After a no-show at a previous council session, Jerome Quenneville Wellington Health Care Alliance, President and Chief Executive Officer arrived at Minto council April 1 to to bring councillors up to date on the state of local hospitals.
In welcoming Quenneville, Minto Mayor David Anderson said he had been to a number of the open house public meetings regarding the Waterloo-Wellington LHINs (Local Health Integration Networks).
Anderson said Quenneville chaired the meeting held in Elmira.
“There was good attendance and good questions,” Anderson said “At every event I learn something more.”
Quenneville considered the meeting with council a followup to the meeting held in earlier Harriston. He provided council with a press release issued from the board of directors of Wellington North Health Care (NWHC).
Quenneville said in the past, the board provided more of a point form of the highlights. The change to a press release format, he said, may offer fewer highlights, but there is more detail about the items.
He said the meeting focused on quality improvement and hospital infrastructure renewal and growth as members discussed the current physical structure challenges of the Mount Forest Louise Marshall Hospital emergency department and the proposed creation of a capital infrastructure plan.
He said the board has started doing some more detailed investigation regarding improvements to the emergency department at Louise Marshall.
He noted it was brought up at the community consultation a couple of times that there are limitations in the buildings.
According to the planners who are looking at it, the emergency department is currently about 45 years old, and needs improvement.
Quenneville explained services have shifted since then. He cited SARS and a variety of different diseases requiring additional cautions on site. He also made a point of noting the different equipment now in use and available.
“We are looking forward to being able to plan on that,” Quenneville said.
Quenneville said the project of making a building improvement means that it will need to be approved by the network.
For that to happen, Quenneville said a plan must be down on paper. He explained that is one of the reasons why rural consultations are happening – to gather information and to draw together a plan.
He expects that it will be fully supported, he said.
He also cited hospital infrastructure renewal funding of about $150,000 for services and improvements.
Last year, similar funding went into improving security services and in other areas such as wheelchair accessibility.
This year, he said the intent is to further wheelchair accessibility.
He said the board also recently took a look on how it was reaching its strategic objectives – “including being a strong rural voice. We’ve been making some fairly impressive progress. And that is certainly to the credit of many people and the community,” Quenneville said.
In addition to work on the CT scanner project at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus, Quenneville commented on medical education development campus projects that are in the works. Proposals have been made to support the physicians being trained at the new Kitchener satellite campus of McMaster University.
The report from North Wellington Health Care stated “the emergency department’s physical environment limitations have a direct correlation and impact on wait times and efficiencies of the emergency department and to the system overall.”
Quenneville said, “a capital infrastructure plan will evaluate the need for up to date infrastructure, equipment, and technology to provide safe, appropriate and quality care for our patients,”
The local board also approved renovations to take place at both hospitals through a provincial government Hospital Infrastructure Renewal Funding (HIRF) grant.
Palmerston and District Hospital will receive funds to create accessible washrooms and patient lifts as well as lighting, security, and heating ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.
Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest will receive dark room digital imaging renovations, heliport paving and patient room lighting upgrades.
As part of the hospital’s annual planning process, an update on strategic objectives was provided.
“Considering the challenging financial times, the hospitals have made significant gains in quality improvement and infrastructure renewal,” stated North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) board chairman, Patti-Jo McLellan Shaw.
“In the past year North Wellington Health Care received a three year Accreditation Canada certificate – a reflection of our excellence in rural healthcare service delivery, and opened a satellite dialysis unit at Palmerston and District Hospital.
“NWHC will continue to plan proactively with the Waterloo-Wellington Local Health Integrated Network to address rural health care needs and resources. The recent community consultation session in Harriston was an impressive demonstration of the importance of our two rural hospitals to our community.”
