Highlights of the annual general meeting of Vitalité Health Network
Bathurst, June 26, 2013 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its annual general meeting on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Bathurst.
Review of 2012-2013
In his report, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Vitalité Health Network, Rino Volpé, painted a broad picture of the major issues and achievements in fiscal year 2012-2013. “Managing the health care system poses no shortage of challenges, and this was never more true in the year that just ended," he said.
For the past year, the Network reported a 2.4% increase in expenditures in the nursing care sector, as well as increased operating costs in several other sectors. Besides, as far as activity volumes are concerned, patient days have increased by 2.9%, emergency visits by 10.3%, dialysis treatments by 6.0%, and oncology treatments by 8.9%. The Network ended fiscal year 2012-2013 with an operational deficit of $9.651 million prior to adjustments.
In 2012-2013, the Network also reported an increase of $417,664 in the cost of overtime hours compared to the previous year and an increase of $751,000 in the cost of sick hours. These two issues remain a high priority for next year.
According to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the health care system renewal process, in which all provincial partners are involved, was unquestionably one of the major issues in the year. With a specific financial objective to meet by 2016-2017, the Network made the first move by restructuring its administrative structures and launching a three-year plan to increase performance in order to reduce the annual rate of increase in expenditures. According to Rino Volpé, these changes must be backed up with a culture of continuous process improvement and performance measurement at all levels of the Network, as well as with increased accountability for senior executives.
To conclude his report, the President and Chief Executive Officer announced that the Network had just been granted accreditation by Accreditation Canada. This four-year accreditation status recognizes that the care and services provided meet a set of existing standards and required organizational practices. “The accreditation status granted to the Network is the result of the cooperation and commitment of staff members, physicians and volunteers who work very hard day after day and are dedicated to delivering high quality health care services. For all this, I thank them sincerely,” concluded Mr. Volpé.
Recognition of Sr. Gaëtane Soucy
Paul Couturier, Chairman of the Board of Directors, stressed the contributions of Sr. Gaëtane Soucy, long-standing, active member of the Board of Directors, who retired after 23 years of service. Sr. Soucy joined the team of the Enfant-Jésus RHSJ† Hospital in Caraquet in 1990 as a pastoral care volunteer. Since then, she has assumed several roles aimed at continuously improving patient care, namely Director of Spiritual and Religious Care, member of the Enfant-Jésus RHSJ† Hospital Advisory Committee and of Fondation Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus. She was successively an active member of the Board of Directors of the NOR'EAST Health Network, Acadie-Bathurst Health Authority, and Vitalité Health Network. Sr. Soucy also served on a vast number of committees and working groups and fought for other social causes. A commemorative plaque was presented to her on behalf of the employees of the hospital and Vitalité Health Network during a ceremony held on Wednesday, June 12.
