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February 28, 2007

The Board of Directors of Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation held its regular monthly meeting February 26, 2007 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Rothesay. The following are highlights of that meeting:

Official Languages

Lorraine Brown, AHSC Director of Human Resources, updated Board members on AHSC’s efforts to provide services to patients and public in both English and French. She explained that AHSC has developed a linguistic profile to help each department and service recognize the bilingual resources they have and the resources they need to provide a bilingual services on every shift. Brown also brought information on successful ventures to recruit bilingual staff as well as marketing campaigns to raise awareness with staff about making the active offer. Brown also told Board members that enrolment has increased in French Language training. AHSC Board Chairman William Teed, Q.C. thanked Ms. Brown for her presentation, saying “the Board places high importance on delivering bilingual service.”

Clinical and Community Strategies for Tobacco Reduction

Cleo Cyr, Manager and Provincial Advisor, Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Programs, presented Board members with an overview of AHSC’s Tobacco Reduction Strategy. The strategy began in June, 2006 and continues through four phases until December 2007. Cyr outlined some of the successful initiatives in phase one and phase two “We have begun train the trainer sessions on a Clinical Tobacco Intervention program for health care professionals to help create a culture of prevention within AHSC,” she explained. “We also brought in Dr. Pipe earlier this month to speak to students, some members of the public and media. He was very well received,” she said. Finally Cyr discussed the central ordering system for tobacco reduction that is available through AHSC’s Library Services. William Teed thanked Cyr for her presentation as he expressed the importance of this strategy. He encouraged Board members to “Ask Assist and Advise” – a proven program to help smokers reduce their tobacco consumption.

Report of the CEO

CEO Dora Nicinski told Board members that Charlotte County Hospital has enjoyed one full year of “no lost time” due to accidents from lifting or transferring of patients.

She also advised Board members that AHSC recruiters have spoken to 41 graduating students from UNBSJ, UNB Fredericton and UPEI who are seeking employment with AHSC. Twenty –three have already been hired, she said.

Nicinski explained that in January a representative from Ridgewood Addictions Services and one from public health staffed a kiosk on smoking prevention for grade 6 to 12 students at Samuel de Champlain School.

Nicinski then advised Board members that the numbers of those patients occupying acute care hospital beds after the need for acute care has passed continues to climb across the region with a total of 233 patients occupying acute care beds while awaiting an alternate level of care.

Professional Advisory Committee

In his report on the Professional Advisory Committee, Chairman Ken Baird commented on the normal ebb and flow of patients seeking assignment to a family doctor. He said there are currently 600 patients on the Patient Registry but that a General Practitioner in the community has come forward to advise that he is able to take on more patients. Exact numbers are not yet confirmed.

Finance Committee

  10 Months ended January 2007 10 Months ended January 2006
Shareable Surplus (Deficit) ($4.595 M) ($4.938 M)
Medicare Deficit ($0.889 M) ($0.745 M)
Non-shareable Surplus (Deficit) $0.319 M ($0.322 M)
Board Surplus $1.280 M $2.004 M
Amortization of Assets ($1.162 M) ($1.603 M)
Total Surplus (Deficit) ($5.685 M) ($4.960 M)

Other

  • New member of the Board of Directors is Paul Barry
  • Dr. James O’Brien has been invited to join a panel of physicians at the 4th Learning Session and Celebration for Safer Healthcare Now in Montreal.
  • AHSC Ethicist, Dr. Timothy Christie has joined the Admissions Committee for Dalhousie School of Medicine. He is actively participating in the screening of applicants to the program.

 

Contact: Patricia Crowdis
Director of Communications and Media Relations
648-6116

Copyright © 2007 Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation. All rights reserved.