|
June 28, 2007 The Board of Directors of Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation held its annual meeting Monday, June 25 at the Saint John Regional Hospital. William H. Teed, Q.C. stepped down as board chairman after more than five years. Paschal Chisholm was appointed as the new board chairman. Teed described his time with the board as “both challenging and very satisfying. We’ve made significant strides,” said Teed. “We have focused on the delivery of quality patient care, education and research.” Teed thanked the Corporation, the Board, members of the community and his family for the support he received during his time as board chair. Hon. Michael B. Murphy, Minister of Health was the guest speaker. Minister Murphy commended the work of the AHSC Board of Directors over the past year. Minister Murphy took time to speak about the provinces future health care plans, indicating that input from the people of New Brunswick is critical in guiding new plans. Minister Murphy indicated that “the Health Care Plan to come is meant to be a redesign and redistribution to maximize efficiencies within our current system.” Minister Murphy also took time to thank William H. Teed, Q.C. for years of service and great sacrifice in serving the people of this health region, and welcomed new board chair, Paschal Chisholm. Other highlights of the annual meeting included reflections on the past year by William H. Teed, Q.C. and CEO Dora Nicinski. Paschal Chisholm thanked Teed on behalf of the Board of Directors and Nicinski offered thanks on behalf of the senior executive, staff and physicians. The regular monthly meeting of the Board was held following the annual meeting. Following are highlights of that meeting: A presentation by the Saint John Regional Hospital Auxiliary was delivered by Marjorie Milner, President and Mike Brannen, Executive Director. The Auxiliary is now in its 25th year at the Saint John Regional Hospital, but in its 88th year on the Saint John health care scene. A new mission, vision and values statement has been approved by the Board. The new statement is more reflective of the current Health Care environment and provides a clear direction for the future. Milner reported that 2006 was a successful year financially. Donations to the hospital for the purchase of equipment and patient programs totaled $193,462. “All of the Auxiliary’s accomplishments are the result of the commitment, dedication and talents of the numerous individuals, volunteers and staff, who are always there to pitch in,” said Milner. Report of the CEO In her report, AHSC President and CEO told Board members that a proposal is underway to develop a new warehouse at the Saint John Regional Hospital. The existing space is deteriorating, with increased cracking in the floor. In the interim, to ensure safety and comply with weight restriction guidelines, everything has been spread out. Nicinski indicated that discussions for the new ER are underway with the appointed architect and a formal announcement regarding design budget is expected. Nicinski stressed the importance of aligning plans with the expansion of the Oncology Department to accommodate two new Linac accelerators. She also pointed out the importance of aligning with phase 1 of the master plan to address critical pressures in the Nephrology and Oncology Programs. The IV Day Hospital at St. Joseph’s Hospital will begin accepting patients this week, and a ribbon cutting event is planned for July 6 at 9:00 am. An update on mumps in Region 2 was provided. As of June 18, Public Health is calculating the provincial total at 96, with 91 cases in Region 2. Nicinski provided some interesting Human Resource statistics about AHSC, including that the average length of employee service is 21 years (nationally it is 10); the overall staff turnover rate is 2.6% (12.2% is the national average); 84.5% of AHSC’s workforce is female, and the average employee age is 46 (national is 43). There are currently about 4,800 names on the AHSC patients without family physicians registry, representing 2,988 households. AHSC has a total of 72 physicians working within our region who are 59 years old or older. Of that number, 27 are family physicians. In addition, AHSC has 500 staff that are age 55 or older. Nicinski pointed out that “statistics indicate that we are good at staff retention, but we must also focus on recruitment and make the best possible use of all staff.” Dr. Marc Pelletier, a cardiac surgeon has joined the team at the Saint John Regional Hospital and will be replacing Dr. James Parrott as Clinical Department Head of Cardiac Surgery. Nicinski provided an Alternate Level of Care (ALC) summary with the total cases for May 2007 in Region 2 being 213. Average for June 2006 – May 2007 was 212. Professional Advisory Committee The Professional Advisory Committee received an update on the progress of the Alternate Level of Care Project. The Department of Health has invited the Regional Health Authorities to a roundtable session on June 26. Finance Committee
Contact: Erin Barnes Copyright © 2007 Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation. All rights reserved. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||