Chatham-Kent Health Alliance has launched a new hospital-to-home initiative aimed at helping patients transition safely and smoothly back to their homes following a hospital stay.
The CKHA @ Home Program is designed to support earlier discharge while maintaining continuity of care, with services focused on recovery and well-being in the home environment.
“We recognize that returning home after a hospital stay can be challenging,” said Adam Topp, CKHA president and CEO. “The CKHA @ Home Program is designed to reduce that stress by providing comprehensive, personalized support. This program ensures that patients receive the right care, at the right time, at home.”
CKHA says the program will also help address growing pressure on in-hospital medical beds. On an average day, the health alliance is operating 22 medical beds above capacity, representing about 40 per cent more medical patient days than the organization is designed to support. Demand for beds has continued to rise year over year, and the new program is one measure intended to help manage that trend.
Through the CKHA @ Home Program, patients receive coordinated discharge planning, in-home clinical care and ongoing support. A dedicated patient navigator works with patients and families to develop a personalized care plan once the patient leaves hospital. Care may be delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, personal support workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers, through a partnership with ParaMed Home Health Care.
The program provides assistance with medication management, follow-up appointments and connections to community supports such as transportation services, caregiver assistance, the Let’s Go Home with Homeward Bound program offered through the Canadian Red Cross Society, and Meals on Wheels. Care plans are designed to be flexible and can be adjusted as a patient’s needs change over the typical program duration of eight to 16 weeks.
For patients who require support beyond that period, the CKHA @ Home team facilitates a transition to longer-term home care services through Ontario Health at Home. The team also works to help patients connect with a primary care practitioner if they do not already have one, and supports future hospital readmissions by planning for the next transition back home.
“This $1.3 million investment at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance will help patients get home sooner with the right support in place, where they can recover with dignity and comfort. By expanding the Hospital to Home Program, we’re putting patients first, freeing up hospital beds, and strengthening our local health care system so it’s there for seniors and families when they need it most,” said Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones.
CKHA says the goal of the program is to make the first critical weeks at home as supportive as possible, helping patients complete their recovery safely and successfully.
A dedicated 24-hour phone line operated by ParaMed Home Health Care is available for patients and families at 519-966-5200.
