ST. CATHARINES, ON — Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre has officially been
awarded Stroke DistinctionTM by Accreditation Canada, a prestigious national designation
recognizing the hospital’s leadership and excellence in stroke rehabilitation care.
Stroke DistinctionTM is among the highest forms of recognition available to Canadian health care
organizations. It is awarded only to those who demonstrate exceptional adherence to best
practices, consistently high patient outcomes, and a system-wide commitment to quality
improvement across their stroke programs.
The award follows an intensive on-site evaluation by Accreditation Canada surveyors in May.
During their visit, surveyors met directly with staff, physicians, patients, and families to assess
Hotel Dieu Shaver’s inpatient stroke rehabilitation services against rigorous national standards
aligned with the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations.
“Earning Stroke Distinction is a significant achievement and a source of great pride for our
entire organization,” said Dr. David Ceglie, CEO of Hotel Dieu Shaver. “This designation affirms
what we’ve long known — that our hospital is a centre of excellence in stroke rehabilitation,
where patients receive innovative, compassionate, and person-centred care every day. I want
to thank our dedicated staff, physicians, and partners whose commitment made this milestone
possible.”
This recognition reflects more than a year of focused quality improvement work by
interdisciplinary teams across the organization. Staff and leaders collaborated to enhance
clinical protocols, strengthen transitions of care, and ensure stroke best practices were
embedded across all aspects of service delivery.
Hotel Dieu Shaver’s evaluation was part of a coordinated review within the Central South
Regional Stroke Network, conducted in collaboration with Hamilton Health Sciences, Waterloo
Regional Health Network, and Niagara Health. While each hospital was assessed independently,
the designation also underscores the value of regional partnerships in delivering integrated,
patient-centred stroke care.
As Niagara’s only rehabilitation hospital, Hotel Dieu Shaver provides inpatient and outpatient
stroke rehabilitation to patients from across the region. The Stroke DistinctionTM designation
will remain in place for four years, during which the hospital will continue to track performance
indicators and advance its continuous improvement efforts.
About Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre:
As the only rehabilitation hospital in Niagara, Hotel Dieu Shaver provides exceptional clinical
outcomes in rehabilitation and complex care through the expertise of skilled staff and
physicians, state-of-the-art equipment and compassionate care. Driven by a mission to restore
health, rebuild lives, and renew hope, Hotel Dieu Shaver is proud to treat more than 1,100
inpatients and see more than 22,000 outpatients every year, reaching the highest level of
patient outcomes and restoration of quality of life.