A good cross section of Snow Lake people were out for the NORMAN Regional Health Authority's (RHA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) Oct. 22. This was the third time the RHA has held their AGM in the community during its 12 years of existence, and it seems that each time the attendance has risen.
The meeting began with a welcome and overview of some of the fine volunteer work and much needed purchases that the region's hospital auxiliaries have provided throughout the year. It is apparent that these volunteers are a greatly appreciated entity within the field of healthcare.
Following this, Drew Lockhart, the RHA's chief executive officer, gave an overview of the 2008-09 Annual Report, which was provided for attendees. Lockhart touched on a number of the health authority's directions and accomplishments during his address. He noted their strategic commitment to "going green" within all facilities, the work being done on their third regional Community Health Assessment, their commitment to and work within the realm of an aboriginal health strategy, patient safety, and risk management, as well he reported on Telehealth utilization.
Following Lockhart, Lil Rourke, the RHA's chief financial officer, summarized the region's finances. Things were not so rosy here. Both Rourke, and Lockhart before her, said that current fiscal difficulties in NORMAN are due in large part to the lack of funding for the Northern Patient Transportation Program (NPTP). Both noted that although the NPTP is a provincial program, it is grossly underfunded. They advised that in 1999-2000 the year the RHA was first required to pay for NPTP costs from their own budget, the net expenses of the program were $2.26 million. In 2008-09, the net expenses were $6.34 million - a 186% increase. It was said that the RHA has had to reallocate anywhere from $1.5 million to $2.6 million per year from other program areas in order to deliver this provincially-mandated service that is required for all Northern residents. The largest driver of NPTP costs is the air ambulance. In 2008-09, seven per cent of all travel warrants were for air ambulance, yet it accounted for 52 per cent of the total NPTP budget.
Following this portion of the meeting, the region's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Lawrence Elliott gave a current and comprehensive synopsis of the novel H1N1 human swine flu pandemic, and preparations for it. This included information on what exactly the flu was, some of the history of pandemics, the symptoms of H1N1 human swine flu, and strategies for prevention. Additionally, Elliott talked about the H1N1 flu shot and advised who would get it first. He also touched upon the seasonal flu shot and reinforced the safety of the H1N1 vaccine.
