The services offered at Palmerston and District Hospital may change over the years, but health officials are committed to keeping the facility open.
“Are we closing the doors? No,” said Sandra Hanmer, Chief Executive Officer of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).
Hanmer was responding to an inquiry from Mapleton councillor Dennis Craven on Feb. 9.
Craven said there are many rumours swirling about the community and he asked point blank if the Palmerston hospital will be open in 10 years.
Hanmer stressed more than once that services offered at the hospital may change, but LHIN officials remain committed to rural health care services.
Dialysis services
Mayor John Green wondered specifically about the usage of the dialysis clinic at the Palmerston hospital, which opened in the summer of 2008.
A long-time member of the Palmerston District Hospital Foundation (PDHF), Green said it is “hard to justify” the price tag for the clinic when so few people are using it.
The Palmerston clinic, a satellite location of Grand River Hospital’s regional dialysis program in Kitchener, cost $2.9-million. The majority of the funding came from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, while the PDHF contributed $500,000.
Initially the clinic operated three days per week, and within a year was expected to operate six days a week and accommodate 36 patients in total. However, Mark Karjaluoto, Grand River Hospital’s director of communications, told the Advertiser the Palmerston site currently has just ten patients.
“Our goal is to aim somewhat higher,” said Karjaluoto, adding the goal is to have 18 patients.
Green suggested last week Grand River Hospital “may be reluctant” to give up some of its dialysis patients, which Karjaluoto said numbered 365 in the Waterloo-Wellington area.
Hanmer replied patients have to be stable enough to access dialysis services in their own community. She also said patients have the right to choose to go to the Kitchener hospital if they prefer it to the satellite clinic in Palmerston.
Green acknowledged the latter is happening, but suggested the motivation may be “political.” Hanmer said she would look into the matter for council.
Assisted living
When Hanmer mentioned the LHIN hopes to work closely with municipalities to provide certain services, councillor Bruce Whale asked what local governments can do.
Hanmer said LHIN officials are hoping municipalities will get involved with assisted living homes – or even neighbourhoods. She noted the LHIN hopes to host a “housing summit” in the spring.
LHIN?plan
The original reason for Hanmer’s visit to council was to provide an update on the LHIN’s Integrated Health?Service Plan (IHSP).
She explained the IHSP’s main priorities for the 2010 to 2013 term are:
– decreasing wait times for MRI exams;
– improving access to emergency department care, primary care and mental health services;
– improving chronic disease prevention and management;
– improving outcomes for stroke patients through integrated programs;
– decreasing alternate level of care days; and
– improving patient safety and enhancing quality of care.
Physician assistant
Since council was discussing health care, Green said it was a good time to announce the medical centre in?Drayton would unveil its first physician’s assistant on Feb. 26 at 11:30am.
The mayor explained the “P.A.,” who has an armed forces background, would work back and forth between Mapleton and Minto.
Hanmer confirmed the Minto-Mapleton assistant is the first hired within the Waterloo Wellington LHIN.
