General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[ac3r]

Took them long enough! That's great news. They collaborate so much already, that it only makes sense to merge the two. I'm surprised Cambridge Memorial and GRH haven't done the same as well. While we are 3 cities, it seems sensible to operate them all under the same umbrella organization.

[bravado]

Took them long enough! That's great news. They collaborate so much already, that it only makes sense to merge the two. I'm surprised Cambridge Memorial and GRH haven't done the same as well. While we are 3 cities, it seems sensible to operate them all under the same umbrella organization.

Big time, there’s obvious wins just from boring shit like purchasing at scale. I have to assume there are some very well-defended management fiefdoms that want to keep their little empires.

[ac3r]

Took them long enough! That's great news. They collaborate so much already, that it only makes sense to merge the two. I'm surprised Cambridge Memorial and GRH haven't done the same as well. While we are 3 cities, it seems sensible to operate them all under the same umbrella organization.

Big time, there’s obvious wins just from boring shit like purchasing at scale. I have to assume there are some very well-defended management fiefdoms that want to keep their little empires.

Ohhh yeah. My girlfriend and some of my family all work for GRH both in the medical and administrative side of things. They aren't gonna like that haha. It does work because there is a lot of overlap between KW and Freeport which makes sharing staff pools between the two locations easy, but there is a lot of nonsense that drags things on. Human resources is probably the worst culprit, because they are the most irrelevant organization in any business.

[Rainrider22]

Big time, there’s obvious wins just from boring shit like purchasing at scale. I have to assume there are some very well-defended management fiefdoms that want to keep their little empires.

Ohhh yeah. My girlfriend and some of my family all work for GRH both in the medical and administrative side of things. They aren't gonna like that haha. It does work because there is a lot of overlap between KW and Freeport which makes sharing staff pools between the two locations easy, but there is a lot of nonsense that drags things on. Human resources is probably the worst culprit, because they are the most irrelevant organization in any business.

HR is completely irrelevant in any public sector related organization.  All you get from them is, No, you cant do that. You cant hold people accountable.

[nms]

Was the new hospital intended to be in addition to the current capacity at GRH and St. Mary's, or merely a replacement of existing capacity? If it was supposed to be a new hospital in addition to GRH and St. Mary's, is this merger an attempt to keep health care north of the 401 under the existing organization(s)?

[Acitta]

Was the new hospital intended to be in addition to the current capacity at GRH and St. Mary's, or merely a replacement of existing capacity? If it was supposed to be a new hospital in addition to GRH and St. Mary's, is this merger an attempt to keep health care north of the 401 under the existing organization(s)?

From this article from 2022:
"St. Mary’s nearly century-old building will be retired, while Grand River’s two existing sites will be renovated and repurposed. Its main site in central Kitchener would focus on ambulatory and urgent care, and Freeport would expand its rehabilitation services — with both hospitals sharing these spaces as well."

[plam]

Took them long enough! That's great news. They collaborate so much already, that it only makes sense to merge the two. I'm surprised Cambridge Memorial and GRH haven't done the same as well. While we are 3 cities, it seems sensible to operate them all under the same umbrella organization.

Were you not saying something about competition in another thread?

[Acitta]

New hospital that results from St Mary’s, Grand River merger won’t be Catholic

If a proposed merger of Grand River and St. Mary’s hospitals goes ahead as expected, the 100-year history of a Catholic hospital in the region will come to an end.

St. Mary’s General Hospital was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton and opened its doors on Oct. 21, 1924.

But its merger with Grand River would create a new hospital for Kitchener-Waterloo, with a single board and a new name, that “will not be a Catholic entity,” said St. Mary’s board chair Tim Rollins.

[ac3r]

Took them long enough! That's great news. They collaborate so much already, that it only makes sense to merge the two. I'm surprised Cambridge Memorial and GRH haven't done the same as well. While we are 3 cities, it seems sensible to operate them all under the same umbrella organization.

Were you not saying something about competition in another thread?

There's a difference between competition between businesses and public hospitals...

[tomh009]

Moving the taxation discussion now to the taxation thread:
https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...p?tid=1453