Case Study: Bluewater Health achieves exemplary access to care with NRC Health

Bluewater Health provides exemplary access to care through a patient-centered culture

Bluewater Health, a 326-bed community hospital in Sarnia, Ontario, wanted to improve patient-centered care and especially access to care after facing financial hardship, low trust, and a fragmented internal culture. The hospital needed a better way to engage staff, strengthen teamwork, and ensure patients could get the services, communication, and support they needed throughout their care journey.

NRC Health’s Picker Institute case study highlights how Bluewater Health used Appreciative Inquiry, patient-experience partnerships, and streamlined team-based workflows to make care more accessible and consistent. The hospital introduced ambassador/manager dyads, the “Emily” patient voice concept, Patient Experience Partners, and better discharge and communication processes, helping create a stronger culture of collaboration and patient focus. The result was exemplary performance in the Access to Care dimension, with improved availability of doctors and nurses and better fulfillment of patient needs.

Bluewater Health

Madeleine Kerr

Patient Experience Partner Co-Chair