Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, October 18, 2017 – Cogeco Connexion and the Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CISSS) des Laurentides have come to an agreement to provide the Laurentian Hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts with an unlimited Wi-Fi network with multiple access points, all within the framework of a major partnership entered into between the Fondation Médicale des Laurentides et des Pays-d’en-Haut and Cogeco. “Many donors to the Fondation have requested this in the last few years,” notes Michel Rochon, president of the Fondation Médicale des Laurentides et des Pays-d’en-Haut.
“Ultimately, in the long run, we hope to be able to provide free access to all hospital users, no matter where they are in the building. However, as the first of many projected phases, we will prioritize certain departments for conducting our feasibility studies, such as oncology, day medicine, emergency, short-term stay and the palliative care wing, to name a few,” explains Mr. Rochon.
“When Daniel Desjardins, the executive director of the Fondation, approached us, it immediately caught our attention,” states Johanne Hinse, Vice President, Sales, Consumer Market and Community Relations, at Cogeco Connexion. “At Cogeco, working closely with the communities we serve, as well as quality of service, are integral parts of our fundamental values, and this partnership with the Fondation perfectly embodies these values. We are motivated by the chance to make a difference in people’s lives – in this case, thanks to Cogeco’s internet connectivity, we are proud to be able to allow the hospital’s patients to stay connected to their loved ones while awaiting their treatment. And with the additional provision of a vast range of online entertainment, who knows, perhaps we are helping reduce their suffering a bit,” she adds.
If all goes according to plan, beginning in the autumn of 2018 the Laurentian Hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts will be equipped with a stable and reliable Wi-Fi network, thanks to which patients and visitors will be able to have unlimited access to the internet on their smart phones, tablets or computers, wherever they are in the building. “We are proud that the institution is expressing its confidence in the reliability of our services and the strength of our hybrid network,” states Denis Dion, Senior Director, Business Solutions, at Cogeco Connexion.
At Cogeco, we take great pride in seeing our clients and partners succeed, and we are honoured to play a role in the achievement of their objectives. That is why, over the years, we have developed a unique and exclusive personalized approach at Cogeco Business Solutions. It is with that in mind that we have forged this exceptiponal business relationship linking us to the Laurentian Hospital.
ABOUT THE CISSS DES LAURENTIDES, LAURENTIAN HOSPITAL SITE
The Laurentian Hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is part of the CISSS des Laurentides. Created on April 1, 2015, the Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CISSS) des Laurentides is the result of the consolidation of 13 institutions, including the health and social services centres, the health and social services agency, the Lachute Residence, the youth centre and the rehabilitation centres in the Laurentian region.
The institution manages a budget of more than a billion dollars and is spread over 80 facilities located in a 20,000 km2 territory. It counts some 14,000 employees, more than 1,000 doctors, midwives, and volunteers who provide care and health services to a population of 595,000 people spread across the entire Laurentian region.
ABOUT THE FONDATION MÉDICALE DES LAURENTIDES ET DES PAYS-d’EN-HAUT
Founded in 1990, the Fondation Médicale des Laurentides et des Pays-d’en-Haut’s mission is to improve and support the health and wellbeing of the population through the acquisition and modernization of medical equipment in the Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CSSS) des Sommets, the CSSS des Pays-d’en-Haut and the Saint-Donat CLSC-FMG. The Fondation Médicale des Laurentides et des Pays-d’en-Haut serves 33 municipalities across the territory of the Laurentides and Pays-d’en-Haut MRCs, as well as Saint-Donat in the Lanaudière region. The population of our territory, numbering more than 80,000, has access to services at the Laurentian Hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, 7 CLSCs, 5 CHSLDs, 4 blood test centres and 3 health co-ops.
ABOUT COGECO CONNEXION
Cogeco Connexion (www.cogeco.ca) groups together all of the Canadian cable operations of Cogeco Communications Inc. Cogeco Connexion is the second-largest cable provider in Ontario and Quebec, based on the number of subscribers to its basic cable service. Cogeco Connexion provides its residential and business clients with video, internet and telephone services through its network of bidirectional broadband fibre. Cogeco Communications Inc. is a communications company and is the 8th largest cable provider in North America with respect to its hybrid fibre and coaxial cable networks. Its operations are located in Canada and operate under the brand Cogeco Connexion in Quebec and Ontario, and, in the United States, through its subsidiary Atlantic Broadband in western Pennsylvania, southern Florida, Maryland/Delaware, South Carolina, and eastern Connecticut. Through its Cogeco Peer 1 subsidiary, Cogeco Communications Inc. provides its business customers with a suite of information technology services (colocation, network connectivity, hosting, cloud and managed services), through its 16 data centres, extensive FastFiber Network® and more than 50 points of presence in North America and Europe. Cogeco Communications Inc.’s subordinate voting shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CCA).
