Highlights of the Board of Directors’ regular public meeting and 2016-2017 general annual meeting
Bathurst, June 19, 2017 – The Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network held its regular public meeting and 2016-2017 general annual meeting on Monday, June 19, 2017, in Bathurst.
Management of food and environmental services
Gilles Lanteigne, Network President and Chief Executive Officer, informed the Board of Directors of the latest developments in the issue of the privatization of the management of food and environmental services in hospitals in the province by the Government. Since the last meeting, the Board of Directors has met as planned the Minister of Health on May 1st to discuss the issue. “During that meeting, we presented our results for 2016-2017 to the Minister,” said Mr. Lanteigne. “These results show that the Network has reached its objectives and exceeded those planned in Sodexo’s proposal by approximately $1.7 million after only one year. The Minister listened to our presentation but did not change his position on this issue,” Mr. Lanteigne continued. In the meantime, the Network continued to receive letters from organizations supporting the maintenance of these services under the Network’s responsibility such as Catholic Health International, Commission des services régionaux – Péninsule acadienne, Chambre de commerce des Îles Lamèque et Miscou, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
2016-2017 general annual meeting: a year of major achievements
During the 2016-2017 general annual meeting, the Network Board Chairperson and President and Chief Executive Officer reviewed the main events and achievements over the year.
Chairperson Michelyne Paulin stressed that it was the new Board’s first year of operation. “I’m pleased to say that the Board’s standing committees were called on to play an increased role to support the governance of the Network’s activities and affairs,” she said. The Chairperson also stressed the work done to develop the Network’s strategic plan outlining the broad directions for the next three years. “The completion of the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan - Toward the modernization and transformation of the health care system was unquestionably one of the major projects of the year,” she added.
It was a very full year for the Network with the ongoing implementation of measures included in the 2013-2018 Plan for Greater Equity in the Provision of Health Care Services (commonly known as the "catch-up plan"). “A total of $5.83 million was invested in fifteen initiatives or so,” pointed out Mr. Lanteigne. The main initiatives undertaken in 2016-2017 include increased neurology services, the implementation of a sleep disorders clinic in Moncton, and new opioid addiction services in Bathurst.
Other initiatives to improve the health status of the population were launched throughout the Network. The Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) project for youth was implemented in the Chaleur and Restigouche regions. Seniors can now recover more quickly after an illness or injury with the rapid rehabilitation and reablement services implemented in the Beauséjour and Acadie-Bathurst zones. Finally, the victims of sexual assault and spousal abuse can benefit from appropriate care provided by specially trained nursing staff thanks to mobile teams set up for the hospitals in Caraquet, Tracadie, Grand Falls and Saint-Quentin.
The Network worked on a number of infrastructure projects thanks to an envelope of $39.8 million dedicated to the long-term capital budget. The main projects include the construction of a new surgical suite at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre, the expansion and renovation of the Chaleur Regional Hospital, the New Brunswick Centre for Precision Medicine, and the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Youth in Campbellton. As for the Network’s financial situation at the end of the 2016-2017 fiscal year, revenues totalled $705.34 million and expenses $701.67 million, which translates into an operating surplus of $3.67 million before adjustments.
The next regular public meeting of the Board of Directors of Vitalité Health Network will be held on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at 1:00 p.m., in Moncton.
