Highlights of the Regular Public Meeting of the Board of Directors
Moncton, Tuesday, October 5, 2021 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held a regular public meeting on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 in Moncton.
The Chairperson, David Savoie, welcomed everyone present at the start of the meeting, highlighting the fact that this was the first public meeting of the new Board.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of the Network, provided an update on the COVID-19 situation. She reaffirmed the importance of increasing the alert level, as announced by the Network on September 22, 2021. “The fourth wave of the pandemic is hitting us hard. Given the rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the Network increased its alert level and implemented new preventive measures designed to maintain the provision of care and reduce the pressure on the health care system,” she said.
Decrease in the number of patients on the Patient Connect NB list for the Moncton area
Two complementary initiatives are under way to reduce the number of patients on the Patient Connect NB patient registry for the Moncton area.
Open since February 2020, the Greater Moncton Health Centre only accepts patients that are on the Patient Connect NB patient registry. The Centre’s team includes nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and administrative assistants. The various health care professionals use a collaborative model to maximize the services provided to the public: hypertension management clinic, anticoagulant management clinic, smoking cessation education, vaccination for adults and flu vaccination. The Centre currently has nearly 3,300 active patients who thus have access to a primary care provider. Once everything is in place, the Centre should have a capacity of approximately 6,000 patients.
The Network also shared its approach regarding the requirements for the management of patients without a family doctor by new doctors at the time of hire. According to Dr. Natalie Banville, Vice-President of Medical Affairs, a review of the contract templates is under way. “The employment contracts of new family doctors are more detailed regarding patients and include clauses pertaining to the number of patients without a primary care provider and newborns that must be accepted,” she stated. In the Greater Moncton area, for 2021, the employment contracts of seven new family doctors make provisions for the care of 1,400 patients during the first two years following hire, including 600 from Patient Connect NB and 75 newborns per doctor.
Financial results for the 2021–2022 fiscal year
The Network presented its financial results for the first four months of the 2021–2022 fiscal year, i.e. from April 1 to July 31, 2021. It ended the period with a $10.8 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 Board of Directors of the Network will be held on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 1:00 p.m., in Edmundston.
