LHIN to start New Year with health care northerners want

North East LHIN
News Release

********************

Staff of the North East LHIN gathered for a day in Sturgeon Falls just before the holidays to confirm areas of focus to increase access to care for fellow Northerners in 2012.

Further to engaging with more than 700 Northerners earlier in the year, the NE LHIN was able to confirm that Northerners want programs and services aligned with the unique health care needs of Northeastern Ontario as close to home as possible.

In a region with higher than the provincial average for people over the age of 65, a declining population and high rates of chronic disease, obesity and substance abuse, health care services must take these unique needs into account.

In 2012, the NE LHIN will focus on the following areas: care provided in community and outside of hospital walls; education efforts to raise the awareness of available health services; primary care; ehealth solutions; governance engagement; integration; cultural diversity; mental health and addictions; recruitment and retention of health care professionals; and initiatives that support the need to move away from institutional-based care to community-based care.

********************