Improving Patient Care in Northwest Ontario

Province Supporting New Data Centre to Provide Better Access to Electronic Health Records

Ontario is improving patient care by providing better access to electronic health records for hospitals, agencies and clinics across Northwestern Ontario with a new regional data centre in Thunder Bay.

Minister of Northern Development and Mines Bill Mauro made the announcement this morning at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. The new data centre, supported through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), will provide health care providers with better access to patient records, enhancing health care coordination and delivery for patients in the Northwest.

The new data centre will meet current industry standards for reliability, backups and security. The project is expected to create five jobs locally.

Supporting quality health care and good jobs in the North is part of our plan to create jobs, grow the economy, and help people in their everyday lives.

QUOTES

 “The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre continues to provide quality health care to patients and families and works to improve its digital storage systems that give quick access to patient records. This investment in the new regional data centre will provide a modern system that will make life easier for hospitals and patients across the Northwest for years to come.”

– Bill Mauro, Minister of Northern Development and Mines and Chair of the NOHFC

“Investing in digital health is a key part of our plan to put patients first. This funding will help modernize and improve care across hospitals in Ontario’s northwest communities, supporting both patients and the dedicated professionals who care for them.”

– Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

“The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre strives to innovate in health care provision and research to more effectively serve our patients and families. We thank the province for investing in the new data centre project, which will help our partner hospitals and us provide state-of-the-art, more timely and accessible data management services in support of better integrated and coordinated health services for patients and their families across the Northwest.”

– Jean Bartkowiak, President and CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute

QUICK FACTS

• Ontario is investing $1 million in this project through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).
• In partnership with the St. Joseph’s Care Group, the local hospital will relocate its data centre to a 4,500‑square foot facility in the nearby Health Services Centre building.
• Since 2013, the NOHFC has invested more than $488 million in 3,165 projects, helping to create or sustain more than 10,895 jobs across Northern Ontario.

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