Highlights of the Board of Directors’ 2017–2018 annual general meeting and regular public meeting
Tracadie, June 26, 2018 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its 2017–2018 annual general meeting (AGM) as well as a regular public meeting on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Tracadie.
2017–2018 annual general meeting
Presence of Benoît Bourque, Minister of Health
The Board of Directors and Leadership Team were pleased to welcome the Minister of Health, Benoît Bourque, as a special guest for the 2017–2018 annual general meeting of Vitalité Health Network. Health system priorities, as well as key issues and challenges in health care and services, were addressed.
Getting the involvement of patients and families
Chairperson Michelyne Paulin stressed that 2017–2018 saw the completion of several initiatives that help to establish closer links with our patients, their families, and people in communities in our territory. “For instance, the traditional visiting hours were eliminated and a new policy in line with best practices was adopted. Family members can now act as ‘care partners’ of inpatients, which enables designated individuals to stay with their loved ones at any time of the day or night,” explained Ms. Paulin. The Network put a lot of work in strengthening ties with the community, namely by implementing health care advisory committees and completing the planning process in order to go ahead with the community health needs assessments in three regions in its territory in 2018–2019.
Privatization of services
One of the main files this year was the privatization of the Extra-Mural Program, which was merged by the government with Ambulance New Brunswick into a new entity managed by Medavie as of January 1, 2018. According to the Chairperson, the Board of Directors was strongly opposed to the project right from the start. “We still believe that it would have been preferable to leave the management and delivery of home care under the responsibility of the Network, within the public system,” she stated.
Action Plan for Greater Equity in the Provision of Health Care Services
The President and CEO of the Network, Gilles Lanteigne, mentioned that the 2017–2018 fiscal year was the last year for implementing the initiatives of the 2013–2018 Plan for Greater Equity in the Provision of Health Care Services (commonly known as the "catch-up plan"). “Almost a dozen initiatives were under way in 2017–2018, which required investments of $6.93 million,” he stated. The main initiatives dealt with increasing neurology services, the development of our university mission, the deployment of Opioid Addiction Services, and child psychiatry services.
Service quality and patient safety culture
Several projects have been completed to reinforce the service quality and patient safety culture. The Network maintained its status of accredited organization following an accreditation visit held on June 27, and Laboratory Services also obtained accreditation status from the IQMH (Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare) as part of a separate accreditation process. A position of First Nations Regional Access Coordinator was filled in relation to the 2011–2018 Action Plan for Mental Health in New Brunswick. Flexible assertive community mental health treatment teams in have been put in place in each zone within the Network. The work of assembling a team for the implementation of best practices to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in an effort to obtain the “baby friendly” designation by hospital facilities and Public Health has continued.
Strategic and operational initiatives
Several strategic and operational initiatives materialized during the year. The Network namely finished deploying the new child/youth (CY) teams in the Beauséjour and Northwest zones as part of the Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) project. A collaboration agreement to reduce waiting times related to MRI services in Moncton was struck with Horizon Health Network.
Major infrastructure projects and financial performance
In 2017–2018, the major infrastructure projects had an envelope of $62.87 million dedicated to long-term capital assets. Major renovation projects had a budget of $2.89 million. As for the Network’s financial situation at the end of the 2017–2018 fiscal year, revenues totalled $719.37 million and expenses $714.90 million, which translates into an operating surplus of $4.38 million before adjustments.
The full version of the Network’s 2017–2018 Annual Report will be available online on July 9, 2018 at www.vitalitenb.ca
New digital general radiography units at the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital
The Network took advantage of its presence in the region to announce that the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital would soon be equipped with new digital general radiography units. The purchase and installation of these units, one fixed and one mobile, represent investments of $655,000. The Tracadie facility has two fixed general radiography units, one of which had reached its end of service and had to be replaced. The population served by the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital will now have reliable, cutting-edge technology at their disposal. It should be noted that the new mobile unit has been in place and operational for a few weeks now, and the results are excellent. It can be used in the Emergency Department or directly at bedside for inpatients, and the image quality is excellent. As for the fixed unit, it will be installed by the end of the fall of 2018.
From left to Right : Gilles Lanteigne, President and CEO at Vitalité Health Network; Michelyne Paulin, Chair of the Board of Directors at Vitalité Health Network; Hon. Benoit Bourque, Minister of Health; Solange Guerrette-Morin, Manager of the hospital's Medical Imaging Department; Mariette Chouinard, Clinical Supervisor of the Medical Imaging Department at the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital and Tammy Thomas-Curry, Medical Imaging Technologist at the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital.
The next regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network will be held on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., in Moncton.
