HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-11-18, Page 11News
The Huron Expositor • November 18, 2009- Page 11
Alliance will poll public with meetings, telephone surveys
From Page 1
service duplication across sites, re-
patriate patients back to Huron and
Perth who currently receive care
elsewhere and introduce new servic-
es such as child and adolescent men-
tal health beds and an MRI (magnet-
ic resonance imaging).
While the Alliance planned to hold
eight community workshops which
required prior registration and were
closed to the media in late summer,
a low enrolment reduced the number
of meetings to three, with 32 partici-
pants in total.
"We had hoped to have many more
people involved," says Williams.
"The registration was to make sure
we had enough juice at the meetings
and the right number of people to
have a meaningful discussion."
However, he said the registration
was so low that the results couldn't
be used statistically.
A recent report to the Alliance
board said that while evaluation re-
sponses at the workshop were often
"excellent" and "very good," many
of the participants worked or had
worked in healthcare and were not
representative of the community.
At the community workshops, there
was strong support for the centres of
specialty concept,
the status quo is
not an option but
an "emotional" re-
sponse to the idea
of reducing hours
at any of the four
hospitals' emer-
gency depart-
ments.
As well, the re-
port said there are
"varying levels of
trust for the Al-
liance's motives"
and the partici-
pants "want to see
proof that a recon-
figuration will im-
prove access."
Other responses
showed concern
for the care of the
aging and worry
about having. ,to
travel to see loved
ones and the iso-
lation of older pa-
tients.
Results from a
meeting held with
representatives of
the Seaforth and
Clinton commu-
recognition
that
nities showed that a 24-hour ER is
the most important issue with ques-
tions asked about whether there are
enough doctors to care for patients
at multiple sites and where pallia-
tive care will be offered.
"The community workshops were
just , one piece of the process," says
Williams.
He says a fall report from the Al-
liance to the community in late No-
vember, included in weekend flyer
bags that are received by each house-
hold in Huron and Perth counties, •
will include questions and answers
about change in healthcare.
A telephone survey will follow up
the fall report and meetings will be-
gin in early December and continue
into January in the form of "commu-
nity talks" and "open forums."
Williams says the . "community
talks" will include a presentation
about the Vision 2013 plans, some
time for Q and A and "table work"
where participants are divided
into groupsfor smaller discussion
groups.
The "open forums" will be more
like town hall meetings without the
small group discussions.
Throughout the fall, an online
survey will also be reopened on the
Alliance website where anyone .in-
Thurs. & Fri.
Nov., 19 A 20
9a.m.-9p.m.
Sat. Nov. 21
9a.m.-6p.m.
Sun. Noo 22
10 a.m.-5P.
terested can fill out their answers
to questions about the Vision 2013
plans. The survey was originally
posted online during the time the
community workshops were held.
Williams says he's also willing to
receive letters from members of the
public or meet individually with peo-
ple.
"We don't want to be perceived as
not transparent," he says.
Williams says that feedback so far
includes the common thread that
there is public understanding that
the whole healthcare environment is
changing.
"Almost to a person, people rec-
ognize that we have to change. We
know we have to stay before the
curve," he says.
He adds that while the current pro-
vincial deficit makes hospitals un-
certain about their financial futures,
the Vision 2013 is not just driven by
finances.
"We want to use all of our four fa-
cilities to their full potential and
we're committed 100 per cent to all
four sites," says Williams.
He says that while he'd originally
hoped to have some recommenda-
tions to take to the Alliance board
by the end of 2009, he's now hoping
the public engagment process will be
complete in the new year.
Williams says that while he doesn't
know what the specific recommenda-
tions to the Alliance board will be
yet, some of them - specifically any
dealing with reduced hours at emer-
gency departments - will have to be
taken to the South West LHIN (Lo-
cal Health Integration Network) for
approval.
"We're not about to implement our
ideas without LHIN involvement.
It's a good check and balance and we
would take it there for their aware-
ness," he says.
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