Huron Expositor, 2000-08-16, Page 5News
Hospitals could develop
centres of excellence
Hospitals could specialize in fields,
train medical students and improve care
By Scott Hilgondortf
Expositor Editor
A movement is growing
within the Huron Perth
Hospital Partnership to see
each hospital become a
centre for a different
specialty.
Already. Clinton Public
Hospital has become a centre
for ophthamology.
Dr. Stan Brown, a member
of the partnership's
administration team, said
there is the potential for
Seaforth Community
Hospital to become a
geriatric centre, an idea
presented by the hospital
several years ago as part of
its long-term planning.
He outlined the concept at
a special community focus
group meeting held Aug. 2 at
Seaforth Community
Hospital.
While each of the nine
hospitals in the partnership
maintains core services such
as emergency rooms,
medical beds and
rehabilitation programs, there
is room for the hospitals to
specialize.
He said it's impossible,
financially and from a
staffing perspective, for each
hospital to offer every kind
of treatment.
But Brown said each
hospital could offer , a
specialized service the others
don't with the idea that the
hospitals would become a
training ground for medical
students through a
partnership with the
University of Western
Ontario's medical school.
He said students interested
in those specialized areas of
care, such as geriatrics or
ophthamology, would come
to the hospitals for part of
their hands-on education.
The partnership would
have the potential of
recruiting the graduating
specialists and would show
the public that if the larger
hospitals trust the smaller
ones with the education of
medical students, the
community should trust the
care they would receive at
the smaller hospitals, rather
than assuming the larger
centres offer better treatment.
Brown said there is no
gerontology centre in the
partnership and, especially
with Huron County, there is
an aging population within
the partnership.
"That's certainly an option
for Seaforth," hesaid, adding
it would not mean the
hospital would become one
full of elderly people lying in
beds but one treating varying
aspects of aging from
Alzheimers and diseases that
affect memory and the mind
to mobility issues such as the
treatment of arthritis.
The hospital would
continue tb operate with its
traditional programs while
adding the specialized
department.
Hospital board member
Lin Steiner said there would
be a fear in the community
that opening up a
gerontology centre would he
at a sacrifice to the other
facilities.
Board chair Michael Hak
said the hospital would have
to sell people on the
existence of emerg4lcy and
core services such as medical
keds and rehabilitation
services before they tried to
promote a gerontology
centre.
"That is up for discussion
as a possible centre of
excellence for Seaforth,"
Brown said. He sits on the
partnership's committee that
is currently studying clinical
planning as the partnership
continues to evolve.
He said patients could be
referred to Seaforth from
well -outside the two counties
and that medical students
would be 'brought to the
hospital for their training.
Community can still participate
The community still has a chance to tell the Huron Perth
Hospital Partnership what it thinks are important issues as it
begins a sefies of focus group meetings in communities
across the two counties.
Seaforth's meeting was held Aug. 2 where about 15 people
from the community at Targe and the medical community
attended for an open discussion about health issues and
concerns relating to the hospital and services available.
Now, the partnership is asking for more input from the
community in the form of written letters regarding,the topics
discussed at the focus group meeting.
The partnership would like to know what type of care
programs are expected to be available within the
partnership's nine hospitals across Huron and Perth Counties.
It would like to know what services people leave the
'partnership area for, why and whether or not people would
use them if they were available locally.
The partnership also wants to know how people view the
quality of care at Seaforth Community Hospital, how it can
be improved, what gaps in service there are and issues
relating to the coordination of care among the hospital and
service providers.
Any other comments are also welcomed.
Among issues discussed at the focus group meeting was
concern about the constantly changing medical community '
that sees different doctors treating patients, with little
consistency in the care provided.
There were concerns about the communication between
doctors when it comes to transferring patient records to
improve the consistency and about the need to recruit more
doctors.
The partnership expressed particular concern about issues
relating to keeping patients,in the local area for treatment
rather than going to city hospitals for the same services.
Community comments can be sent to the partnership in
care of the Seaforth Community Hospital.
Scott Hilgendortf photo
Just peachy
Volunteers Dorothy Papple
and ,Mardie Maloney enjoy a
peach dessert after working
in the kitchen at Seaforth
Manor 'Thursday for the
retirement and ' nursing
facility's 'peach jubilee.- The
community was invited to join
residents for special peachy
treats.
HE HURON EXPOSITOR, August 15, 2000-5
Sumthi
1'1. Special
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• open lues. to ,Sat. j
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