NOW OPEN: New Reactivation Care Centre at PRHC focuses on patient reactivation and restoration

Specialized care centre is designed to prepare patients for their return home

Peterborough, ON – Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is excited to announce the opening of its new Reactivation Care Centre, a specialized, acute medical unit dedicated to patient reactivation and restoration.

This new patient care space, which opened on Monday, December 9, is designed to support patients in preparing to return home once they no longer require acute, hospital-level care. The unit will provide dedicated support for identified patients and their families through a time-specified, short-stay admission, helping each patient to achieve specific goals that will allow them to safely transition back into the community.

While patients of any age may qualify for admission to the unit, the Reactivation Care Centre will take a seniors’ care-focused approach to care. In November 2024, PRHC was among the first hospitals in Canada to be awarded participant status in our journey toward achieving the Age-Friendly Health System designation from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

Through a custom-designed approach for each patient, the Reactivation Care Centre’s interprofessional team will help patients to become as independent and active as possible, and will work with patients and families to connect them with the appropriate hospital and community partners and supports before they return home.

The interprofessional team on the unit includes:

• Elder Life Specialist
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Pharmacy
• Physicians
• Physiotherapy
• Recreation Therapy
• Registered Dietitian
• Rehabilitation Assistant
• Seniors’ Care Lead
• Social Work

“The Reactivation Care Centre goes beyond just providing a setting for patients to recover from their acute illness,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, President & CEO at PRHC. “With a time-limited stay based on the individual’s specific needs, each patient will have access to specialized, restorative care to prepare them for a successful discharge from the hospital. The targeted care being offered on this unit will help to address the increasing demands of our growing and aging community in Peterborough.”

PRHC is thrilled to announce that the Reactivation Care Centre will benefit from the generosity of donors through the PRHC Foundation, who will support the purchase of essential equipment and technology for patients on the unit.

“It’s because of our community’s generous support of the $60 million Campaign for PRHC that the Foundation can respond quickly to PRHC’s most urgent needs – such as the Reactivation Care Centre – as they arise throughout the year,” says Lesley Heighway, President & CEO of the PRHC Foundation. “Community donations made it possible to fund $400,000 in vital infrastructure for the reactivation unit, including patient beds, vital signs monitors, and specialized wheelchairs, to help patients return home after hospital care. This is a great example of the power of philanthropy in our community. Thank you, donors.”

We are also very pleased to announce that Cisco Systems will be one of the technology partners providing investment and innovation through Cisco Canada’s Country Digital Acceleration Program, to support the day-to-day care provided in the Reactivation Care Centre.

“Our Country Digital Acceleration Program brings advanced technology to communities across Canada, helping drive our country’s digital transformation,” said Wayne Cuervo, Director of Digital Impact Office, Cisco Canada. “With Peterborough Regional Health Centre, we’re providing robust connectivity and seamless integration of devices, including the installation of digital ‘collaboration boards’ in patient rooms to enhance secure communication between healthcare providers, patients, and their families, ultimately improving the overall patient experience.”

Dave Smith, MPP, Peterborough–Kawartha was on-hand for a tour of the Reactivation Care Centre at PRHC prior to its opening.

“Over the last several years, the government of Ontario has provided a number of critical investments that have allowed PRHC to explore innovative solutions for the growing numbers of patients in the Peterborough region who require hospital care,” said MPP Smith. “This includes $2.9M invested into community partnerships to allow patients who no longer require hospital-level care to be relocated into more appropriate care settings, and more than $600,000 invested into programs offered through the Emergency Department to help patients maintain their independence and prevent unnecessary inpatient stays at the hospital. I am pleased to see the hospital and its partners launch this innovative, hospital based care model, and I look forward to hearing more about its successes in the year ahead.”

Key benefits of the new Reactivation Care Centre at PRHC include:

• Specialized care for patients and their families, tailored to the unique needs of each patient.
• Interdisciplinary care excellence: A team that has the right knowledge, skills, and expertise to provide the level of care needed.
• People-centered. Care is focused on what each patient needs to return safely home after their hospital stay. Caregivers are identified, included, and supported as essential care partners and are respected as members of the patient’s care team.
• Custom-designed, tech-enabled care space, with a focus on functional enhancement, individualized, patient-centred programming, and supported by technology-enabled care and communication.
• System responsiveness with this innovative care model in place, the Peterborough community and surrounding region will have an acute care centre that can better support its healthcare needs.

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For more information:

Michelene Ough | Director, Communications | mough@prhc.on.ca