Community Report
SPRING 2015
Chatham-Kent residents
Clarence and Lorraine Bedford
have been married for
over 65 years.
From the
Help for people
Reducing ER
IN
passenger seat:
with addictions
wait times: a
THIS Meals
on Wheels and mental illness matter of priority
ISSUE:
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
Giving local
health care the
“lift” it needs
PAGE 6
Your voice:
why we want
to hear from you
PAGE 7
Erie St. Clair LHIN Your Local Health Care
Windsor/Essex | Sarnia/Lambton | Chatham-Kent
www.eriestclairlhin.on.ca
MOW
COM MUNIT Y R EPO RT
SPRING 2015
From the
passenger seat
with Shannon Sasseville, Director,
Communications, ESC LHIN
THE MAGIC OF MEALS ON WHEELS
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be
a guest volunteer with the Meals on Wheels
(MOW) Program run by the Victorian Order of
Nurses (VON) in Windsor/Essex. Having worked
many years in health care, and many of those in
the community sector, I thought the day would be
a pleasant reminder of all the good reasons why
community health services are so important. As it
turns out, the day was all of that and more.
Shannon Sasseville, Director,
Communications, ESC LHIN
As I sat in the passenger seat alongside two veteran
MOW volunteers, we detoured through traffic
jams, skirted around a fire scene, barreled down
back alleys and wheeled in and out of spots so out
of the way I wasn’t sure if I was still in Windsor.
During this adventure, I got to spend time with these
dedicated volunteers and learn about what drives
these intrepid ladies to donate their time and talents.
Despite having very busy lives of their own, they
explained how important the MOW program is to
the people they deliver food to and that by the end
of the morning I would share in this experience as
well. I have to admit, I used to run a MOW program
and thought I knew all about the importance of this
service, but there is nothing like getting out in the
field and seeing first-hand how health care services
affect people’s lives.
As we went about our morning food deliveries,
my emotions went up and down like a yo-yo. I was
saddened by the men and women who sit in their
2
dark front rooms staring blankly at their radios, as if
time stood still, yet eagerly waiting for a bright smile
and warm meal from one of the MOW volunteers.
I was surprised at the number of younger-aged
seniors in need of MOW services as they deal with
their own personal health and life challenges, and I
was also reminded of how much some people cared
about their pets, putting their animals’ needs before
their own. Above all, I was energized by the vibrant
and beautiful 85+-year-old ladies who just needed
MOW services to complement the assistance that
their families could provide. These women spoke to
me in detail about the importance of wearing good
make-up in the morning, gave me essential tips on
how to stay young and showed me that even though
life threw them a few curve balls, they weren’t going
to let anything get in the way of living a life full of
meaning. Although both of her eyes were failing
her desperately, one sweet soul instilled in me the
importance of living each day to its fullest and not
letting any challenge get in your way, even as every
day brought her one step closer to total blindness.
By the end of the day, I wondered who had actually
benefited more from the MOW program: the
seniors who received their friendly visit and the hot
meal, or me, the guest volunteer who left with not
only invaluable advice from some amazing seniors,
but a whole head full of reasons why health care is
much more than just medical care.
Phone-based service helps callers
with addictions and mental illnesses
If you live in Chatham-Kent,
Sarnia/Lambton,
or Windsor/Essex, call:
1-844-372-5446
Imagine yourself or someone you love struggling
with a drug or alcohol problem and needing
help…or imagine yourself feeling anxious or
depressed and needing to reach out for support.
Getting that help is now easier and faster than ever.
SERVICE IN
COMPASSIONATE
LANGUAGES
RESPONSE
70 24/7
Real people.
Fast help. 24/7
For people in Erie St. Clair who are
experiencing substance abuse or
mental health problems, help is as
close as a telephone. Thanks to a new
initiative with a provincial organization,
ConnexOntario, and a local program,
FACE, substance abuse services and
mental health services are now more
accessible in Erie St. Clair.
ConnexOntario is now offering a
specific toll-free number for the Erie
St. Clair region that provides 24/7
information and referrals for callers
aged 16 or older. ConnexOntario
provides support and information
on how to access help for mental
health and addiction problems, and
can support callers in more than 70
languages—ensuring that no-one is left
without help.
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By calling ConnexOntario,
appointments can be directly booked
by Erie St. Clair-funded FACE mental
health and addiction navigators into
face-to-face meetings, telephone
contacts, or OTN video-conferencing.
In Erie St. Clair, we are able to offer fast
access to community experts thanks
to our very dedicated mental health
and addictions providers and TeleMed
Nurses. By working together, they
ensure that people get the care they
need, quickly and as close to home as
possible.
If you live in Chatham-Kent, Sarnia/
Lambton, or Windsor/Essex you can
access ConnexOntario by calling:
1-844-372-5446.
COM MUNIT Y R EPO RT
SPRING 2015
Reducing emergency room
wait times: a matter of priority
Nobody likes to wait
The good news
When it comes to being in an emergency room, waiting can quickly make
most patients quite impatient. Emergency department staff know this,
and they do their best to see patients as quickly as possible. So why do we
sometimes have to wait—and what is the LHIN doing about it?
The good news is that wait times are shortening, even for less urgent
patients. That’s because we’ve assembled a variety of health care
professionals to assist emergency physicians and nurses. These include,
in some cases, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, triage nurses,
Community Care Access Centre staff, hospital discharge staff, pharmacists
and nurses who specialize in geriatric matters (GEMs). People with
different levels of urgency are now directed to the practitioners best able
to provide immediate care, making the flow-through more efficient. Busier
hospitals may have additional triage nurses who can provide “see-andtreat” care or, in some cases, fast-track certain medical procedures such
as X-rays or blood tests—even before the physician sees the patient. In
busy hospitals, there may even be “front-of-process” doctors who directly
participate in acute-case triage when faster intervention is required.
In most cases, wait times are determined by the urgency of the situation.
Hospitals triage incoming patients based on a “level” system that
determines treatment priority. Level I is for patients with immediate
life-threatening conditions such as cardiac or respiratory arrest or major
trauma. Level II designates patients with a potential life-threatening
condition such as drug overdose, head injury or severe trauma. There are
three other levels that identify progressively descending levels of urgency.
Where your condition places you on that scale determines the order in
which you will be seen and treated.
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R E D U C I N G
E M E R G E N C Y
R O O M
W A I T
“People with different levels of
urgency are now directed to the
practitioners best able to provide
immediate care, making the
flow-through more efficient.”
–Laurie Zimmer, ED/ALC Manager, ESC LHIN
Dealing with “busy times”
Of course, wait times increase when the emergency department gets busy. Remember that
patients are frequently being admitted through the back door by ambulances and, sometimes,
helicopters. These are most often the Level I cases that demand immediate attention and that
can lengthen wait times for others.
To improve the experience for those in the waiting room, many hospitals now have liaison
nurses or volunteers who regularly provide information to patients about wait times, inform
families on patient progress and respond to waiting patients whose condition may be
deteriorating.
The availability of acute care beds
Wait times are also affected by the availability of acute care beds. When acute care emergency
patients can’t be admitted to the hospital because rooms aren’t available, they have to be held in
the emergency department.
That, in turn, can cause delays for less urgent cases in the waiting room. That’s why we’re
focused on helping patients who are already occupying hospital beds to find appropriate
alternative care. This could be in long-term or convalescent care facilities or, with the right
supports, in the comfort of their own homes. These programs open up acute care beds and
allow emergency room staff to see more patients more quickly.
What can you do to reduce wait times?
Ask yourself if your medical condition is a true emergency. Is your concern one that can be
addressed more quickly and conveniently through your primary care giver or, perhaps, at a
walk-in clinic? If we all make better use of alternative care options, we’ll all get faster treatment
for ourselves and our families. It’s the best way to improve frustrating wait times in busy
emergency departments.
5
T I M E S
DELIVERING
RESULTS
The numbers are encouraging:
based on the most recent data,
our region’s wait times have
been trending downward.
#2
URGENT CARE
AMONG ONTARIO’S 14 LHINS
For urgent care patients
awaiting admission to
hospital, our wait times
are now the second lowest
in Ontario.
#6
NON-URGENT CARE
AMONG ONTARIO’S 14 LHINS
For patients who are in need
of less urgent care, we rank
#6 out of 14 LHINs in reduced
time to discharge.
46
8
COM MUNIT Y R EPO RT
SPRING 2015
Giving local health care
the “lift” it needs
Among our top health care delivery goals is this seemingly simple
proposition: provide the right care at the right time and at the right place.
However, achieving that objective is not always as simple as it might
seem. Research confirms what front-line health care workers already
know: one of the biggest barriers to health care—and indeed to healthy,
independent lifestyles—is the availability of suitable transportation.
Many Erie St. Clair residents live in rural
areas where there is no public transportation,
making getting around a challenge. We also
recognize that some patients can’t afford
the cost of private-sector transit, even where
it is available. Making sure that all people,
both in rural and urban areas, have access to
transportation for medical appointments and
treatments is a major priority for us.
The demand for affordable, wheelchairaccessible transportation has been
steadily increasing and, unfortunately, our
transportation providers’ aging vehicles
have not always kept pace with client needs.
That’s why we invested $1 million last year
in improved access to specialized health care
transportation for Erie St. Clair residents.
Because of that investment, our transportation
providers were able to buy new vehicles.
CareLink Health Transportation
People all across Erie St. Clair are now better
able to attend their medical appointments, no
matter where they live, thanks to eight local
transportation agencies coming together to
form the CareLink Health Transportation.
CareLink provides a single phone number
(1-855-728-1433) that people can call to
arrange local health transportation services.
This helps residents to live fuller, more
independent lives. That’s not just good for the
health care system—it’s also good for patients
and for their families.
Call CareLink
To access health
transportation services in
your community, please
contact CareLink
at 1-855-728-1433.
46
34,535
$1M
LHIN
FUNDING
It’s an excellent example of how local health
care planning and locally focused solutions
are improving the health of residents in the
Erie St. Clair region.
8
46
Impact of program +18 new LHIN-funded vehicles
# O F PA SSEN G ER R I DE S
# OF VEHICLES
46
134,535
# OF PROVIDERS
8
Includes LHIN-funded providers for the entire LHIN region during 2012-13 (i.e., not other transportation services/private companies).
6
8
134,535
CHATHAM
WINDSOR
ESSEX
LAKE ERIE
Your LHIN. Your voice.
Being informed and being heard are keys to creating a better health care system
SARNIA
U.S.A.
L A MBTON
CHATH A M -KENT
CHATHAM
WINDSOR
ESSEX
The ESC LHIN is one of 14 Local
Health Integration Networks in
Ontario. The LHINs were established
in 2006 to manage the planning,
integration, performance and funding
of the health care system.
POPULATION PROFILE*
• Immigrants • Seniors • Francophones
• Aboriginal peoples 18.1%
15.8%
3.3%
2.4%
*Source: 2012-13 ESC LHIN Annual Report
THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WE MANAGE
serves a diverse population of 650,000 people of all
ages and levels of health—from infants to seniors,
and from generally healthy people to those who are
chronically ill and, sometimes, receiving palliative
care. Each has different health care needs and each
expects different priorities from our health care
planning.
Striking the best and most
workable balance among
many different points
of view and competing
needs (and within
limited budgets) requires
a healthy exchange of
information. We need to
understand your concerns
and expectations. We also
want you to understand
the reasons behind the
decisions we make and
how these decisions
contribute to a more
balanced and sustainable
health care system.
Open Mic segment where people can share
important information with our Board.
We’re also active in the communities we serve,
hosting dedicated informational sessions and
making presentations to community groups and
professional associations. These almost always
include a Q&A session or opportunities for
discussion and community
input. Maintaining this
liaison activity involves
considerable staff time and
effort, but we understand
the importance of keeping in
touch and hearing what you
have to say.
“We understand
the importance
of keeping
in touch and
hearing what
you have
to say.”
We promote this kind
of community engagement in several ways. For
instance, we host Open Board Meetings at which
the public, health care providers and the media are
welcome. Agendas and topics for discussion are
always posted online in advance so that interested
parties can plan to attend. The meetings are webcast
so that others can follow developments from home.
Open Board Meetings begin with an
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In our efforts to leverage
every possible channel for
input, we also maintain
active dialogues on
community forums and
social media. You can
always reach us through
Twitter, Facebook or
email. Our YouTube link is
another source of news and
information. Finally, you can
also write us a letter or call us at 1-866-231-5446.
In these and other ways, we’re always striving to be
more open, more accessible and more customerfocused. Because when you understand the reasons
behind our decisions and when you know that it’s
easy to communicate with us, it makes for a healthier
community relationship.
COM MUNIT Y R EPO RT
SPRING 2015
How can you make your voice
heard on day-to-day issues? There
are several avenues open to you
Questions and
Information
Compliments
Given the complexity and importance of health
care, it’s not surprising to learn that we receive
a lot of requests for information. To ensure that
everyone gets an accurate response, we strongly
recommend the use of our Information Request
Form, also available online at eriestclairlhin.on.ca.
Just click on “Contact us” to find the form.
When our health care system works well (as we
hope it does in the majority of cases), consider
complimenting the care provider whose service
was exceptional. We also like to hear about your
positive stories, as it helps us identify areas of “best
practice” to build upon.
It’s also easy to
reach us online:
eriestclairlhin.on.ca
twitter.com/ESCLHIN
When the system performs below your
expectation (as we acknowledge it sometimes
does, despite best efforts), it’s once again best
to deal directly with the source. That said, the
LHIN team welcomes input that highlights
areas for improvement. Having a clearly
Concerns
documented understanding of your
concern is essential, so we provide an easyto-use Concerns form, available on our website. Visit eriestclairlhin.on.ca and click on
“Concerns.” You can also call us toll free at 1-866-231-5446. Just press 0 (zero) to reach
a receptionist, and we’ll put you in touch with the person who is best able to respond to
your inquiry. We know how frustrating it can sometimes be to get information, and we’re
committed to making it an easier, friendlier and more personalized process.
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Windsor/Essex | Sarnia/Lambton | Chatham-Kent
facebook.com/ESCLHIN1
youtube.com/ESCLHIN
180 Riverview Drive
Chatham, ON N7M 5Z8
Ph: 519-351-5677 Toll Free: 1-866-231-5446