MHC Central Family Health Team expansion
September’s Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) board meeting began with a presentation by MHC CFO Lynn Foster on the Manitoulin Central Family Health Team (MCFHT) expansion (Ms. Foster is also co-executive team lead on the project).
Ms. Foster gave the board an overview of the project and was pleased to relay to the board that ground had broken on construction.
CEO report
MHC CEO Derek Graham reviewed his report with the board. He began by noting that MHC’s Sweet Slumbers campaign for new hospital beds for both sites was going well.
“We are currently sitting around the $80,000 mark,” said Mr. Graham. “The community’s response has been very positive.”
He also noted that MHC participated in a planning session over the summer hosted by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). He explained that NOSM is looking to create a new strategic plan and that recruitment of NOSM graduates to rural-remote communities was emphasized as being ‘very important’ by local health leaders. As well, he noted that two new NOSM students have recently begun their 8-month training sessions at health care settings across the Island.
“MHC has been told to plan around receiving up to $235,105 in infrastructure funding for 2014-2015,” continued Mr. Graham. “The actual amount will be confirmed shortly under the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund. Through a previous multi-year audit of MHC’s buildings, a list of priority items has already been assembled.”
He also informed the board that MHC had received word from Blue Goose Pure Foods that they were not in a position to honour their outstanding $12,000 pledge from last year, nor are they able to meet the current year’s $12,000 amount. MHC received one of five $12,000 (totaling $60,000) installments from Blue Goose two years ago towards the hospitals’ radiology campaign.
Chief of Nursing report
Mr. Graham gave a brief nursing report, noting that there had been a structural change in terms of the chief of nursing position.
With the recent vacancy in the chief nursing officer position, MHC used the opportunity to look critically at leadership roles across the senior team, the reporting relationships of the management team (which principally streamed only through to the CEO), and the future requirements for leadership at MHC that are necessitated by the objectives within its strategic plan.
As a result, it was decided that the time was ripe for transitioning the leadership of the organization into more of a shared leadership, team model, with two distinct streams––being a support stream and a clinical stream.
The role of chief nursing officer will now change to that of vice-president clinical services and chief nursing officer; the other clinical managers will report to this leader, creating a clinical stream.
Chief of Staff report
MHC Chief of Staff Stephen Cooper reported to the board that they had just launched Telecrisis at both site’s emergency departments. He said that it will utilizing videoconferencing equipment for individuals who present in emotional/mental health state of crises after hours.
“We will still facilitate crisis assessments on-site Monday to Friday, but this will assist in off-hour mental health care and enhance what we already have.”
CFO report
Lynn Foster, MHC CFO, presented the financial highlights report.
“After five months of operation in our 2014-2015 fiscal year, MHC ends with a surplus of approximately $201,000,” said Ms. Foster. “The overall $290,000 positive variance was generated by positive variances with both revenues ($124,000) and expenses ($166,000).
“MHC’s investment portfolio has been managed by Beutel Goodman since January 2006,” Ms. Foster continued. “MHC’s assets under management at book value equals $4,512,653 with a fair market value of $5,392,587. The asset mix is currently 46 percent fixed income and 54 percent equity, which is consistent with the board established investment policy of 50/50 (target range of 45/55). To date, MHC has spent approximately $20,000 on capital assets for way-finding signage, clinical and support equipment that failed and needed replacement. Also the capital budgeting process has just been completed.”
Auxiliary reports
Little Current Hospital Auxiliary Chair Dave Sylvester noted that there had been $3,999 collected from the coin boxes to date, with November marking the fourth year since the campaign started. He also discussed the ongoing success of the book sale and the upcoming launch of the FundScrip gift cards which garner 3-5 percent per card purchase towards the auxiliary.
The Central Manitoulin Hospital Auxiliary reported to the board that the auxiliary executive serviced tea and refreshments during the MCFHT ground breaking. They also donated another $10,000 towards the Sweet Slumbers campaign.
MHC board votes to reduce meeting
The MHC board carried a motion to reduce the number of board meetings during the winter months from 10 to seven (including the annual AGM). Mr. Graham explained that there had been trouble last winter with members attending during harsh weather conditions.
The new proposed meetings will be held in September (which has passed), on November 27 at the Mindemoya site, January 8 at the Little Current site, March 26 at the Mindemoya site, May 28 at the Little Current site and June 25 at the Little Current site, followed that same night by the AGM.
