feedback loop as the plan was being developed, a Strategy Ambassador program was created to bring frontline staff into the process. More than 85 staff participated, creating a collaborative process in which leadership had the opportunity to listen to the frontline voices of ambassadors and their team members.

Patients were given a voice in strategic planning, including embedding a Patient and Family Advisory Council member into the steering committee as a partner in planning.

We reached out to our academic, research, hospital, community, government and union partners in the consultation process. All of this engagement was integral to understanding what is most important to our staff, patients, partners and community.

Strategic plans are not static documents. The world took a dramatic turn in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. While our strategic plan continued to be our north star, and much was accomplished through these years, it was important to reflect on the impact of this seismic shift and adjust the Strategic Plan to reflect that. An environmental scan, review of healthcare changes and needs, and leadership engagement resulted in the updated plan you see here. It was important to align the next five years to the environment of today, and the changing landscape of tomorrow.

Aging demographics, vulnerable populations and increasing concerns about mental health and addictions must be considered. We know care shouldn’t always take place in hospitals, and strong partnerships are necessary to ensure patients are cared for in the best environment that suits their needs. Coordination of care and smooth transitions of care are essential ingredients to success.

Our strategic plan is a reflection of all of this.