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• Report highlights
• Service Rebalancing
• Governance and Management
• Implementation
• About the HSRC

February 23, 1998, Belleville -- The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) today released its preliminary decisions regarding the restructuring of health services in Hastings/Prince Edward Counties.

"Our goal is to achieve the best possible publicly-funded health system for the people of Ontario. We want to build on the years of fine work already done in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, helping you continue to improve and better co-ordinate health services," said HSRC Commissioner Dr. Rob Williams, a Timmins family physician.

The Commission issued preliminary decisions (Notices of Intention to Issue Directions or "Notices") and announced that there will be a response period. Interested organizations and individuals are invited to comment on the HSRC recommendations by April 2, 1998.

Report highlights

Highlights of the Hastings/Prince Edward report include:

• A comprehensive health system consisting of one amalgamated hospital operating on four sites. The roles of the hospitals will be:
  • Belleville General Hospital remains a full service hospital with enhanced services to improve critical mass;
  • The North Hastings site of the Belleville General Hospital remains unchanged;
  • Trenton Memorial Hospital will offer general medicine and general surgery capability, ambulatory care, day surgery and emergency care;
  • Prince Edward County Memorial retains inpatient and outpatient services pending a definitive decision on its role. The Hastings and Prince Edward Counties District Health Council is reviewing the hospital's role in light of the Ministry of Health's Rural and Northern Health Care Framework. The HSRC will make a decision on its role after receiving the DHC's advice;
• The total capacity of the health system to 2003 will be 436 beds, including acute care, sub-acute care, mental health, rehabilitation and complex continuing care to meet the needs of the growing and aging population. Twenty seven of these beds will be located in Kingston as part of longer-term mental health and rehabilitation programs;
• Enhanced services for the elderly include:
  • 571 places in non-institutional services such as supportive housing, long-term home care, attendant care and adult day care;
• Enhanced mental health services for adults, children and adolescents include:
  • an additional two acute mental health beds in Hastings/Prince Edward;
  • 18 longer-term mental health beds to be located in Kingston to serve the needs of people from Hastings and Prince Edward Counties;
  • child and adolescent mental health beds to be located in Ottawa-Carleton to serve the residents of Eastern Ontario including Hastings and Prince Edward Counties;
• Enhanced regional rehabilitation services, with seven new beds to serve residents of Hastings/Prince Edward in Kingston and two transition to independent living places;
• $3.4 million reinvestment annually in services:
  • $1 million for acute home care;
  • $2.3 million for sub-acute care; and
  • $137,697 in mental health services.
• $27.4 million for renovation and expansion projects, furniture and equipment;
• $7.8 million in annual savings or 9 per cent based on 1995/96 net expenses of $85 million.

Service Rebalancing

"The HSRC reviewed options on how to help the hospitals work better together and with other health service providers," said Dr. Williams. "Weighing all the possibilities, we chose the one that guarantees emergency or urgent care services at all sites and improves critical mass for regional programs at Belleville General Hospital, which we believe will lead to higher quality programs there."

The HSRC will wait for a recommendation from the Hastings and Prince Edward County District Health Council before making a final decision regarding the role of the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital. This advice will be based on The Rural and Northern Health Care Framework developed by the Ministry of Health.

While waiting for the results of the DHC review, the HSRC has developed two scenarios for planning purposes for the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital:

Scenario 1:	24-hour emergency care with physician on-site or on-call
	inpatient acute care beds
	ambulatory care and day surgery
Scenario 2:	24-hour emergency care with physician on-site or on-call
	ambulatory care and day surgery

Governance and Management

The HSRC preliminary recommendations call for all four hospitals to amalgamate into one corporation. The goal is to improve services through greater collaboration, sharing of resources and expertise between all hospitals while reducing duplication.

Implementation

The Commission expects implementation of its directions and recommendations for Hastings/Prince Edward to be completed by April 2000.

Dr. Williams said: "The measures outlined today will lead to improved quality and better access to a wide range of services for the residents of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. There will be enhanced services for all residents as a result of restructuring hospital services to prepare them to meet the needs of the future along with an increase in needed services both in hospitals and in the community."

About the HSRC

The HSRC is a group of individuals appointed by the Ontario government to redesign Ontario's health system. It is an independent agency of doctors, health care educators, hospital administrators, former hospital board members and other experts.

Highlights of the HSRC's work across Ontario to date include the call for:

• over $1 billion in hospital building upgrades
• over $500 million annually in new services in the areas of:
  • rehabilitation
  • mental health
  • sub-acute care
  • long-term care
  • home care
• the addition of almost 13,000 long-term care beds to the health services system
• increased capacity to treat 16 per cent more emergency and ambulatory patients at hospitals by 2003.

Contact: Paul Kilbertus (416) 327-5504

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