Thank you, East Gwillimbury, for helping shape the future of care

Over 55 community members joined Southlake Health on July 7 for a Community Open House in East Gwillimbury. Throughout the evening, participants shared thoughtful questions, ideas, and perspectives to help inform the future of health care in the community and across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. 

Held at East Gwillimbury Civic Centre in Sharon during the Music and Market Night, the open house was an opportunity for residents to learn more about Southlake Health's vision to transform into a Distributed Health Network (DHN) over the next decade, which will include  a new full-service, acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury. Community members explored informational displays, attended a presentation on the DHN, connected with Southlake’s team, and took part in meaningful conversations about the future of care.  

Community engagement is an important part of Southlake's planning process, and the questions and feedback shared throughout the evening will help inform future engagement as planning continues. 

What we heard 

Throughout the evening, several key themes emerged from conversations with community members. Residents expressed a strong desire for greater access to leading edge care close to home, excitement over how  the new hospital will help address hallway healthcare, and posed thoughtful questions about what can be done in the meantime to better support health care teams and patients. 

Key topics raised included: 

• Where exactly the new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury will be located.  

• Services that residents would like to see offered at the new hospital. 

• Timelines for the new acute care hospital and next steps in the planning process. 

• Opportunities for communities to support the DHN. 

• How Southlake will strengthen its health human resources pipeline to support staffing across the DHN. 

Attendees were particularly interested in how the DHN will be implemented over the coming decade, with questions focused on project sequencing   and the future role of each project, including Advanced Care Centres to support the full vision.  

What's next 

The evening reinforced the importance of continuing to engage residents as planning progresses. The feedback shared in East Gwillimbury will help inform future community engagement sessions and updates to Southlake’s digital hub on the DHN.  

As planning for the DHN continues, Southlake Health remains committed to engaging residents, listening to community feedback, and keeping communities informed every step of the way. 

Thank you to everyone who attended, shared their perspectives, and contributed to an engaging and thoughtful evening. We also extend our thanks to the Town of East Gwillimbury for hosting the event at the Civic Centre. 

Want to stay up to date on Southlake Health's DHN? Subscribe to The Bridge, Southlake’s community newsletter, for the latest news, project updates, and future engagement opportunities.