Chief of Staff Report

In health care, as in any rapidly evolving field, change is the only reality and change brings new challenges.

Our biggest challenge is to assure that our strategic planning in shaping our future is in sync with provincial and regional reforms. The advent of the Rural and Northern Healthcare Reform and the creation of hospital networks along with the Primary Care Reform represent major paradigm shifts that change the big picture. We must see these changes as opportunities for quality improvement in the way we serve our community.

Budgetary cuts and stretched-out financial resources are a reality. However, another worrisome reality is the scarcity of human resources in nursing, physiotherapy, radiology technologists and medical manpower. There is an acute shortage of general practitioners and specialists. As an example, there is a shortage of 180 radiologists in Canada, approximately 75 in Ontario. It is urgent that our professional associations, the provincial hospital associations along with the provincial and federal governments commit themselves to a realistic program for training, recruitment and retention of human resources. Without these resources modern expensive infrastructures are useless.

We are working on a master plan to better meet the future needs for space in 2006. Our architects have noted that we have grown from the outside in and we are bursting at the seams. Most services lack space to operate efficiently. Several changes with emphasis on ambulatory care have created these shortages. Bed closures on one hand and transfer of beds to the Hospital-In-The-Home Program on the other hand created large spaces that were taken over by the PART Clinic, the Community Care Access Centre and the Children Rehabilitation Program. There has been a major shift in surgery now being done more often as outpatient. Our endoscopy clinic has flourished. Outpatient consultation clinics have mushroomed to occupy more space. The satellite hemodialysis unit is occupying another large area. A diabetic clinic, which is planned for the near future, and the present expansion of our chemotherapy clinic to a more complex level of therapy not previously available, are two new ambulatory services that will use space which is getting rare. On the longer term, we are looking into projects such as a sleep disorder clinic. With The Ottawa Hospital and the 7b network, we have a pilot repatriation project in orthopedics and obstetrics. Simple, uncomplicated cases should be done in small community hospitals at a lesser cost than in large tertiary centres where Operating Room time is at a premium and should be reserved for complex cases.

Another long-term project for which no funds are available from the Ministry is a sadly needed CT scan. Hopefully, the Champlain District Health Council's decision to identify us as a possible district stroke centre might bring us closer to a CT scan, as such technology is the corner stone in the timely treatment of strokes.

Your hospital is ready for the telehealth explosion and, with our state of the art microwave communication system, we are embarking on a telehealth network program with the other eastern Ontario hospitals. This will create great opportunities to improve local continuing medical education and possibly improve availability of medical consultations. Furthermore, to permit exchange by teleradiology, we are making a major investment in a picture archiving and communication system which is computerized to permit instant transmission of x-ray films by internet.

Let me assure you that the medical community is ready and willing to meet all of these challenges.

Jean Fairfield, MD
Chief of Staff