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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-08-19, Page 3The Huron Expositor • August 19, 2009 Page 3 News nity workshops to gather input for hospital planning Snapp Hundgetwork 4.0011111111110 Beginning this week, the Huron Perth Healthcar#41liance (HPHA) will host a series of community work- shops to gather information and in- put from the community as it looks t,o the future. While Seaforth's meeting was orig- inally planned to be held last night, Seaforth residents who registered will be meeting in Clinton .on Aug. 19 (tonight). Meetings are also planned for Mil- verton on Aug. 20, Bayfield on Aug. 25, Mitchell on Aug. 26, Stratford on Aug. 27, St. Marys on Aug. 31 and Tavistock on Sept. 1. Participants must register be- forehand for a "very structured en- gagement session" with registration capped at 20 for each meeting. "Should there be more interest than that in any one session, we will direct people to one of the other ses- sions as the Approach in all will be the same. As such, we do not antici- pate having to turn anyone away," says HPHA CEO Andrew Williams. "Comments and .opinions raised in the workshops are intended to be anonymous, with the feedback being 'rolled up' into an aggregate report to ensure that no one individual's feed- back can be identified," added Wil- liams. The Alliance board will receive a report from the sessions, which will be tabled during an open session in the fall. At the HPHIes annual general meeting this past June, Williams re- ported on the service planning work that has been done and presented the organization's Vision 2013 frame- work. The HPHA's plan for the future has a number of key areas of focus in- cluding establishing centres of spe- cialty and redistribute beds for each site including ambulatory surgery in Clinton, rehabilitation and alter- nate level of care in Seaforth and St. Marys, and acute care in Stratford. The plan would maintain four emergency departments but assess hours of operation in St. Marys, Clinton and Seaforth in conjunction with the Southwest Local Health In- tegration Networks Emergency De- partment Human Resources Study. It would also reduce service dupli- cation across sites, repatriate pa- tients back to Huron and Perth who currently receive care elsewhere and introduce new• services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Beds and an MRI. The main outcome for this process is, "four viable and strengthened sites, ready to meet the health care needs of our region," says Williams. He says the process must also be clinically sound keeping the health and safety of patients paramount, create an environment that will be more appealing for recruitment and be grounded by extensive physician consultation and support. Williams' presentation can be viewed -on the HPHA website at www.hpha.ca. "While we are always interested in hearing from our communities and value the input from our Local Ad- visory Committees, it is now time to go out to our communities in a more formal way. With input from the res- idents of St. Marys, Stratford, Clin- ton, Seaforth and the surrounding areas, we are confident that we can build a workable plan for the deliv- We'll help You get around. Now one number will get you doorrto-door with our new EasyRide services. EasyRide is a transportation service shared by Community Support Agencies across Huron and Perth Counties. By teaming up and sharing vehicles and drivers, we offer frequent and flexible door-to-door service. Eligibility criteria will apply. Get on board. Call 1-877-500-987 Same great peoPle. More ways to get aro ery of hospital-based health services both now and in the future," said Williams. The workshops will be held from 7-9 p.m. in a cross-section of commu- nities served by the Alliance. • Residents from these communities and all of the surrounding areas are invited to register to participate in one of the workshops. Residents can register for a work- shop on-line at www.hpha.ca or. by calling 519-272-8210 Ext. 2737. Registration will be confirmed by telephone. The workshops represent the first step in a formal, comprehensive community engagement process that includes an on-line survey currently available at www.hpha.ca and in hard copy at each of the four Alliance hospitals, as well as broader commu- nity meetings to be scheduled later this fall. For more information contact An- drew Williams at 519-272-8210 or Andrew.Williams@hpha.ca. Your new Career starts here in Exeter. .:,-f:t:Vf",..,"-:••%::r.•"'•'.',.e'''''''•••••• • • •:•• • • a•• • ••:•• „,---7-------1 , ';.,:i:;::,:,•;".;.A:t.....?:4•:'-' -,,..•25,'. 'i:,,,,. •••••••, ,•••••••••,*•• • online courses from Ontario's Colleges and Universities, yciu could pursue just about any career you want. Go to gearnnetwork.ca/exeter for more information. Drop in or call: 349 Main Street • 519-235-1232 Register now for courses. r -t tearnnetwork.ca Learn where you live ;•