Familiar face leads hospital board

DURHAM -- The Ajax-Pickering hospital is on track to overcoming its obstacles and becoming a top community care hospital in Ontario, says Janet Ecker.

The former Ajax-Pickering MPP and minister of various cabinet posts, including community and social services, is the new chairwoman of the Rouge Valley Hospital System's board of directors. Once the policy director for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and vice-chairwoman of the RVHS board for the past two years, Ms. Ecker has been involved with the Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital for more than 20 years.

"(I'm) quite excited - intimidated, but very pleased," she said in an interview.

The new chairwoman comes into her position amidst the health system's $78 million in long-term debt and capital deficiencies. In order to overcome the problem, RVHS will use recommendations of an independent peer review presented to RVHS and the Central East Local Health Integration Network in December. Changes include achieving financial stability; improving quality and flow, with the help of the RVAP redevelopment that will greatly expand the ER; benefiting from the government's improved funding for high-growth hospitals; and, working with the CE LHIN.

"We've come through some challenging times," she said. "We're not out of the woods yet, but we're back on track."

The consolidation of the mental health unit will pool expert nurses to one site, she said. This will not only improve efficiency, but also the quality of care, she said. Outpatient services - which she said caters to most mental health patients - will be increased at both sites to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

But the consolidation plan has been slammed by most in the community since it means no mental health beds will remain at RVAP.

"Change is incredibly difficult," she said. "One of the reasons is because people care about health care...One of our priorities is to improve the community engagement process."

Community engagement allows the public to receive accurate information about what's happening in the hospital and is also considered good community feedback for the health system's future plans, Ms. Ecker said. RVHS is in the midst of creating a community advisory group, it's working with the CE LHIN and its collaboratives and plans to reach out to more community groups, including the board and senior staff.

"Our goal is being the best at what we do and we're not afraid to benchmark ourself against the best hospitals in the province," she said, adding marking itself against other hospitals is another way to improve.

Volunteers are an important asset to the hospital, Ms. Ecker said, and it's important to continue that relationship since they built the facility, help maintain quality with doctors and nurses and provide financial contributions.

"People have no idea how much of our health-care system depends on our volunteers," she said.

The deficit elimination plan included the announcement to cut 220 positions between both sites. But Ms. Ecker explained due to collective bargaining agreements, layoff notices had to go out.

"That doesn't mean that person's out on the street," she said.

RVHS is trying to minimize the impact on staff, she said, by eliminating positions through attrition, early retirement packages and new job opportunities.

"The actual involuntary job loss will be minimal because we use those things," she said.

As for some recent comments that the amalgamation of Centenary and the Ajax-Pickering hospitals is a bad marriage, Ms. Ecker said she respects peoples' views, but the government has made it clear there is no intention to change the system. It's more important to focus on financial stability, quality services and the expansion of the emergency department.

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