Highlights of the Board of Directors regular public meeting
Grand Falls, December 4, 2018 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 in Grand Falls.
Strategic planning – priorities for 2019–2020
The Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Michelyne Paulin, indicated that the Board of Directors and Leadership Team held their annual planning session. “The work that was done yesterday and this morning was very productive,” she stated. “We had the opportunity to review the progress of the 2018–2019 operational plan. First, through various presentations, we were able to better understand the planning process of the Department of Health as well as our own planning cycle. We then reviewed the achievements and progress made in relation to our 2018–2019 operational plan objectives. This work then enabled us to validate and modify the strategic directions for 2019–2020 and determine directions to take for that year’s operational plan. I would like to thank all partners for their great work and engagement during this exercise, especially the planning sector.”
Organizational performance – positive results
The Network announced its financial results for the first six months of the current fiscal year, i.e. for the period of April 1 to September 30, 2018. The organization recorded an operating surplus of $2.43 million as a result of expenses under budget for the period. The Network is well positioned to achieve its financial objectives for 2018–2019.
Shortage of staff – the Network is working on solutions
Gilles Lanteigne provided an update on the staff shortage affecting several sectors throughout the Network, including the Chaleur Regional Hospital Obstetrical Unit, which has not performed any deliveries since October 30, 2018 due to a shortage of qualified nursing staff. “Following a meeting with the Minister of Health last week, we were able to announce that we expect to be able to provide labour and delivery services once again as of Monday, January 7, 2019,” stated Mr. Lanteigne. “We presented our action plan and initiatives to restore services as quickly as possible, and they were well received. If everything goes as planned, we are confident that this date will be kept. Our main concern is to ensure stability on the Obstetrical Unit and to provide safe, quality services to future moms.”
Also, since the shortage of staff is affecting several sectors, the Network is being proactive and is working on solutions to be able to deal with this major challenge. According to Mr. Lanteigne, several teams have been mobilized to implement possible solutions. “We are looking at expanding employee recruitment and retention initiatives,” he indicated. “The solutions are often complex and require support and approval from government authorities to be implemented. Therefore, we are collaborating with our provincial partners in the health care system, including the Department of Health and Horizon Health Network, to identify solutions and implement them.”
The next regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of the Network will be held on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, at 1 p.m., at the Atlantic Host Hotel at 1450 Vanier Boulevard, in Bathurst.
