he regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors was held on 04 February 2014.  During the meeting, the following matters were discussed:

ADMINISTRATION REPORT

Mrs. Ruest’s report included information regarding the Sister Cobey Award, Employee Service Awards, the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Long-Term Care Liaison Committee, and Census data.  Also discussed were:

Accountability Agreement – The Centre has received a 60-day notice from the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) that we will be entering into an Accountability Agreement for 2014/15.  This is an annual process.

Fire Safety – The tragedy in the nursing home in L’Isle-Verte, Quebec has brought fire safety to the forefront.  Mrs. Ruest reported that our entire building is sprinkler-protected.  Monthly fire drills are held for all three shifts.  A response time paper exercise based on staffing was completed in Fall 2013 whereby it was determined that our response time in a fire situation is better that the available time.

Ontario Budget / Advocacy – Our member associations, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the Ontario Association of Non-profit Homes and Services for Seniors (OANHSS) are both actively participating in pre-budget advocacy strategy.  The OHA is calling for the Government to create a comprehensive health system capacity plan to address increasing service pressures and inform decision making.  OANHSS has prepared key recommendations to the Government to address the following challenging needs in the Long-term Care sector:  physical acuity, prevalence and growth in mental health diagnoses, and aggressive behaviours.  There was consensus by the Board that a letter be sent to Mr. Jim McDonell, MPP, to inform him of the pressing funding and services issues which should not be ignored.

COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, FINANCE AND PERSONNEL RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Financial Statements – Both operations are on budget.  Sick leave continues to be a concern.  The Board of Directors approved the Financial Statements for the period ending 31 December 2013 as presented.

Management Fiduciary Statement – The Board of Directors approved the Management Fiduciary Statement for November and December 2013 and referred them to the Members of the Corporation for information.

KPMG Audit Planning Report – The KPMG Audit Planning Report was reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee.

Budget for 2014/15 – The Budget will be presented to the next Finance meeting.  The Hospital Annual Planning Submission (HAPS), a planning document to assist with negotiations with the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is due 14 February 2014.  This allows approximately six weeks for discussion prior to finalization of the Hospital Service Accountability Agreement.

AUXILIARY REPORT

Mrs. Lamond highlighted the following items of her report:  Annual General Meeting of Auxiliary on March 20th, Genie Wish, Valentine’s Day Gift Shop Draw, and $25,000 donation to St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre.

Mrs. Lamond was thanked for the generosity and hard work of the Auxiliary members.

MEDICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Medical Staff Reapplications – Drs. Foley, Reen and Shah were reappointed to the Medical Staff for 2014 by the Board of Directors.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES – The Education Calendar for February 2014 was circulated to the Board of Directors for information.

The next regular Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 04 March 2014 at noon in the Boardroom.

Report From the Board (February 2014)