Master Planning

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) is undertaking a comprehensive planning initiative with all levels of government and Ontario Health to address the current and future healthcare needs of Haliburton County and the surrounding region.

To build momentum, foster transparency, and engage the local community, HHHS plans to keep residents informed of this Master Planning initiative and its progress through local media, community events, and regular updates. The following engagement plan details the key phases of work to invite key internal and external stakeholders, including the broader Haliburton County community, in the Master Planning process.

Have Questions?

Your feedback and engagement is imperative in building a legacy for our Community. Please reach out to Lauren Ernst, Communications and Employee Experience Lead any time at lernst@hhhs.ca

A Letter from our CEO
New Year Reflections: Celebrating 2024 and Welcoming 2025 at HHHS

Veronica Nelson, CEO of HHHS

January 23, 2025

Dear Staff, Community Members, and Partners,

As we step into 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the past year—my first full year as CEO of Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS). 2024 was an incredibly fulfilling and transformative year for HHHS, made possible by our dedicated team members, supportive partners, and the greater HHHS community.

One of our most significant achievements was the introduction of CT Scan and Mammography services. After close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, we secured approval to bring these essential diagnostic tools to HHHS, enhancing our ability to provide timely and accurate diagnoses directly within our community.

Another highlight was successfully accomplishing Accreditation with Commendation by Accreditation Canada. This recognition acknowledges the professionalism and care that HHHS consistently delivers and reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of our community. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of our staff and the trust of our patients, residents and clients.

We were also fortunate to welcome several new members to our team, including two Nurse Practitioners at Hyland Crest Long-Term Care Home; two Emergency Medicine Specialists; a permanent Chief Financial Officer; Manager of Quality, Safety & Risk; and many other wonderful staff—all of whom bring valuable expertise and a renewed energy to our organization. The HHHS Board of Directors has also grown, with new members bringing a diverse range of skills and perspectives. The contributions of all Board members are proving invaluable as we navigate the future of healthcare in our community. The Board meeting schedule can be found on the HHHS website and we welcome our community to attend virtually, to learn about HHHS business and ask questions at the end of our open meetings.

In line with our commitment to enhance patient care, we launched and reopened several new programs:

CT Scan opened its doors to provide care closer to home made possible by the incredible success of the ‘Here for You in the Highlands’ campaign. Thanks to an ambitious volunteer cabinet and the generosity of residents, businesses, visitors and Haliburton County Council, the HHHS Foundation raised an astounding $6.225 million, enough to fully fund the purchase of essential diagnostic imaging tools. We thank every donor for their support.
Fit2Sit program, together with EMS, this program helps us triage and support patient care more efficiently, ensuring everyone receives the attention they need in a timely manner.
Outpatient Physio Clinics were reopened at both Haliburton and Minden Health Hub, now accepting referrals for post-operative and acute-related therapy.
Two new Community Support Services (CSS) vans are helping us transport more community members to important medical appointments, and more long-term care residents to engaging social events.
Five Counties Children’s Centre re-established its presence with a renovated 700-square-foot space at our Minden Health Hub, allowing staff to support more children, youth, and families.
The Mental Health Program including Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Fourcast were welcomed into the Minden Health Hub to an accessible and brighter space with access to many additional supportive programs and services.

Throughout the year, we hosted our Summer and Winter Engagement Series, bringing together patients, community members, local leaders, and experts—from cancer care and pharmacy to public health and midwifery—to address your health needs and answer your questions.

Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited about the further engagement, initiatives, and projects on the horizon. Early this year, we will introduce new services, including an Internal Medicine Clinic and launch mammography services, followed by a gynecology clinic and renovations to our Haliburton x-ray department this summer. These upgrades will pave the way for the creation of a new Emergency Department Mental Health Crisis room in the fall. Much of this has been possible through generous donations from our community. Thank you!

Finally, we are making significant progress on our Hospital and Long-Term Care Master Plans, which will guide the future vision for HHHS. These plans will be co-designed with our community so that we continue to meet the evolving needs of our community and provide the highest standard of care for generations to come.

I will continue to update the community on these exciting new projects. To make sure you don’t miss out on our latest news, I encourage you to sign-up for our email list here: HHHS Communications Subscription

Thank you for your support and dedication to the health and wellbeing of our community. I am proud of the progress we have made, and I am confident that we will continue to achieve great things together.

Sincerely,

Veronica Nelson
Chief Executive Officer Haliburton Highlands Health Services

Letter from HHHS CEO

Master Planning: The Future of Care at HHHS

Over the next 20 years, the population in HHHS’ catchment area is expected to increase by 22%, while the 80+ population will grow by 59% in the next 10 years (Ministry of Finance data as required by Ministry of Health). This demographic shift brings opportunities to improve access to primary care, emergency services, and long-term-care across the County of Haliburton. 

This Master Planning effort represents a unique and much-needed opportunity in the history of HHHS to rethink and revitalize our healthcare infrastructure. By addressing these critical issues, we can build a healthcare system that is robust and capable of meeting the needs of our community both now and into the future.  

The Hospital Master Plan

Hospital Master Planning is a long-term process that assesses the adequacy and functionality of facilities, ensuring spaces meet the needs of our community both today and tomorrow. This involves planning for mid-term (five to 10 years) and long-term (15, 20, and 30 years) needs. 

Since we are still in the initial stages of the Master Planning process, the plans and ideas are conceptual and will evolve as we continue to collaborate with the community, government, and our design team.

In the mid-term (5 to 10 years), we are envisioning the following for our Hospital Master Plan: 

Provide specialty ambulatory care clinics such as Internal Medicine and Gynecology clinics.
Expand Minden Health Hub services including primary care services for unattached patients and better access to urgent care. 
Expand to include MRI services, better supporting safe emergency services, urgent care, and ambulatory care while bringing care closer to home. 
Expand the inpatient unit at the Hospital from 15 beds to 24-30 beds. Some of these beds would be chronic continuing care and rehab beds to enable patients to receive the right treatment and care to recover close to home before returning home safely, reducing return trips to the hospital or the emergency department (ED). 
Introduce a new inpatient Reactivation Care Model for seniors within the inpatient bed complement with physiotherapy and occupational therapy.  
Expand the size of the Hospital emergency department into the existing inpatient unit with dedicated staff spaces, procedure rooms to eliminate hallway medicine, and purpose-built airborne isolation rooms to support seasonal volume influx and to keep everyone safe.

In the longer-term outlook for HHHS (15, 20, and 30 years), there are early discussions to: 

Further expand the Reactivation Care Model on a larger scale by adding speech language pathology in addition to physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
Further increase inpatient bed capacity based on projected need.
Provide endoscopy services locally to offer care closer to home and to support local physicians in the acute care area.
Further expand Minden Health Hub urgent care services to include higher acuity patient care. 
Enhance onsite allied health supports for the ED and inpatient services. This includes core laboratory testing, respiratory therapy, diagnostic imaging, speech language pathology, and pharmacy services.
Complement existing on-site physiotherapy services with home care and virtual rehabilitation.
Integrate mental health and addictions, crisis intervention, and community service connections within acute care services for increased care continuity.

The Long-Term Care Master Plan

This plan explores various options to increase long-term care capacity, with a preferred approach to add an additional 68 new beds, bringing the total to 160 long-term care beds in one location:

Long Term Care would be expanded and modernized, bringing services, teams, and administration together under one larger roof. 

Our vision for long-term care is to create a home-like, resident-centred care environment. We are designing innovative spaces that cater to residents with diverse needs, including those with behavioural challenges, without resorting to locked units. 

Help Build HHHS’ Legacy: Future of Care Forums

As part of this initiative, HHHS is inviting the community to participate in the Future of Care Forum Town Hall series. These events, hosted both in-person and virtually, will provide an opportunity for residents to learn about early plans, ask questions, and share their feedback to help shape the vision for healthcare in the County of Haliburton.

Future of Care Forum #1: What’s on the Go at HHHS

In this information session, get the latest updates on HHHS initiatives, recent achievements, and future projects. This session will highlight new services, facility improvements, and ongoing shorter-term efforts to enhance healthcare in the County of Haliburton.

February 19, 2025 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm
In-person at our Minden site auditorium or join virtually
Follow this link to access the recording
Please see below to access our presentation slides

Future of Care Forum #2: The Future of LTC

This session will focus on the future of long-term care (LTC) in the County of Haliburton. HHHS will provide an in-depth look at the LTC Master Plan, including strategies for expansion, facility upgrades, and improvements in senior care. Community input will play a key role in shaping these plans.

March 5, 2025 from 6 pm to 8:00 pm
In-person at our Minden site auditorium or join virtually
Follow this link to access the recording
Please see below to access our presentation slides and pre-work documentation

Future of Care Forum #3: The Future of Acute Care

Learn about HHHS’ Hospital Master Plan and how it will shape acute care services for the community—both today and in the future. This session will outline plans to strengthen hospital services, improve access to specialized care, and bring quality healthcare closer to home. Community feedback will help refine this vision for a stronger healthcare system.

March 26, 2025 from 6 pm to 8:00 pm
In-person at our Minden site auditorium or join virtually
Follow this link to access the recording
Please see below to access our presentation slides and pre-work documentation

Future of Care Forum #4: Going Green in Long Term Care

Join us for an engaging Long-Term Care Community Update, where we’ll share the latest developments in our ongoing plans to improve care for our aging population. Discover key insights from our recent learning trip to the Netherlands, where we explored innovative models of elder care. This event is also a chance to hear from you—our community—through an open forum that invites your questions, ideas, and feedback. Together, we’re building a future of care that reflects our shared values and vision.

June 5, 2025 from 5pm to 6:30pm
In-person at our Minden site auditorium or join virtually
Follow this link to access the recording
Please see below to access our presentation slides

Community input is essential to the success of this planning effort. The Future of Care campaign is about working together to ensure we create a healthcare system that reflects the needs and values of our community.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Master Plan?

Mandated by Ontario’s Ministry of Health, Hospital Master Planning is a long-term process that assesses the adequacy and functionality of facilities, ensuring spaces meet the needs of our community both today and tomorrow. This involves planning for mid-term (five to 10 years) and long-term (15, 20, and 30 years) needs. In long-term care (LTC), Master Planning defines the high-level priorities, specific goals and early vision for the future. The Hospital and LTC Master Plans are interdependent.

What are the Master Plan Engagement Objectives?

(1) Obtain government approval for the Long-Term Care expansion and expand to improve access to care at the Hospital; (2) increase awareness of the Master Plans; and (3) encourage community co-design and respond to questions.

What is HHHS’ vision for the future? 

Together, we will be the model of excellence in rural healthcare. We are rethinking and optimizing health and wellbeing in Haliburton County where residents and visitors have access to primary care, emergency care, acute/inpatient care, ambulatory/outpatient care, community support services and programs, and long-term care.

When will all of this happen?

Constructing new healthcare spaces is a complex process with multiple stages of planning and approvals that can take, on average, 10 years or more to complete. Since we are in the initial stages of the Master Planning process, the plans and ideas are conceptual and will evolve as we continue to collaborate with the community, government, and our design teams.

Why share these plans with the community now?

Our community is a key partner throughout this process. Co-designing with our community including seasonal visitors at the very early stages of Master Planning will result in the best rural healthcare model, leading to plans that will encompass a future of care that the Highlands can be proud of.

Future of Care Resources

Please check out the attached Future of Care resources to help better understand how you can get involved. We can't wait to partner with you!