Fredericton Chamber Hopes Health Assessment Results in More Collaborative Care

Changing health picture to be studied
Published Wednesday August 11th, 2010
Horizon Health Network | Survey will help address health concerns in area
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By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

The Horizon Health Network will undertake an assessment to determine how to address the Fredericton region's changing health-care needs.

The assessment, to be carried out this fall, will focus on reviewing demographic trends and population health information specific to the region.

"Understanding the health and wellness needs of the communities we serve is extremely important to us," said Geri Geldart, vice-president of community health and nursing affairs for Horizon Health Network.

She said the survey will help address the needs of the communities served and help make better use of resources.

Geldart said this will be Horizon's first needs assessment in an urban area.

It hopes to make details on the process and who will be involved available in the fall.

Environment Minister Rick Miles, the MLA for Fredericton-Silverwood, announced the assessment Tuesday.

"The goal of the health-needs assessment is to review the health needs of Fredericton residents with a view to enhancing access to primary health care in this community."

Miles said that while there has been a lot of talk about collaborative care clinics and other types of facilities, they won't blindly move forward on it.

"We really need to assess what the community needs before we go ahead and spend money where maybe we can put those resources in areas where it's most needed."

A similar assessment for Kennebecasis Valley was recently completed. It took three months and cost $25,000.

Miles said he expects the Fredericton assessment to cost $40,000-$50,000 to complete.

The Liberals aren't the only party that has talked about addressing health-care issues in the Fredericton region.

The Progressive Conservatives have pledged to open collaborative health-care clinics on the south side of Fredericton and in the Oromocto region.

Meanwhile, the Green party has vowed to open community health centres across the province.

Jim Wolstenholme, the Green party candidate for Fredericton-Silverwood, said Tuesday's announcement amounts to no commitment at all.

"It's an election-type tactic of saying something, but not doing anything."

Wolstenholme, a former assistant deputy minister of health, said the parties should avoid piecemeal promises that go community-by-community.

"We have problems of access to primary care and services that are provincewide.''

Wolstenholme said the government should be looking to set up collaborative care clinics across the province to offer extended hours to users and provide family-based lifestyle education programs to help with issues such as diabetes management and obesity among young people.

Progressive Conservative Jack Carr, the MLA for New Maryland-Sunbury West, said he approves of the move.

"Overall, it is a good thing to have a needs assessment for the region. However, I'm skeptical a Shawn Graham government will move ahead with a study. A David Alward government will.

"Families can not wait for a needs assessment to be done. But I do support it."

Carr, whose party is promising that every New Brunswick family deserves to have a family doctor, said constituents are concerned about the issue.

Fredericton Chamber of Commerce CEO Susan Holt said the organization is pleased to see the Department of Health taking this first step towards improving the primary health-care landscape in Fredericton.

The chamber's physician recruitment committee has identified the development of more collaborative care clinics as one way to address the doctor shortage in Fredericton.

"We're very optimistic that the health-needs assessment announced today will deliver the same insight. We hope to help the government and Horizon Health Network move quickly to undertake this assessment and implement the results that come from it."

While the chamber has identified the collaborative clinic model as the right delivery method, "the specific makeup of the clinic in terms of its staff and its focus is best left to the experts," Holt said.

Robert Hatheway, a former co-chair of the chamber's physician recruitment strategy and the Progressive Conservative party's liaison to Elections New Brunswick, was at Tuesday's announcement.

"I'm just worried that we're not getting the action as efficiently as we may need. There's a lot of work that's been done," he said.

He said he hopes action doesn't get bogged down by study.

"I was encouraged by the timeline of the Kennebecasis study."