Champlain LHIN Board on the Road - Directors will visit Cornwall, Kemptville next

Aiming to be accessible to the public, the Champlain LHIN Board of Directors is once again holding monthly meetings in different parts of the region. In August, the Board visited the town of Renfrew, and in September it will head to Cornwall. The October meeting will be convened in Kemptville.  

The Champlain LHIN Board, chaired by Marie E. Fortier, has representatives living across Champlain, such as Barry’s Bay, Ottawa, and Cornwall, and others. Its meetings are open to the public, whether they are held in Ottawa or elsewhere in the region. This level of transparency ensures that the decision-making process on health-care priorities, challenges and potential solutions is shared with providers and the public.  

The August meeting focused on wait times, specifically cataracts and diagnostic imaging. Also on the agenda were proposals to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for  future investments including dialysis, health services for patients with behavioural management issues and the regional laboratory. In addition, the voluntary integration of two community support services - Nepean Support Services and Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre - was presented to the Board and approved. For more information on these topics, see the Board of Directors section of our website under “Other Documents.” www.champlainlhin.on.ca

The next Board meeting will be held on September 24, 2008 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Cornwall Civic Complex, Hall A. The agenda for this and other Board meetings is posted on the Champlain LHIN website several days in advance of the event. 

New Refugee Medical Clinic Opens - Improved access to care for newcomers

A new medical clinic for government-sponsored refugees is now in operation at Reception House in Ottawa. In early 2008, the Champlain LHIN provided a capital grant of $77,500 in urgent priority funding to pay for renovations, medical supplies and computer equipment for this innovative program, which helps newcomers to our region.  

The clinic serves refugees who have arrived from remote and often neglected camps across the world. Many of the clients need initial screening, primary health services, and sometimes urgent care.

The refugees are brought to Canada by the federal government, which works closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other countries to resettle groups of refugees considered more at risk than the general refugee population. They are people who may have suffered severe persecution, including torture, imprisonment, forced labour, the burning of villages and forced relocation in their homeland.

Reception House, also called Maison Thérèse Daillaire, is run by the Catholic Immigration Centre. It’s a temporary home for refugees until permanent housing can be found for them. Roughly 400 people stay at Reception House every year, and the length of stay is about one month. Situating the medical clinic in Reception House means refugees can receive their medical care quickly in a place that understands their cultural needs and has translators on hand. 

On August 21, 2008, Champlain LHIN CEO Robert Cushman toured the new medical clinic and met with members of the Champlain Immigrant Health Network.

The network, founded by Dr. Kevin Pottie of the Bruyère Family Health Team and now chaired by community physician Dr. Doug Gruner, was instrumental in creating the new clinic. All community health centres in Ottawa and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario are members of the network, as well as several individual physicians, two Family Health Teams, University of Ottawa medical students, settlement workers, and others.

“The new clinic will help reduce emergency room visits because refugees are medically screened and treated for any health problems soon after they arrive in Canada,” said Dr. Gruner. He added that an electronic health record ensures ‘continuity of care’ when clients later transfer to another health professional for ongoing care.   

The Somerset West Community Health Centre helped to organize the logistics of setting up the new clinic, and currently provides a nurse practitioner to give routine immunizations and conduct medical screening tests.

In the photo (L-R): Dr. Kevin Pottie, Chamroeun Lay (Reception House), Lucila Cabrera (Reception House), Dr. Doug Gruner, Dr. Robert Cushman, Laura Kollenberg (nurse practitioner) and Dr. Anita Pozgay.

Chronic Kidney Disease a Growing Concern – Champlain region addressing the challenges

Chronic kidney disease is growing in prevalence, mainly due to the aging population and rise in diabetes. To better prevent, detect, and treat this illness, the Champlain Chronic Kidney Disease Network has been meeting to propose and implement new initiatives. These strategies aim to help patients receive services more easily and alleviate pressures on the health-care system.  

Chaired by Dr. Peter Magner and Dr. Nicole Delbrouck, the network also includes the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the Champlain Community Care Access Centre, and long-term care homes.  

The escalating need for dialysis has been the network’s focus of discussions to date. The Champlain region has two regional centres for dialysis (The Ottawa Hospital with its four satellites and the Renfrew Victoria Hospital with its two satellites). Two independent sites are also providing dialysis in Ottawa and Cornwall. At present, the regional centre in Renfrew is operating over its capacity and the Ottawa regional centre has reached its capacity. An additional challenge is that Renfrew County has a higher rate than the provincial average of polycystic kidney disease, which has resulted in heightened demand for dialysis in that area.      

Champlain LHIN staff recently met with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to determine how best to tackle the capacity issues. Besides increasing dialysis services at existing centres, providing more dialysis at home is one resolution supported by the Ministry and the Champlain LHIN.

Preventing risk factors for diabetes is also a priority. Because heart disease shares a number of risk factors with diabetes (i.e. smoking and obesity), the work of the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network is a key program. For example, this network’s Healthy School-aged Children Initiative targets heart disease, but at the same time would have a lowering effect on the rate of diabetes.   The network also has a hospital-based smoking cessation project.

Note the Kidney Foundation of Canada runs programs such as blood pressure clinics and peer support. For more information, call the Eastern Ontario chapter at 1-800-724-9953.

As well, the Champlain LHIN has been chosen to pilot a new diabetes e-Health project. Please refer to our August issue of our e-bulletin, Transformation.

Lastly, Champlain residents are encouraged to express their wishes to become an organ donor by signing a donor card and talking to their loved ones.  Sadly, Canada has one of the worst organ donor rates of industrialized countries. Remember that anyone is a potential organ donor, regardless of their age.  

New Community Health Centre in Prescott-Russell – Minister Caplan attends inaugural event

The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, David Caplan, visited the Champlain LHIN on August 25, 2008, to officially open a new community health centre.  The centre, located in Bourget, is an additional site of the Centre de santé communautaire de l’Estrie.

The opening means better access to primary care for the francophone population living in Bourget, Cheney, Hammond, St-Pascal, Clarence-Creek, Rockland and other towns in the Eastern Counties. Two physicians, two nurse practitioners, a nurse, a dietician, a mental health counsellor, and a health promoter are among the staff. The centre also boasts a diabetes team. 

Community health centres, which are under the responsibility of LHINs, are a critical element of the health-care system. They focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and provide comprehensive care for people with chronic diseases and mental health issues, for example. Community health centres help to strengthen the communities they serve.

On hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Marc Bisson, the centre’s executive director; Clarence-Rockland Mayor Richard Lalonde; MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde; Minister Caplan; Champlain LHIN chair Marie Fortier; and Champlain LHIN CEO Dr. Robert Cushman. Many members of the community also attended. They were Guy Lepage, Raymond Chartrand, Cécile Gagnier and a group of Bourget citizens. The volunteers were congratulated for years of involvement in helping to make the new centre a reality.

The Centre de santé communautaire de l’Estrie already has sites in Cornwall, Alexandria and Crysler.

For more information, please go to www.cscestrie.on.ca

About the LHIN

The aim of the Champlain LHIN is to help coordinate health services so that people receive the care they need and deserve in a timely way.

The LHIN does not provide services directly. Rather, our mandate is to ensure the services are well organized, appropriately funded and meet the needs of residents of all ages. The Champlain LHIN plans, coordinates and funds health services in the following health sectors:

Addictions and Mental Health Agencies

Community Care Access Centre (CCAC or home care)

Community Health Centres (CHCs)

Community Support Services (such as Meals on Wheels)

Hospitals

Long-term Care Homes

Our values: Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Transparency and Accountability

Mission: To build a coordinated, integrated, and accountable health system for people where and when they need it. 

Our mission is based on a strong foundation of local community engagement, comprehensive planning, and appropriate resource allocation. www.champlainlhin.on.ca