News ReleasesHOME / GOVERNMENT / NEWS RELEASES / Tuesday, October 24, 2006  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (aussi disponible en français) Health GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS COMMUNITY RECOMMENDATION TO BUILD A NEW ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL IN WEST PRINCE
The recommendations were part of a report which detailed results from a series of community consultations held in West Prince this past spring. Almost 1200 individuals participated in the consultation process which included six private stakeholder meetings, six public forums and alternative opportunities for written and oral submissions. Premier Pat Binns said, “I have asked the Minister of Health to immediately start the process to engage a consulting firm in carrying out the Master Planning phase of this project.” The Master Plan will engage staff, physicians and community residents in defining the range and scope of services to be offered in the new hospital. This process is expected to occur over the next six to eight months. Following the Master planning stage, there will be a functional plan developed which will include the specific details needed to develop the architectural design. Upon completion of the architectural design, construction is anticipated to commence by 2008. Chester Gillan, Minister of Health said, “The new hospital project will be a means to stabilize delivery of acute and primary care services in West Prince. The decision to go with a single acute care facility in West Prince with partner health services throughout the area is an effort to ensure reliable long term healthcare for residents.” “The consultation and planning process underway in the coming months will not only benefit the development of a new hospital, but will also help provide direction for services such as clinics, long term care and nursing care in the area. A new state of the art hospital will also provide an opportunity to acquire new technologies and explore best practices in hospital planning including an improved ability to handle outpatient and emergency care,” added Minister Gillan. Gail Shea, Minister of Transportation and Public Works announced that, “The Department of Transportation and Public Works has completed negotiations to acquire a parcel of land approximately 40 acres in size on the Mill River East Road at Bloomfield Corner. The land acquisition is subject to successful completion of the necessary due diligence.” Ernest Hudson, Chair of the West Prince Consultation Committee said, “Hospital physicians, staff and many others in the community recognized that a single new health facility was needed and will attract staff, physicians and volunteers to acute care services in the area.” Aside from recommending a single new hospital, there was a recommendation that government develop a strategic plan which addresses the health care needs of an aging population, the need to replace Maplewood Manor and make the best use of existing acute care facilities in Alberton and O’Leary. The report recommends that community healthcare clinics be maintained and enhanced within the municipalities of Alberton, O’Leary and Tignish. The report also recommends that the Government of PEI develop and implement a strategy for the retention and recruitment of healthcare professionals in rural Prince Edward Island. Recommendations in the Consultation Report will be addressed through the new West Prince Hospital project, the Department of Health Business Planning process, a West Prince community consultation process including community needs assessments, and through ongoing evaluation of recruitment efforts by the province. The full Consultation Report is available online on the Department of Health website at: www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/hea_west_hospit.pdf BACKGROUND INFORMATION WEST PRINCE SINGLE HOSPITAL CONCEPT - PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS - FINAL REPORT During a strategic planning session conducted by the West Prince Health Authority Board in January 2004, the concept of a single, state-of-the-art facility was identified as a means to stabilize acute care and ensure the long term viability of health services for the area West Prince. Purpose of the Consultations: • In the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Prince Edward Island made a commitment to provide a forum for a dialogue on the concept of a centrally located single acute care hospital with the community of West Prince. In March 2006, the Department of Health announced the formation of a committee to oversee this dialogue and appointed a committee. • The primary objective of the committee was to seek the views and perspectives of partners and stakeholders regarding the concept for a single new acute care hospital centrally located between the existing hospitals in West Prince and report the findings to the Minister of Health. Consultation Process: • The West Prince Single Hospital Consultation committee carried out an extensive consultation process from April 2 to May 4, 2006 providing as many avenues as possible for individuals and groups to offer input. • These avenues included six private stakeholder meetings, six public forums, the opportunity for written and/or oral submissions, e-mails, a toll-free telephone line, an informative website, and mail-in responses. Nearly 1200 people took part in the consultations. Key Themes Identified in the Consultation Process: Maintaining the Status Quo • The Community Hospital O’Leary and Western Hospital Alberton are very close to the hearts of all West Prince residents. The view that every effort should be made to maintain them in their present roles was expressed. On the other hand, a number of participants at the private and public consultations stated that maintaining the status quo would be impossible, indicating that a prolonged attempt to do so would inevitably result in West Prince losing the services that are presently provided. Economic Impact • Through the consultation process, some participants indicated that the economic impact of a move to a new central acute care hospital would provide an economic boost to the region as a whole and help to provide economic stability over the long term for all communities of West Prince. Municipal officials from Alberton and O’Leary noted that their communities would suffer a major economic loss if acute care services were removed. Growth in both municipalities has occurred, to some degree, from the development of seniors’ housing. Concern that this growth would stagnate or decline with a loss of acute care services in their communities was expressed. Recruitment and Retention • It was noted at every meeting that the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers was one of the most important factors for maintaining viability of services. Specific areas of concern included increasing workloads, frequency of on-call schedules, work-life balance, and discrepancies in physician compensation between rural and urban areas. Operational Efficiencies • Participants noted that a single facility could reduce duplication in a variety of areas including overtime expenses and equipment acquisition and repairs. These efficiencies could then be used to enhance acute care services. Regional Healthcare Focus • The view was presented at most meetings that decisions should be made for the betterment of the West Prince Region, as a whole, and that any decisions made on the new concept must be dictated by the healthcare needs of the region and not be based on economic or political interests. Healthcare Worker Support of Concept • The vast majority of healthcare workers supported the concept as a means to stabilize health services. Many healthcare workers felt that the West Prince area would be in danger of losing acute care services unless a move was made toward a single, centrally located hospital. Report Recommendations: Given the degree of support expressed by the West Prince community throughout this consultation process, the committee recommends that: 1. Government of PEI establish a single, state-of-the-art facility, centrally located between the two existing hospitals as a means to stabilize delivery of acute care services in West Prince. 2. Government of PEI develop a strategic plan which addresses the health care needs of an aging population, the need to replace Maplewood Manor, and makes the best use of existing acute care facilities in Alberton and O’Leary. 3. Community Healthcare Clinics be maintained and enhanced within the municipalities of Alberton, O’Leary and Tignish. 4. Government of PEI develop and implement a strategy for the retention and recruitment of healthcare professionals in rural Prince Edward Island, including enhancements to recruitment and a reduction of regulatory barriers. Next Steps to Implement Recommendations: • By the end of November, Government will contract a consulting company to lead the Master Planning process. This process will include input from staff, physicians and West Prince community residents to determine the range and scope of services to be offered in the new, state-of-the-art facility. • The Master Plan sets the foundation for the Functional Programming stage which will lay out the detail necessary for the architectural design and construction phase of the project. These phases will occur over the next two years with construction slated to begin in 2008. • The Department of Health is currently undergoing a Business Planning process for the Department and related health services across the province. Over the coming months, community needs assessments will be carried out among healthcare providers and community residents. This process will consider all healthcare issues and will also help define the role of existing health facilities in West Prince. The assessments will also help define the health needs of an aging population. • Government recognizes that there is an ongoing need for planning in the area of retention and recruitment of healthcare professions in rural and urban settings on PEI and will factor that planning into ongoing development and monitoring of health care provider recruitment strategies. It is recognized that there are specialized areas to consider when recruiting and retaining health care professionals in rural settings.
For additional information, contact Darlene Gillis. | ||||||||
