WRH expands Hospital to Home program to HDGH and Erie Shores

Windsor Regional Hospital in Windsor, Ont., on Thursday, April 23, 2026. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

A local program aimed to help patients transition safely from a hospital stay back into their homes has expanded.

Windsor Regional Hospital has expanded its Hospital to Home (H2H) program to Erie Shores HealthCare (ESHC) and Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH).

The expansion occurred on April 27. This comes after the program launched last October following a $2-million funding boost from the provincial government.

The program is designed to reduce avoidable return visits to the emergency department and hospital readmissions, while also easing hospital pressures and ensuring beds are available. Hospital team members check in with the patients over the course of their care at home, and after they complete their care, help is provided to connect with community supports.

With operational support from Saint Elizabeth (SE) Health, Windsor Regional Hospital will continue to serve as the central coordinating hub for the program and will work with Erie Shores and HDGH as regional partners.

Kristi Cecile, Clinical Vice President at Windsor Regional Hospital, says they’re already seeing early success since the expansion.

“We have successfully been able to launch one patient for Hôtel Dieu Grace Hospital, two for Erie Shores, that have come onto the program,” she said.

“In total, we successfully onboard anywhere between three and five patients a day, Monday to Friday, and we continue to do that.”

Cecile says this is about collaboration and streamlining the program.

“H2H works directly with one provider, and that way their plan of care is really streamlined, and tailored to them, and the providers work really closely with Windsor Regional Hospital for follow-up calls and ensuring that the eight-to-16-week wraparound service is continued, and can be adjusted whenever needed with our patients in the community.”

Kristin Kennedy, CEO and President of Windsor Regional Hospital, says this allows HDGH and Erie Shores to also take part in the program.

“There is not an opportunity for all hospitals to have this program, so this is a good extension of our program into Windsor-Essex more broadly, and helps minimize ER revisits, or readmissions into hospital as well for those community hospitals,” she said.

Since the launch of the program last October, there have been 242 patients enrolled in the program, which was higher than the 230 goal.

The new target is to enroll 399 patients by the end of March 2027.

This expansion continues to use funds from the original $2 million allocation.