Small hospitals share ideas

A summit focusing on northeastern Ontario's 22 small, rural hospitals held September 23 and 24 in Sault Ste. Marie provided a forum for the exchange of new ideas. Hosted by the North East Local Health Integration Network, the two-day meeting gave hospital CEOs, senior management and board chairs an opportunity to identify opportunities for co-operation and integration, said Louise Paquette, CEO of the North East LHIN.

Also attending the summit as observers were the CEOs of the region's four large hospitals, as well as senior management from the Community Care Access Centre and the North East Mental Health Centre.

Issues up for discussion included collaboration between physicians and nurse practitioners, information technology, recruitment and retention, French-language services, Aboriginal health care and the impact of alternate level of care patients occupying acute care beds.