Three Montfort organizations launch joint strategic plan for the first time

"A bold Francophonie for healthy communities"

Ottawa, November 28, 2024 — Hôpital Montfort, Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM) and Santé Montfort launch a joint strategic plan for the first time. With this plan, the three organizations adopt a unique and bold vision, distinct and complementary missions, values, fundamental principles, five key goals and 17 outcomes to be achieved by the hospital’s 75^th anniversary in 2028.

Over the next four years, Montfort will serve a growing and aging population, increase French-language services, strengthen its social accountability, enhance the impact of education and research, and innovate to remain a sought-after environment. For each of these five key goals, there are two to five outcomes to be achieved, and to get there, we’ll need to be bold.

“A bold Francophonie for healthy communities. This is the shared and inspiring vision that Hôpital Montfort, Institut du Savoir Montfort and Santé Montfort are adopting,” said Dominic Giroux, President and CEO of Hôpital Montfort and Santé Montfort, during the launch conference. “It’s a common, unifying vision, and one that speaks as much to our roots as to our future.”

Among the 17 outcomes to achieve by 2028, Montfort will namely have:

• Optimized the Aline-Chrétien Health Hub, namely by adding a clinic for patients without a family doctor;

• Opened primary care services in French in Ottawa’s west-end, in partnership with primary care providers;

• Improved the patient experience by introducing culturally appropriate practices, geared toward reconciliation with Indigenous communities and inclusive of the various populations we serve;

• Opened a multidisciplinary addiction service;
• Increased the number of Francophone learners in the health sector through enhanced collaboration with our partner postsecondary institutions;

• Lightened the administrative load on staff and optimized our range of services by incorporating artificial intelligence tools.

The launch conference took place on November 27 in front of a full house attended by more than 200 people—staff members, dignitaries, elected officials, numerous partner organizations—and more than 500 people online simultaneously.

After a vibrant and moving performance by Indigenous and Franco-Ontarian artist Makhena Rankin-Guérin, the various components of the 2024–2028 Strategic Plan were presented.

First, the chairs of the hospital, ISM and Santé Montfort boards of directors presented the rigorous, collaborative and inclusive public consultation process that has taken place over the past few months, involving over 1,300 people from Montfort, the region and across the province.

The shared vision, missions and values of the three organizations, as well as the fundamental principles that Montfort embraces, were then presented by Dominic Giroux and Estelle Ethier, CEO of Institut du Savoir Montfort and Vice-President, Teaching and Research at Hôpital Montfort.

The stage was set for the presentation of the five key objectives and their results: a combination of video clips and speeches by special guests allowed participants to discover the 17 results Montfort hopes to achieve over the next four years.

Words from Chantal Fortier, patient partner and member of the strategic plan steering committee, Fabien Hébert, president of the Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario, Elizabeth Tanguay, director of the Archipel Ontario Health Team, Jacques Frémont, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa, and Mark Sutcliffe, mayor of Ottawa, reiterated Montfort’s importance to the region’s diverse communities, and as a social symbol for the French-speaking communities of Ontario and Canada.

Quotes from speeches given at the event

“Over the next four years, our strategic plan sets out our directions, enabling Hôpital Montfort, Institut du Savoir Montfort and Santé Montfort to transform, while respecting our identity, to continue writing this beautiful story that has lasted since 1953. This strategic plan was conceived with you, for you”, said Estelle Ethier, CEO of Institut du Savoir Montfort.

“I would like to underline the importance and value of the public consultations, which enabled us to hear the voices of patients in our community,” says Chantal Fortier, patient partner and member of the strategic plan steering committee. “More and more, we Montfort patients come from different backgrounds and have multiple health problems, which is changing the way we do things, the way we interact, the way we care. So many issues to discuss - all equally important. So many priorities to set, so many voices to hear and understand.”

“This 2024-2028 strategic plan is based on genuinely listening to our needs, here in Eastern Ontario and across the province,” said Fabien Hébert, president of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario. “Through local and provincial consultations, Montfort is proving that it is listening and taking concrete action.”

“It's by breaking down silos that we can maximize our impact. This work requires exemplary leadership from all of us, a willingness to innovate and to provide care that reflects the diversity of our communities. Together, we can build a truly inclusive healthcare system that puts people at the heart of every decision and every action,” added Elizabeth Tanguay, Director of the Archipel Ontario Health Team.

“Given that Montfort is the only French-language academic hospital in Ontario, and that we share a common desire to provide care to the Franco-Ontarian population, the partnership between Montfort and the University of Ottawa is of crucial importance in the training of the next generation of Francophone healthcare professionals,” says Jacques Frémont, President of the University of Ottawa. “This collaboration testifies to Montfort's decisive role in the university community, and also supports the new strategy's commitment to increasing the benefits of education and research.

“Our entire region depends on Montfort's success. And it's up to us to continue to support the dedicated people of this institution as they strive to meet the many challenges facing the healthcare sector,” explained Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

“Our plan was designed with you and for you, our communities: the local and provincial communities we serve, the medical community with whom we work closely, the essential community of partners, and our teams, with whom we form a community at heart, the great Montfort family. When you think about it, it's for all these people that we exist: for our patients, for the Francophonie, for our population,” added Dr. Marlène Mansour, Chief of Internal Medicine and member of the strategic plan steering committee, in her closing remarks.

The 2024-2028 Strategic Plan is available in its entirety online, by clicking here.

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