HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-11-08, Page 3News
Alliance predicting $470,000
surplus at end of fiscal year
Jennifer, Hubbard
The 2006-07 fiscal forecast is looking bright
for the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance.
With less than five months left in the cur-
rent fiscal year, the HPHA is predicting a sur-
plus of more than $470,000.
"As of Sept. 30, the Alliance has incurred a
$289,258 operating surplus versus the bud-
geted year to date deficit of $188,341 and has
5.2 million in cash and short term invest-
ments," Jane Rowat said in a resource com-
mittee report at a Nov. 2 meeting of the
HPHA board.
Rowat attributed the forecasted surplus to
one-time funding from the Ministry of Health
and Long -Term Care for additional wait
times, financial statement consolidation onto
the province's books and foundation funding
for the Alliance's new Picture Archiving
Communication System (PACS).
Capital expenditures are expected to be
$400,000 less than budgeted, due primarily to
reduced medical imaging equipment costs
relating to the PACS project.
"There's a lot of give and take throughout
the year, but we're always on top of our finan-
cial situation," HPHA CEO
Andrew Williams said.
"It's very important for
us to generate a surplus
each year because we can
us -e that cash to invest
back into the facility."
The fiscal year for
Ontario hospitals ends on
March 31.
Williams said HPHA has
already submitted a bal-
anced budget to the min-
istry for 2007-08.
Hospital Alliance feels
pinch
Jennifer Hubbard
phans on rise •
As the number of orphan patients
increases and the number of family
doctors decreases throughout the
province, the Huron Perth
Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) is feel-
ing the pinch.
While Clinton currently has six
family doctors, Seaforth's physician
numbers recently decreased when
Dr. Helen Frye left her practice.
During the HPHA board's Nov. 2
meeting, new Clinton site chief Dr.
Marianne Smith said statistics will
be collected to determine the num-
ber of orphan patients that are
reporting to the local emergency
department for treatment.
In his report to the board, St.
Marys site chief Dr. Fred Jewson
said six physicians have stopped
providing in-patient care at his hos-
pital since last February.
Overwhelmed by the increased
workload, St. Marys doctors. have
asked that a resolution to the
orphan in-patient problem be found
no later than Nov. 30.
"Doctors are -finding the work
onerous. It isn't financially reward-
ingenough for them to take on an
extra patient," Jewson commented.
"There needs to be some kind of
remuneration, but the question of
course is who's going to provide the
money."
Paul Howley asked what, if any-
thing the HPHA board should be
doing.
Jewson said while the board
should be aware of the situation, he
doesn't see a role for it to play at
this moment.
Depending on the criteria, CEO
Andrew Williams predicted the
province's recently announced
Emergency Department Action
Plan, through which the Alliance
will receive $518,500 in base fund-
ing, could help to address some of
the in-patient issues.
oft,1
The Huron Expositor • November 8, 2006 Page 3
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