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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-01-31, Page 6Page 6 January 31, 2007 • The Huron Expositor News Delivery room decommissioned at SCH Susan H u n d e r t m a r k allIMMEMID The labour and delivery room at Seaforth Community Hospital has been formally decommissioned, site administrator Mary Cardinal told the Local Advisory Committee at last Monday's meeting. "To maintain the room was deemed a risk. The equipment was aging and we are now looking for another use for the room," she said. Deliveries were discontinued at the Seaforth hospital in 1998 and since then, there have been very few births in Seaforth, said Cardinal. She added the emergency room is equipped with supplies and equip- ment for emergency births. Wandering patient system installed A new wandering patient system has been installed at Seaforth Community Hospital. "It ensures their safety along with their mobility," site administrator Mary Cardinal told the Local Advisory Committee last Monday. She said patients using the sys- tem will wear a bracelet that sets off a signal to close doors and keep them shut if the patients get too close to the doors. "It's very unintrusive for the patient," she said. Signing accountability agreement less stressful Signing the annual accountability agreement with the province was a lot easier this year, said Huron Perth Hospital Alliance board mem- ber Dick Burgess at last Monday's Local Advisory Committee meeting. "It was much less stressful when you're not facing a multi-million dollar deficit. We're on the right track," he said. Here's your opportunity to save lives. Please give at the Blood Donor clinic in Seaforth. Monday, February 5, 2007 1:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Seaforth Community Centre 122 Duke Street Please call and make an appointment today. Call 1 888 2 DONATE for more information or to book an appointment. www.bloodservices. 'a The Municipality of IIURON T HURON EAST 519-527-0160 Seaforth Agricultural Society 519-527-1321 McLaughlin Chevrolet Ltd. 13 Main St. Seaforth 519.527.1140 L. MGr th Plumbing & Heating Inc. Seaforth 519-522-0493 Brian E. Wightman Certified General Accountant Seaforth 519-527-1331 Whitney-Ribey Funeral Home 519-527-1390 87 Goderich St. W. Seaforth While the Alliance grappled with a deficit for several years, the accountability agreement this year was for a budget with revenues of $98.3 million and expenditures of $98.3 million. Alliance staff surveyed on workplace experience A survey of staff and physicians aimed at finding ways to "achieve our vision of being the Province of Ontario's acknowledged leader in rural healthcare" has begun within the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance. Called an employee engagement program, the survey is asking staff how they feel about their experience at work, site administrator Mary Cardinal told member of the Local Advisory Committee last week. A recent report from CEO Andrew Williams says the survey, called Improving Your Workplace, tells staff and physicians that HPHA is committed to "supporting an envi- ronment where it feels good to work and is easy to get results." Recruitment news With several doctors coming through the community lately, physician recruiter Gwen Devereaux is hoping to have at least one recruited by May, she told the Local Advisory Committee at Seaforth hospital last week. "There are some strong candi- dates and I hope we have a really good chance," she said. Devereaux said she is working on having a cottage in Bayfield avail- able for residents and locums as another attraction for Seaforth doc- tors. "That will help us," she said. She said she's also happy about Huron East Mayor Joe Seili calling a recruitment committee for the community. "People in a community can tell people why they love living in a community and relate to the wife and kids. That's another piece that the hospital doesn't do," she said. Alliance CEO Andrew Williams also told the LAC that an Alliance - wide recruitment committee, made up of the Alliance board, current recruitment committees, Local Advisory Committees, foundations and medical and administrative leadership, held its first meeting recently. "It's an umbrella across the Alliance. It's a diverse group all very passionate about recruitment needs," he said. The initial meeting was focussed on information sharing about cur- rent vacancies and current Ministry of Health programs that support recruitment. A follow-up meeting is planned to discuss recruitment and retention issues across the sites.