In the coming months, health services will be redesigned into an integrated model with a focus on primary health care. The goals of the new model are to improve the health status of Mt. Waddington residents and communities, and, to become a Centre of Excellence in rural and remote health service delivery.
“By bringing a range of services together, it enables health care providers to work more collaboratively and provides much more choice to patients and clients,” said Allison Cutler, VIHA’s Executive Director of Population and Community Health. “It also promotes better communication between health care providers to support individual and population health.”
Once implementation of the redesign is complete, health care services will be delivered to an individual by a team of health professionals necessary to meet the needs of the individual. For example, an individual’s care team may include physicians, nurses, a pharmacist, physiotherapist, nutritionist, home support worker, mental health practitioner and/or a drug and alcohol counselor.
“The new model will give individuals access to members of their care team on a regular, ongoing basis in order to stay healthy, get better, manage ongoing illness or disease and cope with end of life,” said Dr. Bob Burns, VIHA’s Executive Medical Director, Population and Community Health. “It will also bring together all of the available health care professionals in the most accessible and integrated way possible.”
Services that will be integrated in Mt. Waddington in the coming months include Acute Rural Health Services; Residential Care; Home and Community Care; Mental Health and Addiction Services; Access & Flow; Child, Youth and Family Services and Primary Health Care Services.
“This redesign offers an innovative, integrated approach to the delivery of health care services for residents of our rural communities,” said Bev Parnham, Mayor of Port Hardy. “VIHA has listened to the concerns of our local residents through the Mt. Waddington Health Network – and have responded with a new approach that will not only provide better health care services to residents of our area, but will serve as a model for the rest of the Province.”
As a part of the redesign, three new management positions will be created including a Senior Manager of Mt. Waddington Services and two Primary Health Care Coordinator positions. These new positions will replace three existing management positions.
This initiative to redesign the management structure and shift the delivery of services in Mt. Waddington to an integrated primary health care model began two years ago and is based on the Mt Waddington Services Plan. The redesign plan is cost neutral and focuses on improving the quality of services offered in Mt Waddington.
“By changing the way health services are delivered from single provider models to integrated teams of health care professionals, services to patients will be more appropriate, involving the right health care provider at the right time,” said Cutler.
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For more information, contact:
Val Wilson
VIHA Communications
250-739-6303