Highlights of the Board of Directors’ regular public meeting

Moncton, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

Creation of local family health teams

Stéphanie Roy, Corporate Director Primary Health Care, the Palliative Approach and Integrated End-of-Life Care, described the accelerated development of local family health teams.

Seven teams are now active and have added nearly 9,000 orphan patients to the 45,000 patients included in the model. Some 21 teams are currently under development.

A referral centre for the Edmundston region is up and running. It is being supported by a new women's health centre and a new urgent care centre for minor and urgent cases.

Report by the President and CEO

In her report to the Board of Directors, Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO, provided an update on the progress and achievements of the past few months, including the following:

  • The promising initial results of the Vitalité's model for access to primary health care;
  • Recruitment initiatives that had supported the hiring of 454 new staff from April to December 2023 and the increased number of new recruits expected for 2024;
  • Efforts to optimize patient flow within hospitals;
  • The success of the Early Mobilization Program designed to speed up recovery and prevent deconditioning of hospitalized patients;
  • Achievements in surgical services, including elimination of the waiting list of patients awaiting hip replacement surgery for more than a year;
  • The addition of patient care attendants in the Emergency Department at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre to check the vital signs and status of patients in the waiting room;
  • Community outreach efforts through meetings with the regional service commissions and through partnerships with the postsecondary education system.

For further information, please consult our quarterly report, available online.

Testimonial: Robotic-assisted surgery

The first year of the Robotic Surgery Program at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont UHC enabled 322 patients to undergo minimally invasive surgery with no complications requiring open surgery.
Katherine Woodard, a patient who had benefited from the program, attested to her quick and painless post-surgical recovery.

At the meeting, Dr. Jocelyne Hébert, Director of Surgical Services, described the benefits of the technology, which reduces the risk of complications, speeds up recovery and shortens hospital stays.

Results for the 2023–2024 fiscal year

The Network presented its financial results for the first 11 months of the 2023–2024 fiscal year, i.e. from April 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024.

The organization ended the period with expenses exceeding revenue by $97.8 million. This result was mainly due to expenses related to the 190 FTE (full-time equivalent) agency staff needed to maintain patient services while supporting health professionals.

The financial summary for the 2023–2024 fiscal year and the Network's annual report will be submitted to the Board of Directors in June.

The Network's Board of Directors meets at least four times a year and the meetings are open to the public. The next regular public meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 1 p.m. at 40 Lady Ada Boulevard in Moncton.