North East LHIN News Release ******************** The North East LHIN (NE LHIN) will begin today to allocate $555,000 in funds to the region’s three urban hospitals, including: Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.
The North East LHIN (NE LHIN) will begin today to allocate $555,000 in funds to the region’s three urban hospitals, including: Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie. The CEOs of each of the hospitals agreed to use the funding to adopt a successful project from the Timmins and District Hospital (TADH) called ALC Wrap Around Services.
ALC Wrap Around was created by TADH and funded by NE LHIN in January, 2008. Wrap Around is a program that works to reduce the ratio of ALC patients in a hospital by increasing their access to home and community supports. It is used to help discharge existing ALC patients more quickly and/or to help prevent a hospital admission by a potential ALC patient.
Since TADH implemented ALC Wrap Around, they have witnessed a 40% drop in the number of ALC patients at their hospital. TADH senior administrators and physicians have expressed an enthusiastic interest to share their positive results with the other hospitals across the North East so that the region, as a whole, can begin to experience a reduction in ALC pressures.
The $555,000 will be allocated to each of the three hospitals through an agreed upon-formula. It is expected that, if hospitals move to implement quickly, results could be seen within weeks.
QUOTES
“The NE LHIN fully agrees that ALC cannot continue to go on unfettered,” said NE LHIN Board of Directors Vice Chair, Gisèle Guénard. “Our Board and staff fully understand the impact ALC is having on patients, physicians and hospital administrators who are struggling to find the balance between care for acute care patients and care for ALC patients.”
Rémy Beaudoin, CEO of the North East LHIN stated, “It is absolutely essential that we continue to work together; no one organization, solution or pot of money can solve this decade-long complex issue – hospitals, physicians, administrators and community organizations are coming together to bring relief to the ALC issue”.
“We are delighted to share our successes with ALC Wrap Around Services,” said Carlo De Lorenzi, Director of Clinical Services at Timmins and District Hospital. “We have witnessed the large amount of success that can be achieved with very little investment. This is a smart investment for our regional health care system – it is affordable, easy to implement, and has been proven to show results within a very short time frame.”
Hector Ciccone’s 95 year old father was discharged from TADH to his place of residence with wrap around services (additional homecare and meal supports) late this Spring. According to Mr. Ciccone, “The quality of life my dad is enjoying would not be possible without the wrap around services. The services offered have allowed my father to remain active and able bodied and without them, he would likely still be in hospital”.
QUICK FACTS
• The North East LHIN has the highest rate of ALC patients of any LHIN across the province.
• Since, December, 2007, the North East LHIN has applied all of its sources of new funding to the ALC Issue, which to date has totalled close to $10 million.
• An additional $14 million is earmarked to be applied over the next two years for Aging at Home programs and services that are aimed to allow seniors to stay in the comfort of their own home longer.
