CEO report
Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) CEO Derek Graham presented his November report to the board.
Mr. Graham spoke about the staff’s continued accreditation efforts including the administration of target surveys to staff and physicians.
“Survey instruments help MHC understand more about our culture and assist by proving focused information for continuous improvement efforts,” explained Mr. Graham. “Similarly, work continues to unfold across clinical teams, through the investigation and assessment of accreditation clinical standards against MHC’s current policies and processes. These efforts will help prepare the organization for next June’s on-site visit by accreditors.”
Mr. Graham informed the board that the hospice suite at the Little Current site is complete and the Mindemoya site will be completed shortly.
“A new eagle feather was gifted to the Little Current site by MHC staff member Jeff Francis to assist with traditional healing,” said Mr. Graham, who noted that the previous feather went missing.
Manitoulin Health Links is underway under the guidance of MHC.
“Health Links partners identify those patients that are complex or are requiring large amounts of services,” Mr. Graham explained. “It then provides a multi-agency care plan and coordinated stream of case management in close cooperation between the patient and the agencies, aimed at improving the patient’s outcomes.”
The Home Care branch of the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) has hired a new palliative nurse practitioner position.
“MHC and our partners are looking forward to working with this new clinician in a coordinated and cooperative sense to enhance in-home palliation,” added Mr. Graham.
Mr. Graham spoken of high occupancy rates ahead of flu season earlier this fall. He was pleased to report at last week’s meeting that the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care responded to the Ontario Hospital Association’s call for additional surge capacity for hospitals burdened by higher than normal occupancy rates with a provision of new temporarily funded beds for selected urban hospital including Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins.
“MHC has hired a new IT coordinator position as part of the evolution of the new IT/IS team,” shared Mr. Graham.
He also noted that a new nurse educator position is providing training to new staff nurses to assist in their competency development.
Chief of Nursing report
Interim Chief of Nursing Laurie Landry reported that the new defibrillators that were delayed due to a supply issue have been implemented.
“We have completed a quote on automated dosing units that the LHIN is hoping to move forward on,” Ms. Landry told the board. “The bedside medication system will help us decrease some of the risks associated with how we presently manage medication administration. We have requested to be one of the three sites that trial the implementation of the units. There may be partial funding to support this.”
Ms. Landry said that MHC has also been working with home care partners to make revisions to the home care referral form to allow for more detailed information to be provided and make it easier to identify which agency it should be sent to.
“The pharmacy area at the Little Current site has moved into a newly renovated area, and a new packaging instrument has been installed and is operational,” said Ms. Landry.
Ms. Landry also touched on the nurse educator role and noted that she is focused on new staff training along with mandatory pump training.
“She is working with nursing management to draft and update needed resources including expanded orientation guidelines to fill the gap created by the loss of the new graduate initiative,” explained Ms. Landry. “We have just had two nurses return from a week of intensive wound care training in Toronto. They will be setting up training for all nurses along with providing up-to-date wound care resources that will be available to staff and physicians.”
Vice president of corporate support services and CFO
Lynn Foster, vice president of corporate support services and CFO, presented her report to the board.
“After seven months of operation in our 2017-2018 fiscal year, MHC has a surplus from hospital operations of $38,000 with an overall surplus, including other revenues and expenses, of approximately $34,000,” said Ms. Foster. “MHC’s investment portfolio has been managed by Beutel Goodman since January 2006. Its assets under management, at book value, equal $4,457,331 with a fair market value of $5,367,928.”
Ms. Foster reviewed the approved listing of capital items for 2017-2018. “To date $582,000 has been spent on capital additions such as: $471,000 spent on telemetry equipment across both sites, the cost of which has been partially offset by donations ($256,000) received to date; $18,000 was spent on the construction cost for the emergency department renovations; $83,000 was spent on the roof resurfacing at the Little Current site, which was funded through Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund; $6,000 was spent on pharmacy relocation to facilitate compliance with new provincial pharmacy standards; and $4,000 was spent on a press tool for environmental services. The additions are offset by disposals totaling $33,000.”
Ms. Foster said that MHC is pleased to welcome the new IT coordinator whose start date is November 27.
“He has extensive hospital experience and has previously worked with our Family Health Team partners,” noted Ms. Foster.
MHC became a member of the Northern Supply Chain last year. Ms. Foster said that MHC has experienced savings since joining in corporate insurance services, membership fee to St. Joseph buying group and employee health and dental benefits—amounting to $100,000.
Chief of staff
MHC Chief of Staff Dr. Stephen Cooper began his report by discussing how Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Barss are in the process of undergoing a change of scope of practice with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
“Although this is a common requirement for physicians moving into a new area of practice, we have not done it very often,” he said.
“As noted in other reports, Manitoulin has received funding and hired a palliative care nurse practitioner for the Island,” explained Dr. Cooper. “Dr. Kilbertus has been leading the medical staff in helping integrate our new nurse practitioner into palliative care management on the Island. We are expecting that the new resource will improve both the patient experience and the quality of palliative care available on the Island.”
Dr. Cooper also spoke of how Dr. Kilbertus is a recipient of the prestigious AMS Phoenix Fellowship and will be focusing her fellowship on “projects that explore how the community, the workplace, health professionals and learners are interwoven in a process of learning and practicing palliative care in the culturally diverse rural community on Manitoulin.”
“Health Science North continues to struggle with emergency room over capacity, which impairs our ability to move patients through the system,” explained Dr. Cooper. “In November, they were having trouble providing coverage for plastic surgery.”
Dr. Cooper reported that 108 second year Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) students are currently on-site. “So we have a lot of learners on Manitoulin as they are joining the CC students (third year),” said Dr. Cooper. “The Local Education Group (LEG) sponsored Dr. Jocko, our visiting gynaecologist, will provide another education session for NOSM preceptors.”
MHC Auxiliary
The Manitoulin Auxiliary noted that the Harvest Sale held in September went well.
“Coin boxes continue to be a good source of revenue,” the report notes. “We have just completed our seventh year and have collected over $7,500 to date. Three Cows and a Cone has been assisting us all these years and have two checkouts there and during the summer we do quite well.”
The annual Memory Tree fundraiser will be held in December where individuals can buy an ornament in memory of a family member or friend and the auxiliary will acknowledge them on their Christmas tree, located at the registration area of the Little Current hospital.
The auxiliary is looking for a secretary. The report noted that Sue Lafreniere has been the secretary for 10 years and has also organized the annual Harvest Sale and spring casserole dinner, however, due to a promotion as work she has had to step down.
The auxiliary is also in need of new members.
