Highlights of the Board of Directors regular public meeting
Moncton, October 4, 2016 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 in Moncton.
Several major files still awaiting approval
President and Chief Executive Officer Gilles Lanteigne updated the Board of Directors on three major files arising from the Board’s June meeting, namely the Regional Health and Business Plan 2016 2019, the Clinical Services Plan, and the organization of food and environmental services. “In all three cases, we have had a number of discussions with Department of Health representatives and fielded their many questions,” he explained. “We continue to await the Department’s approval or official position on each of these important files, including the Board of Director’s five recommendations concerning the Clinical Services Plan.
Organizational performance – positive results
The Network released its financial performance for the first four months of the current fiscal year, i.e. from April 1 to July 31, 2016. The organization recorded an operating surplus of $2.02 million, with income up by $734,753 and expenditures down by approximately $1.29 million. The Network also recorded 4557 fewer overtime hours and 178 fewer sick leave hours compared to the same period last year.
Importance of training and research
The Network moved to enhance the importance of its training and research sector by revising the terms of reference of its strategic committee in this area. According to Dr. France Desrosiers, Vice-President of Medical Services, Training and Research, the timing was right for this review. “The operational structure of the training and research sector is now formalized and operational,” Dr. Desrosiers stated. “In addition, with the renewal of the affiliation agreement between the Network and the Université de Sherbrooke as well as the announcement of funding to build the New Brunswick Centre for Precision Medicine, the Network has a duty to reiterate and strengthen its commitment to fulfill its university mission,” she added.
Strategic planning under way this fall
The Network has launched a strategic planning process that should be completed by late December 2016. This exercise is designed to update the Network’s mission, vision, and values and to develop a three-year strategic plan containing measurable goals and objectives. With respect to the steps involved in the development of this strategic plan, some engagement and consultation activities – both internal and external – will be organized so that major stakeholders have the opportunity to participate fully.
Clinical Services Advisory Committee – work ongoing
The Network’s Clinical Services Advisory Committee recently examined a model to regionalize its medical administrative structure. According to Dr. France Desrosiers, Vice-President of Medical Services, Training and Research, although a little work remains to be done, an improved version of the model should be distributed to the Medical Staff shortly. “The committee also took steps to follow up on the Clinical Services Plan (CSP). Action plans were distributed to ensure that all the appendices to the CSP are addressed in coming years,” she stated.
General Communication Plan 2016-2019
The Network’s Board of Directors adopted a General Communication Plan. This document constitutes a general reference framework intended to guide the organization’s efforts to achieve its most important communication goals and ensure it can communicate in a proactive, open, and transparent way. Last March, the Board of Directors adopted a transparency and openness framework for the communication and publication of results setting out the concrete measures the organization intends to take in coming years to expand citizens’ access to timely, relevant, and useful information on the planning and delivery of health care services and the results achieved.
