A Message from the Leadership of Southlake Health
and Southlake Foundation
This past year marked both a bold leap into the future and a proud reflection on our past.
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In 2024, Southlake celebrated its 100th anniversary, commemorating a century of care, innovation, and deep connection with our communities. From humble beginnings as York County Hospital, Southlake has grown into a vital health system serving some of Canada’s fastest growing and aging communities.
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Our centennial celebrations brought people together in ways that define Southlake’s immense pride for people, place, and performance. Kicking off at the Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake, the anniversary campaign was an opportunity to honour our past while charting our future by bringing communities together through a vendor market, Movies Under the Stars event, heartfelt staff celebrations and other moments of reflection recapping milestones throughout our history.
And what comes next is transformational.
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In November, we launched a new Strategy for the Decade Ahead — a ten-year roadmap that reimagines what health care can and must be for our region. The strategy charts our path to become a Distributed Health Network, delivering connected, equitable, and digitally enabled care across a growing and increasingly diverse population. But the strategy is more than a vision — it’s a shared commitment, co-designed through one of the most comprehensive consultation efforts in our history.
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Over eight months, we heard from more than 1,200 people: staff, physicians, patients, families, volunteers, health system partners, donors, and community members. Through town halls, surveys, focus groups and interviews, they told us what matters most — leading edge care, close to home. Their voices shaped five strategic priorities and corresponding enablers, reflecting areas of focus to achieve our shared ambitions:​​
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These pillars will guide our transformation and ensure that care is not only high quality — but also inclusive, coordinated, and future-ready.
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To support this transformation from a single site to an interconnected system, we also finalized a corporate rebrand from Southlake Regional Health Centre to Southlake Health unveiled at ‘The Future Is Now’ Southlake Gala. This new name reflects our growing role as a system leader and our commitment to deliver care beyond the traditional walls of the hospital. It’s a name that aligns with the work we’re already doing and the future we’re building.
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And while the strategy defines our long-term direction, this past year was filled with tangible, meaningful progress in how we deliver care every day, and how that care is enabled through the generosity of our community.
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We opened a new Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit, a first-of-its-kind space at Southlake dedicated specifically to the needs of older adults. The unit incorporates evidence-based principles for geriatric care — from natural lighting and calming colours to accessible design and specialized equipment. ACE not only enhances the patient experience for seniors, but also supports faster recovery, greater independence, and smoother transitions back to the community.
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Southlake continues to earn national and international recognitions. Our Regional Cardiac Care Program became the first in North America to complete over 1,000 sutureless aortic valve replacements — a minimally invasive surgical procedure that improves outcomes and recovery for patients. We also became the first hospital in Canada to pioneer the use of 4D imaging technology in cardiac surgery, thanks to special access granted by Health Canada. These milestones underscore Southlake’s role at the forefront of innovation and clinical excellence, offering patients access to world-class care.
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But just as importantly, we invested in our people. Through leadership training and learning and development programs, as well as the advancement of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives; we created space for growth, recognition, and belonging across the organization.
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Alongside this work, Southlake Health Foundation, mobilizing our caring and thoughtful community of donors and volunteers, continued to be a catalyst for generous community investment in leading edge care, close to home. In 2024–25, Southlake Foundation raised more than $15 million, enabling the purchase of life-saving equipment, advanced technology, the launch of new care programs, and the advancement of future planning for Southlake’s next-generation health campus. From investments in cancer care to state-of-the-art surgical equipment, every contribution from our community has helped enhance the patient experience in meaningful and lasting ways.
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As we reflect on this remarkable year — one that bridged our first 100 years with the decade ahead — we do so with gratitude and optimism. The future of health care will demand bold thinking, new partnerships, and unwavering commitment. But Southlake is ready. We have the vision, the team, the strategy, and the community to lead that future — together.
