Highlights of the Board of Directors regular public meeting
Edmundston, Tuesday, December 10, 2019 – The regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network was held on Tuesday, December 10, 2019 in Edmundston.
Ongoing transformation of the Restigouche Hospital Centre (RHC)
The President and CEO updated the members on the initiatives underway to transform the Restigouche Hospital Centre (RHC). As planned, George Weber visited the RHC on October 15 and 16 accompanied by Claude Allard, Associate Deputy Minister of Health. “They both made positive comments about the transformation underway and recognized the tremendous efforts that everyone is making,” Gilles Lanteigne declared. Mr. Weber’s next visit is scheduled for January 28 and 29, 2020.
The arrival of three new pharmacists in the Restigouche Zone has made it possible to put additional clinical services in place at the RHC. Two pharmacists are now in the facility’s clinic on a daily basis. Their priorities will be developing pharmaceutical care plans, analyzing pharmacotherapeutic problems, staff training and patient education.
Since the month of September, the RHC has welcomed two social workers, one occupational therapist and one health care attendant to the team.
Capital Master Plan for the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre
The Board of Directors adopted a Capital Master Plan (CMP) for the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre. This plan was developed through a demanding process conducted over the past few months. According to Martin Pelletier, Corporate Director of Support Services, the objective is to develop a coordinated and realistic plan for the facility’s orderly development over the next 20 years. “Extensive consultations were conducted with stakeholders on the plan that we are presenting to the Board of Directors today. It is based on demographic analyses of the population as well as on projections for health care service needs,” he stated.
- Immediate needs (2020–2022): At an estimated cost of $30 million, these needs include the construction of a multi-storey parking garage, development of the shipping/receiving area and upgrading of the pharmacy.
- Phase 1 of the CMP (2020–2027): Includes a three-storey expansion for the Emergency Department, Ambulatory Services and outpatient clinics between the new Surgical Suite and Université Avenue.
- Phase 2 of the CMP (2022–2033): Includes the construction of two floors above the new Surgical Suite for upgraded mental and physical health care units.
- Phase 3 of the CMP (2029–2038): Includes the construction of a new pavilion for oncology patients, the expansion of the Mgr-Henri-Cormier Lodge and the renovation of the laboratories.
The Network intends to submit its CMP to the Department of Health and hopes to secure the funding required to meet the immediate needs it has identified (2020–2022).
Financial results for the 2019–2020 fiscal year
The Network presented its financial results for the first six months of the 2019–2020 fiscal year, i.e. from April 1 to September 30, 2019. The organization ended the period with a $1.09 million operating surplus. This surplus primarily resulted from lower than expected salary costs.
The Network has submitted its funding requests to the Department of Health for the 2020–2021 fiscal year. These requests include $8.8 million for major equipment purchases and $9.83 million for infrastructure improvement projects.
The next regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., in Campbellton.
