Highlights of the Board of Directors regular public meeting

Bathurst, Tuesday, February 13, 2018 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 in Bathurst.

Privatization of services

As expected, management of the Extra-Mural Program was transferred to Medavie on January 1, 2018. At the request of the Department of Health, both regional health authorities agreed to collaborate to ensure the transition of certain support services. “However, this should not extend past June 30, 2018,” stated Gilles Lanteigne, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Network. He added that school-based rehabilitation services remained under the management of regional health authorities.

However, recent declarations from Premier Brian Gallant imply that the privatization of food, environmental and patient transport services would not happen. According to the government’s intentions, these services were to be handed to Sodexo.

Patient-centred approach: becoming a “patient experience partner”

Vitalité Health Network launched a new initiative to promote excellence and the improvement of the care and services it provides. This important project aims at recruiting patients or family members as “patient experience partners”. These people will contribute to the development of services thanks to their expertise and understanding of the health care system through their own experiences within the Network. They will collaborate with management and staff to create a care environment centred on the patient and their family.

To that end, partners can share their stories, participate in working groups, collaborate in various short-term projects, review information material and take part in the Patient and Family Advisory Committee meetings. According to Gilles Lanteigne, “this new approach will certainly help ensure adequate continuum of care while promoting the optimization of health care provided to patients.”

A promotional campaign to recruit patient experience partners is being launched today and more information on this major project is available on the Network’s website.

Organizational performance – positive results

The Network announced its financial results for the first eight months of the current fiscal year, i.e. for the period of April 1 to November 30, 2017. The health authority recorded an operating surplus of $1.89 million as a result of expenses approximately $42,019 under budget and income approximately $1.93 million over budget.

The Network is proud of the positive financial results achieved to date. “Unless there is a major turnaround, we will achieve and even exceed our financial objectives for the current year,” indicated Mr. Lanteigne.

Patient experience history: improved services for the treatment of chronic pain

A patient from the Bathurst area presented to the Board of Directors a testimonial on the positive impact of the pain clinic on his health. Suffering from chronic pain for several years, the patient often had to travel outside his region, mostly to the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, to receive specialized care. “This also involved frequent visits to the Emergency Room and had an impact on my quality of life and my work,” he said.

The Bathurst Pain Clinic has been operating since the fall of 2016 and provides specialized services to the population of the region, thus avoiding travelling over long distances. According to the nurse coordinator of the clinic, Lucie Aubé-McIntyre, more than 300 patients receive services thanks to a multidisciplinary team composed of anesthetists, nurses, physiotherapists and psychologists. “The clinic has reduced waiting times to see a doctor specializing in chronic pain, and the nursing staff is available to answer questions and concerns patients might have,” indicated Ms. Aubé-McIntyre.

Chronic pain treatment services are also offered in Campbellton and will soon increase in Edmundston, in order to improve access for the entire population in the northern part of the province.

Lamèque: successful transformation to a community service model

Shelley Robichaud, Director of Primary Health Care, presented to the Board of Directors the story of the Community Advisory Committee of the Lamèque Hospital and Community Health Centre. She was accompanied by members of the committee. For nearly 15 years, the committee has been playing a central role in evaluating the health care needs of the community and in identifying priorities for programs and services to meet these needs. “The committee’s list of achievements is long and the participation of people from various communities in the region is outstanding,” she added. “This goes to show that the population has a genuine interest in promoting health and for the local challenges that affect their wellness.  This is proof that when all parties work hand in hand toward a common objective, we can achieve great things,” she concluded.

Chemotherapy services at the Grand Falls General Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Joseph de Saint-Quentin

The President and CEO informed the Board of Directors that work is still under way to implement the new chemotherapy service delivery model at the Grand Falls General Hospital and the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Joseph de Saint-Quentin by next April. “It is important to specify that these services are still offered locally in these two hospital facilities,” he indicated.

The next regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., in Campbellton.