The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is a medical center specializing in the care and treatment of children and adolescents. Since opening its doors in 1974, CHEO has continuously expanded its services and is committed to providing excellence in medical care and becoming a leader in children's medical centers nationwide.
CHEO not only provides medical services, it is also considered an academic medical health center, providing education for 2,300 future pediatricians, nurses and other health professionals.
CHEO was founded as a community effort that continually requested a bilingual children's medical center. After years of pursuit, the Ontario government approved the proposal for construction in 1966.
From an initial inpatient bed to later an emergency department, CHEO officially opened in 1974 and subsequently established multiple specialty departments, including neurosurgery, a dental clinic and a burn treatment center. Over time, the hospital's services continued to grow.
CHEO became the first Canadian hospital to adopt the virtual system Epic for admissions and scheduling in 1994, an important milestone that showed its forward-looking approach to modern healthcare.
In the field of children's medical care, CHEO's research institute is responsible for promoting medical research and has successfully attracted many independent researchers. As of 2020, CHEO has more than 780 active research projects and involves 546 academic publications.
CHEO operates with financial support from the Ontario government and public donations from all walks of life. Community donations play a key role, and the CHEO Foundation, established in 1974, is undoubtedly an important cornerstone of the hospital's development.
Based on 2019-2020 data, CHEO has 167 inpatient beds and the emergency department sees nearly 73,645 patients annually. These data reflect the hospital's ability to respond to children's medical needs.
CHEO was named the Best Workplace in Canada's Healthcare Industry by Forbes Magazine in 2024. In addition, CHEO has been recognized as a Top Employer in the National Capital Region multiple times over the past decade, demonstrating its commitment to its employees and professional healthcare.
"At CHEO, we are committed to promoting innovation and always putting children's health first." This sentence carries the hospital's purpose and is also the driving force for its continued growth.
As medical needs continue to change, CHEO is constantly adjusting its strategies. The latest projects, such as 1Call1Click, provide instant translation services, marking CHEO's efforts to make its services more comprehensive and responsive to the needs of different ethnic groups.
CHEO's growth from a small hospital to today's top children's medical center is undoubtedly a success story in Canadian medical history. So, in the days to come, what other innovative measures can medical institutions take to improve service quality and patient satisfaction?