Highlights of the Regular Public Meeting of the Board of Directors

Edmundston, Tuesday, December 7, 2021 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held a regular public meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 in Edmundston.

Report from the President and CEO

In her report to the Board of Directors, Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité Health Network, gave an update on the situation with respect to key matters in health care this fall. “There were a number of significant events, including a strike and the presentation of a provincial health plan, all within the context of the pandemic that continues to plague our communities. Despite a complex and often unpredictable situation, I must say that the Network has been able to stay the course and continue to provide care and service to the public. I am very proud of our organization and our approximately 8,000 health care workers,” she said.

COVID-19 pandemic: collaborative work continues

Despite the human and financial implications of the pandemic, we are seeing incredible and noteworthy collaborative efforts by all stakeholders of the health care system to put patients first.

Dr. Desrosiers highlighted the work performed in recent weeks by the teams that lent a hand to their colleagues in Horizon Health Network who were grappling with several outbreaks within their facilities. “The Network was able to demonstrate its agility and its ability to adapt and react quickly. The variability of COVID-19 requires us to constantly be on high alert.”

Vaccination of health care workers against COVID-19: a great success!

Dr. Desrosiers confirmed that 98% of the Network’s health care workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “While not over yet, our vaccination campaign has been very successful, and I sincerely thank all our health care workers for answering the call.”

Financial results for the 2021–2022 fiscal year

The Network presented its financial results for the first six months of the 2021–2022 fiscal year, i.e. from April 1 to September 30, 2021. It ended the period with a $16.5 million operating deficit. This result is largely explained by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Health acknowledges that the initiatives related to managing the pandemic may provoke a budgetary imbalance reflected in associated financing throughout the year.

The next regular public meeting of the Network’s Board of Directors will be held in Campbellton on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.