Highlights of the Board of Directors’ regular public meeting

Moncton, Tuesday, April 28, 2026 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, April 28, in Moncton. Below are the highlights of the session.

A Partnership with Two Francophone Community Networks to Strengthen Population Health

Vitalité Health Network has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with the Société Santé et Mieux-être en français du Nouveau-Brunswick (SSMEFNB) and the Mouvement Acadien des Communautés en Santé du Nouveau-Brunswick (MACS-NB), two community networks committed to improving the health and well-being of the Acadian and francophone population of the province. This partnership formalizes their shared commitment to bringing health services closer to the people and communities they serve, and to working together on key health issues facing the francophone population.

Each of the three organizations brings a distinct and complementary mandate to this collaboration. The SSMEFNB mobilizes partners at the provincial level to promote and improve the health and well-being of New Brunswick's Acadian and francophone community. MACS-NB supports local communities and populations in Acadie in taking charge of their own health and well-being. Vitalité Health Network, for its part, provides a full range of health services to the province's francophone population and has committed to strengthening its population and community health intervention approaches.

The agreement provides for joint and coordinated action on shared priorities, including:

• mental health and well-being;
• primary health care;
• public health;
• early childhood;
• an aging population;
• the health of French-speaking immigrant communities;
• social determinants of health.

Vitalité Health Network has committed, among other things, to supporting and promoting within its programs the Healthy Communities – Schools model championed by MACS-NB. Through this collaboration, the three organizations aim to pool their expertise, tools, resources, and knowledge of the field to better meet the needs of francophone communities.

Report by the President and CEO

In her report, Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of the Network, presented the progress achieved in recent months, including:

-  the development of local family health teams, which have added more than 42,000 patients to their patient panels;

-  the recruitment of 17 new physicians over the last quarter;

-  the launch of a support tool for patients throughout pregnancy and after birth;

-  the rollout of an online booking tool for general imaging appointments in the Northwest Zone;

-  the creation of a community intervention team in collaboration with the Codiac RCMP;

-  the signing of an agreement with DataNB;

-  the launch of the Centre of Excellence in Nursing.

The full quarterly report is available online on the Network's website.

Patient Testimonial: A Brother's Gift

The Board heard from Mark Black, a patient at the pre- and post-transplant clinic in Moncton. A father and entrepreneur, he recently received a kidney from his brother and wishes to highlight the importance of organ donation — a gesture that transforms lives.

Sophie Levesque, clinic manager, presented the Network's renal transplant program. This program provides a continuum of care for patients with chronic kidney disease who are eligible for transplantation, as well as for living donors, from pre-transplantation through long-term post-transplant follow-up.

Presentation by Regional Service Commissions

Representatives from the South-East Regional Service Commission (RSC) and the Kent Regional Service Commission presented their regional health care priorities.

The South-East RSC highlighted its involvement in a pilot co-housing project aimed at supporting seniors in remaining at home. It is also active in addressing homelessness, contributing to the development of deeply affordable housing, and working to improve coordination and awareness of mental health services.

The Kent RSC described the work of its health committee, particularly in the area of health workforce recruitment and retention. It also plays an important role in community engagement, including support for regional transportation, assistance to seniors, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles through participation in the Planet Youth initiative.

The Board of Directors meets at least four times a year, and meetings are open to the public. The next regular public meeting and annual general meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., at the Best Western Plus, located at 150 Main Street in Bathurst. It will be followed by the Annual General Meeting.