You may have seen the Ministry of Health announcement that came out April 12th Ontario Building a Stronger, More Resilient Post-Stroke Rehabilitation Program. Our Stroke Network was so pleased to see this new emphasis on home-based and outpatient Community Stroke Rehabilitation Services. The announcement noted that the Ontario government is investing up to $5 million to establish a new, comprehensive community post-stroke rehabilitation program for adult stroke patients of all ages. This year’s initial investment will be followed by ongoing investments in the future to ensure that all Ontarians have access to high-quality post-stroke care in their community once they leave a hospital.
As some of you know, Shelley Huffman has now been seconded to work on this important project as a Stroke Rehabilitation Measurement Specialist contributing subject matter expertise and experience related to stroke care and the stroke measurement system as it relates to stroke rehabilitation. Shelley, in this role, will contribute to the conception, development and implementation of a provincial data strategy related to community stroke rehabilitation that will include key metrics and a minimum data set for community stroke rehabilitation. Shelley will also be a part of the larger CorHealth project team and we wish her every success as she embarks on this new and exciting work. Shelley has worked hard to advocate for rehabilitation system improvements in this stroke care and we look forward to seeing how these changes will improve the patient experience and outcomes for stroke survivors and their families.
Shelley will be seconded 0.8 FTE and will continue to serve our region as a 0.2 FTE Regional Stroke Rehab Coordinator.
It is our pleasure to welcome Travis Wing as the successful applicant to fill Shelley’s 0.8 FTE. Travis is now our Regional Stroke Rehabilitation Coordinator and will work Monday to Thursday most weeks, with some flexibility. Travis is completing his orientation and can be reached at travis.wing@kingstonhsc.ca; office 613-549-6666 ext 6841; cell: 613-583-6141. Some of you will know Travis from his work in our region at Brockville General Hospital (BrGH) as the Program Manager for Inpatient Rehabilitation, Integrated Stroke Unit, Complex Medical Management and Palliative care from 2013 to 2022. Travis was also the BrGH Operational Readiness Coordinator and Clinical Transitions lead from 2019 to 2021 and successfully executed the operational plan to transfer and expand services for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Programs as part of a redevelopment project. In collaboration with leaders across the organization, Travis aligned and enhanced service delivery processes and workflow for clinical and support services. Travis worked closely with the Stroke Network on a number of projects within his portolio, including the opening of the Integrated Stroke Unit at BrGH in 2021. Prior to his time at BrGH, Travis also worked for 2 years as an Administrative Coordinator at KHSC.
Travis earned a BSc in Nursing from Western University in 2009 and a Master of Science in Nursing in 2012. Travis completed the Rotman School of Management Advanced System Leadership Program in 2019. He brings added experience as a Lab Instructor at St Lawrence College Brockville and as a Clinical Instructor and a graduate research assistant at UWO. We know our Network will make good use of Travis’ expertise in data management, analysis, and systematic literature review developed in association with past research projects at UWO.
Congratulations to Shelley and Travis!
We look forward to continuing to work and learn with each of you in your new capacities within the Stroke Network!!