November 5, 2026 (Ottawa) –– HealthCareCAN, the national voice of hospitals, health authorities, health research institutes, and healthcare organizations across Canada, is pleased to welcome Southlake Health as its newest member.

“Southlake Health has spent a century proving that leading edge care doesn’t have to mean travelling far from home,” said Paul Woods MD, President and CEO of Southlake Health. “As we continue to grow alongside our communities in York Region and Simcoe County, joining HealthCareCAN gives us a stronger national voice to advocate for the support our patients and communities deserve. The challenges facing Canada’s health system are real, but so is the talent, dedication, and creative capacity within our hospitals. We’re excited to bring Southlake’s perspective to that national conversation.”

Southlake Health serves patients across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. The comprehensive healthcare network has a team of 6,000 medical professionals, staff, volunteers, and students who deliver leading edge care close to home. It’s regional cancer and cardiac care programs extend Southlake’s reach well beyond its hospital walls. Southlake has earned Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada four consecutive times and continues to advance innovative approaches to integrated care.

As Southlake prepares for the next decade, it is transforming into a Distributed Health Network (DHN), connecting hospital sites, community-based services, digital health capabilities, and health care partners to better meet the needs of a growing and changing population. Complementing this transformation, Southlake’s Population Health Management (PHM) Advance will help identify and respond to community health needs through data, evidence, and collaboration. Together, the DHN and PHM Advance represent a shift toward a more connected, proactive, and sustainable approach to healthcare, focused on improving health outcomes and ensuring people can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

“We are delighted to welcome Southlake Health into the HealthCareCAN community,” said Michelle McLean, President and CEO of HealthCareCAN. “For a century, Southlake has demonstrated what’s possible when a hospital is deeply rooted in its community and unafraid to push boundaries. Southlake’s innovative Distributed Health Network model and focus on Population Health Management are redefining what a hospital can be. Its commitment to innovation, patient-centred care and leading-edge treatment makes Southlake exactly the kind of voice we need at the national table as we advocate for a stronger, more resilient health system for all Canadians.”

By joining HealthCareCAN, Southlake Health becomes part of a national network that champions health research and innovation, health workforce development, and policy change to improve care and outcomes for Canadians. Members also engage through HealthCareCAN’s national advisory committees and working groups which shape federal health policy and advance collaborative solutions across the sector.

For more information about Southlake Health, visit https://southlake.ca.

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HealthCareCAN is the national voice of hospitals, health authorities, health research institutes, and healthcare organizations across Canada.  We convene national healthcare leaders, provide health workforce professional development, and provide strategic advice to strengthen care, research and innovation in Canada. 

Media contacts:

Alexandria Rowe, Communications and Member Services Specialist, HealthCareCAN
arowe@healthcarecan.ca  |  855-236-0213/613-241-8005 ext. 221

Danae O’Donnell, Communications Strategist, Southlake Health
DTheakston@southlake.ca | 289-380-0576