Health Sciences North (HSN) reflected on a year of significant progress, regional collaboration and continued transformation during its 2026 Annual Meeting on June 17, 2026, highlighting how partnerships, innovation and strategic investments are helping strengthen healthcare across Northeastern Ontario.
Over the past year, HSN continued advancing its Together For You 2030 Strategic Plan while reinforcing its role as Northeastern Ontario’s academic health sciences centre. Serving more than 557,000 people across 300,000 square kilometres, HSN continues to expand access to specialized care, strengthen healthcare workforce development and improve patient care closer to home.
“Health Sciences North has continued to make meaningful progress in improving access to care closer to home for patients and families across our region,” said David McNeil, President and CEO, HSN. “This work has been driven by collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment to strengthening healthcare across Northeastern Ontario.”
Among the year’s major accomplishments was the advancement of regional partnerships focused on improving access to specialized care across Northeastern Ontario.
“HSN plays a critical role not only for Greater Sudbury, but for communities across Northeastern Ontario,” said Tom Laughren, Chair of HSN’s Board of Directors. “The work happening here is helping strengthen access to specialized care, support healthcare workforce development and ensure patients can receive high-quality care closer to home.”
HSN worked with healthcare organizations across the region to begin developing a regional surgical network, including expanded orthopedic surgery services in Parry Sound. HSN also launched the Northeast Central Intake Diagnostic Imaging Hub in partnership with 23 regional hospitals to improve equitable and timely access to specialized imaging services closer to home.
HSN also expanded specialized care in the region through the opening of Northeastern Ontario’s first dedicated hemoglobinopathy clinic for patients living with sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Prior to the clinic opening, many patients were required to travel to Toronto for ongoing treatment and support.
Meanwhile, HSN’s Children’s Treatment Centre significantly reduced waitlists for pediatric feeding and mobility clinics, lowering the number of children waiting for services from nearly 500 to fewer than 90.
The Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, a partnership between HSN and Greater Sudbury Police Service, also helped divert approximately 1,100 individuals experiencing mental health or addictions crises away from the Emergency Department while reducing an estimated 5,000 policing hours.
As healthcare workforce pressures continue across Ontario, HSN highlighted major progress in physician recruitment, education and workforce development.
Over the past year, HSN recruited 40 new physicians, including 23 specialists and 17 family physicians. Notably, 20 of those physicians completed their medical training at NOSM University, reinforcing the importance of training healthcare professionals in Northern Ontario communities.
“Our physicians continue to provide exceptional care under increasingly complex circumstances,” said Dr. Pankaj Bhatia, Chief of Staff at HSN. “Recruiting and retaining talented healthcare professionals in Northeastern Ontario is essential to ensuring patients across our region can continue to access timely, specialized care close to home.”
HSN also continued advancing education, research and innovation through partnerships with organizations including NOSM University and Cambrian College.
Over the past year, HSN’s Labelle Innovation and Learning Centre delivered more than 15,000 hours of education and training to over 2,500 healthcare professionals and learners. HSN and Cambrian College also collaborated on the development of an innovative thoracotomy training simulator designed to support advanced surgical education and clinical readiness.
HSN reported continued progress toward long-term financial sustainability through focused operational management, strong financial stewardship and ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Despite ongoing pressures facing hospitals across Ontario, HSN achieved a balanced budget for 2025-2026, while continuing to invest in patient care, workforce supports and regional healthcare priorities.
In the year ahead, HSN will continue to focus on providing the specialized health needs to support care close to home for the region. This includes advancing HSN’s capital expansion and implementing a surgical robotics program and hybrid operating room.