The Suroît Hospital Foundation has set itself a new goal: to make the healthcare environment attractive to professionals, in order to improve patient care.

The organization is pleased to contribute to improving the work environment through an $80,000 investment to make Suroît Hospital a place where relaxation and recognition of employees' efforts are now part of everyday life.

With its 1,175 employees, Hôpital du Suroît is a major employer in the Suroît region. Open 24/7, 365 days a year, this CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest facility faces major challenges in retaining its workforce. Together with the teams in the field, the Fondation de l'Hôpital du Suroît supports the healthcare and support professionals who work tirelessly to provide appropriate healthcare to the population of the Montérégie-Ouest region.

80,000 to help those who take our health to heart

Thanks to the unparalleled generosity of its donors, in 2020 the Suroît Hospital Foundation was able to set up a dedicated $80,000 fund to support healthcare professionals. The wish of donors contributing to this fund is to bring a little comfort to the dedicated employees of Hôpital du Suroît, in addition to creating a work environment conducive to staff retention.

"They have been at the front line for us during the pandemic, and today is an opportunity for the community to show its support for Suroît Hospital employees. Despite the challenges encountered during the installation, we believe that today's actions will help improve the work climate, ensure staff retention and, above all, make working at Hôpital du Suroît a source of pride," says Michèle Cyr-Lemieux, Executive Director of the Suroît Hospital Foundation.

Relaxing outdoors 

Last summer, the Suroît Hospital Foundation created an outdoor rest area for CHSLD Cécile-Godin employees. Highly appreciated, this model has been duplicated at Hôpital du Suroît, for emergency room employees among others. The construction of the new temporary complex, attached to the ER, freed up an outdoor space that was landscaped by CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest in partnership with the Suroît Hospital Foundation," says Nancy Malenfant, Director of Hospital Activities at Suroît and Barrie Memorial Hospitals.

"Adirondack chairs, a canopy, landscaping and tables are now available to create a relaxing and serene place, far from the hustle and bustle of the care environment," adds Nancy Malenfant.

The outdoor rest area was inaugurated on June 21, thanks to the support of nurse Sébastien Larochelle and beneficiary attendant Nicolas Renaud; the inauguration brought together over 50 employees to satiate themselves with hot dogs, smoothies, coffees and ice creams, prepared for the occasion, as well as to obtain chair massage services from Spa Santé Le Relais Campagnard.

In the same vein, the outdoor balconies of the 2nd and 3rd floor care units in Block B at Hôpital du Suroît suffered the same fate over the summer. The Suroît Hospital Foundation recently inaugurated the revamped balconies on care units 2B-3B, so you can relax, eat, chat with colleagues or even hold team meetings. 

Thanks to donor support, these balconies have been outfitted with durable furnishings that will enable healthcare professionals to enjoy a well-deserved break outdoors for years to come!

Strengthening work teams

To equip unit managers working at Suroît Hospital, the Suroît Hospital Foundation is deploying the first financial allocation tool dedicated to Suroît Hospital teams.

"It was imperative for the Board of Directors to support all Suroît Hospital employees. From archives to care units, from technical services to medical imaging, all teams will have the opportunity to have a budget to carry out teambuilding activities, according to the realities of the different teams," adds Karl Savary, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Suroît Hospital Foundation.

Every three months (September to June), managers will be granted an amount equivalent to approximately $15 per employee. With this money, the employees and the manager can choose the activity to be deployed during the period in order to increase happiness at work. Dining out, a chair for the break room, personalized sweaters: these are just some of the options that will help improve the working environment at Hôpital du Suroît.

"To give an idea of scale, a care unit with 50 employees will have an annual budget of $2250 to improve the work environment. This is unprecedented at Hôpital du Suroît, but this initiative is necessary in the current context of labour shortage," concludes Michèle Cyr-Lemieux, Executive Director of the Fondation de l'Hôpital du Suroît.

This managerial allowance program will be available from September, and is specific to Hôpital du Suroît.