Growing Together Through Partnershiphealthcareathome.ca/southwest/en/news/Documents/May_2013_v2.pdfCCAC care coordinators will collaborate more fully with our partners, helping to

May 2013

Growing Together Through Partnership600-plus Attend the CCAC’s Annual Event on May 6th

Volume 7 Issue 5 May 2013

The CCAC’s annual learning symposium had two celebrity

guests – Dr. Samir Sinha, the geriatrician who has shaped

Ontario’s new Seniors Strategy, and world famous talk

show host Ellen DeGeneres. (And if you’re thinking there

was something vaguely familiar about Ellen, you’re right –

she’s on television all the time!)

CEO Sandra Coleman started the day by welcoming partici-

pants in the London, Seaforth and Owen Sound sites, includ-

ing CCAC staff members and partners from our provider

agencies and community support service agencies. “We not

only get to do the work we are passionate about,” she told

them, “but we are also blessed to be in a growth sector.”

Pointing out that extra funding for community care comes

with the responsibility to “do more, better,” Coleman said,

“We will discover that the more effectively we can work to-

gether, the more time we will have for the people we serve to-

gether, and the better we will be able to provide that service.”

Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care,

sent video greetings to the event, saying, “My Ministry has

made a commitment to provide more care for patients at

home and in the community because patients tell me what

I’m sure they tell you – that they want to be cared for at

home, close to their families.” Michael Barrett, CEO of the

South West Local Health Integration Network, touched on

the theme of the day, saying, “No single organization can

achieve meaningful change in the health care system alone.

The importance of partnership cannot be overstated.”

When the familiar “Ellen” music started up, participants

were amazed to see Ellen dance her way onto the stage to

interview Dr. Sinha. Here is some of what he said:

“What I love about geriatrics is that it gives me permission

to care for the whole patient. When someone comes to see

me for the first time I spend two hours with them. When you

do that you start to understand all the things that make

them who they are.”

“Right now 14.6% of our population are older Ontarians,

and they account for more than half of our health and

social service spending. The number of older Ontarians

will double from 1.9 million to 3.8 million over the next

20 years. If we don’t get it right for them, then our system

won’t be sustainable for all of us in the future.”

“Collaboration is the absolute key. Being innovative and tak-

ing risks is important, too. We’re all going to make mistakes,

we’re all going to step on toes, but if we work in the spirit of

partnership, there is the opportunity to grow together.”

“To summarize Health Links in a word, it’s collaboration.

It’s about understanding that it takes a village to care for a

frail older Ontarian. It’s about communities coming together

to wrap support around people with a lot of health issues. At

the end of the day, we are stronger when we work together.”

“Getting access to health information is really important,

and it can’t just be through doctors. Services like

thehealthline.ca are great.”

L to R: CEO Sandra Coleman, CC Heather McCallum, Premier Kathleen

Wynne, Peggy Patterson (Norman’s wife), PSW Moe and Minister of Health

and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews with Home First patient Norman

Patterson (seated) during the Premier’s visit on May 24, 2013.

A Message from Sandra Coleman, CEO South West CCAC

Building a System, OnePartnership at a Time

What a wonderful experience I had on May 6! I hope you

did too. There was so much energy in the room at each

site. There was a sense of belonging to something strong,

vital and bigger than any one of us. It was clear that we

all shared a commitment to delivering outstanding

Client-Driven Care.

The theme of May 6 is the theme of every day at the

South West CCAC. The home and community sector is

growing. So too are our patient populations, their acuity,

and the demands on us to deliver more and better. We

know that we must grow together through partnership.

We’re used to referring to the “health care system,” of

which home and community care is a part. The dictionary

defines “system” as “A set of connected things or parts

forming a complex whole.” Yet sadly our health care

system sometimes doesn’t seem all that connected. Nor

does it always come together as a whole. Just ask a patient

who has experienced a bumpy transition from one part of

the system to another.

In the past year, the CCAC have taken some important

steps toward deeper and broader partnerships across our

sector and the South West. You’ll read about some of our

achievements in the “Year in Review” article on the

next page.

There is more we can and will do in the months ahead.

CCAC care coordinators will collaborate more fully with

our partners, helping to ensure that transitions are smooth,

all appropriate services and supports are in place, and

communication with primary care and other partners is

effective. In doing so, we will be contributing toward an

effective, efficient and sustainable health care system.

WhaT’S ThE Buzz?

2 Volume 7 Issue 5 May 2013

"Ellen" pays a surprise visit on May 6.

home First MilestoneIn an email to Cathy Kelly and Carla Crowther in early May, MarkLandy, Director of Medicine and Oncology at Grey Bruce HealthServices, noted that, “For the first time in recent memory wehave not one ALC patient on the medical unit in Owen Sound.”He called it a “significant achievement,” and credited the HomeFirst philosophy and the hard work of CCAC employees for making it happen. The situation continued for several weeks.

Changes to PhysiotherapyThe Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is moving ahead onplans to reform the delivery of physiotherapy services in Ontario.Under the plan, CCACs will become the single point of access forin-home PT services, and will be given additional funding to clearany existing waitlists. The CCAC will also be responsible for providing PT in retirement homes. Under the new system, long-term care homes will hire their own therapists.

Budget CommitmentsIn the budget presented in early May, the Ontario government announced increased investment in home and community care,adding an additional one percent annually over the four percentincrease announced in the 2012 budget. This would result in atotal increase of more than $700 million by 2015-2016. The newinvestments will be focused on more home care for seniors,

relief for caregivers, and support for those facing mental healthand addictions challenges. The funding will also help achieve thetarget of providing home care within five days of a CCAC assessment, and increase investment in Health Links.

On May 21, NDP leader Andrea Horvath announced that shewould support the budget, which ensures that it will pass (andthere will be no spring election). Moving forward, we will beworking with the South West LHIN to determine the allocation ofthe new funding to the CCAC.

Oha Idea BookA publication of the Ontario Hospital Association, Achieving Patient Experience Excellence inOntario: An Idea Book, compiles65 successful initiatives from hospitals across the province. Thebook also validates some of thefactors necessary for successfulchange, including collaboration,communication, support of leader-ship, buy-in from frontline staff,and engagement at all levels. Toread about the initiatives, GoogleOHA idea book.

2013 The Year in Review

If the 2012/2013 fiscal year

seemed like a busy year,

that’s because it was!

At the provincial level,

home and community care

was heralded as a key part

of health system transfor-

mation, and we saw the

introduction of a new

Seniors Strategy and Health

Links. In the South West,

the way we deliver care

changed, and our role

broadened and deepened.

We achieved the highest

level of accreditation.

We saw the Home First

philosophy flourish. We

developed new ways to

collaborate with our care

providers and system part-

ners. We became a virtually

paperless organization.

We saw a homegrown

information resource,

thehealthline.ca, roll out

across Ontario.

Through it all, two things

did not change: our

commitment to the

principles of Client-Driven

Care, and our belief in the

importance of innovation.

Just to remind you

of everything we

accomplished together,

here’s a partial list. To see

more, check out our Report

to the Community, due out

in June.

•

•

•

•

•

• •

Staff Bulletin 3

2013 Award Recipients

Home First helped reduceALCs in South West

8.9%• The Home First approach

helped reduced ALCs in

the South West to 8.9%,

the lowest of any LHIN

in the province, and

saved more than 13,000

hospital days.

Clients rate care as good orexcellent

94%More than 94% of our

patients rated their care as

good or excellent.

Of patients coming home

from hospital, 93%

received their first visit

within five days.

First visit within five days

93%Care Coordinators were

on site on a regular basis

with 160 family physi-

cians across the South

West, a 36% increase

from the previous year.

We played a key role in

the development of the

Perth Huron Health Link

and are supporting Health

Link developments in

London, Middlesex,

Grey-Bruce, Oxford

and Elgin.

We worked with our part-

ners in complex continu-

ing care, rehabilitation,

Adult Day Programs,

and assisted living and

supportive housing to

improve coordination and

ensure equitable access.

We played a role in all

three projects recognized

through the South West

LHIN 2012 Quality

Awards.

We continued to expand

our cost-effective Flex-

Clinics, growing from

24 to 33 clinics, with a

34% increase in visits.

FlexClinics grow from 24 to 33

34% ��

• We spent less than 4%

of our budget on

administration.

• eShift and Heroes in the

Home were recognized

by Accreditation Canada

as Innovative Leading

Practices.

• We received an additional

4.8% in new funding but

increased spending on

home visits by 8.5% and

increased the number of

home visits by 10%.

• We consolidated access,

placement services and

short stay teams into

hubs, to improve service

and efficiency.

• We did an RFP for

medical supplies and

equipment, resulting in

better quality care and

estimated savings of

$2 million per year.

Congratulations to everyone for your contributions to

these and many other accomplishments!

Client-Driven Care

The recipients are:

Individual – Deborah Wilson

Client Services – Jane Downey

Leadership – Kim Le Mare-Matthews

Team – End User Support Team: Helen Ward, Colin Keevil, Dan Fenton,

Kathryn Henderson, Mike Williamson, Iolanda Locker, Andrew Larson,

Angelo D’Alessandro, Luu Hong Phong, Colin Gray, Jacquie Hudson,

Kirsten Zang, Niki Lauzon

Our heartfelt congratulations to the remarkable individuals who were

honoured with Client-Driven Care Awards on May 6, and to all those who

were nominated for these prestigious awards.

4 Volume 7 Issue 5 May 2013

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O c c u p a t i o n a l HEALTH AND SAFETYThe Importance of Being Earnest

How Joint OccupationalHealth & Safety Committees Make a DifferenceNorth American Occupational Health andSafety Week is held each year in Mayand this year’s theme is “Safety andHealth: A Commitment for Life! Are youas safe as you think?” The goal of theWeek is to focus attention on prevent-ing injury and illness in the workplace,at home, and in the community. Acrossthe South West CCAC, the work of ourJoint Health and Safety Committees is avital part of achieving this goal.

As a part of our safety initiative thisyear, we will be enhancing and high-lighting the work of the Joint Health andSafety Committee. The committee actsas an advisory body that helps stimulateawareness of safety issues, recognizeworkplace hazards and actual or poten-tial risks, and then recommend possiblesolutions to eliminate or control them.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act ensures that at least half of thecommittee is comprised of worker representatives. The committee holdsquarterly meetings and conducts regular monthly inspections of theworkplace. Committee members areavailable to receive employee concerns,complaints and recommendations, todiscuss problems and recommend solutions, and to provide input into existing and proposed health and safetyprograms, policies and procedures.

Committee membership, minutes ofmeetings and inspection reports areposted on the Joint Health and Safetybulletin board in each site and theHealth and Safety Divisional bulletinboard on the South West intranet.

Thank you to our Joint Health andSafety Committee members for theirdedication and commitment to safetyand health!

50 Yearsin Nursing

Welcome New StaffWoodstock Tonya Drost, CC

Owen Sound Errol Sturgeon, CC

London Carole McLean, Rapid

Response Nurse; Briane Reurekas,

CC; Shannon Fiedorec, Shauna

Funston, Katharine Ideson, Ashley

Viaene, Anna Wilgucka and Carla

Willems, CSAs

Stratford Allison Skinner and Pamela

Steingard, CCs and Lori Peixoto, CSA

Karine says GoodbyeCare coordinator Karine Landart,

who is leaving to accept a position in Ottawa, wrote a moving note to Regional Client Services ManagerSherry Fletcher on her departure.

She said in part:

“I wanted to share a little secretwith you… and it’s this amazing

team! I am only a woman, only a carecoordinator without the rest of my co-workers. And this includes all sites!There is so much positive energy todraw from as long as you put yourselfout there to let it grow. I have learneso much from my colleagues and myclients. I know that the South WestCCAC is a great place to work. Thankyou for this great opportunity.

Laura Sheridan, Nurse Practitioner Primary Health Care Intensive HomeCare Team, had a little help from her children over the long weekendwhen they took charge of planting the Growing Together through Partnership wildflowers.

Colleague RecognitionKathryn McDermott, Care Coordinator, South Access Team in London achieved a tremendous milestone recently – 50 years in Nursing! The Access Team celebratedthe occasion with offers of congratula-tions, flowers, pastries and coffee. Theteam feels honoured to have Kathrynon their team sharing in her knowledge,compassion, and the humour that shedemonstrates so often with clients andher peers.

DOUBLE THE FUNOn May 3 2013 the Seaforth office held a dual potluck baby shower

for Administrative Assistant –Performance Management and

Accountability, Michele Dalton (left)and Children Service Care Coordinator,

Michelle DeWetering (right). Both babies are due in early June,

only a few days apart. We wish bothladies all the best and look forward to

hearing about their new additions.

South West from Space!An image of the South West taken by Sarnia native Commander Chris Hadfieldfrom the International Space Station. Thephoto was taken on May 5, clearly a goodomen for the Growing Together event thefollowing day!