The Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health have appointed five new members to the Board of Directors of Canadian Blood Services (CBS). James Kreppner (Toronto) joins the board as a consumer interest representative. W. John Dawson (Vancouver), Dr. M. Bernadette Garvey (Toronto) and Frank D. Jones (Edmonton) join the board as representatives of the medical, scientific, technical, business and public health sectors. Kenneth Wayne Ezeard (Rustico, Prince Edward Island) becomes the new regional representative from the Atlantic Region. (www.bloodservices.ca)

Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, recently announced the appointment of Thomas E. (Tim) Armstrong, Q.C., O.Ont., of Toronto to the Board of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB). Mr. Armstrong joins board members Ingrida Sketris and Anthony Boardman, current chair Dr. Robert Elgie, and co-chair Réal Sureau. (www.pmprbcepmb.gc.ca)

In August, Dr. Dana W. Hanson was elected President of the Canadian Medical Association and Dr. Sunil V. Patel was elected President-Elect for 2002-2003. Dr. Hanson is a dermatologist practicing in Fredericton, New Brunswick since 1980. Dr. Patel is a general practitioner in Gimli, Manitoba for the past 30 years. (www.cma.ca)

Loretta O'Connor has been appointed Executive Director of the Premiers' Council on Canadian Health Awareness. Ms. O'Connor has held positions with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the British Columbia Transplant Society, the Export Development Corporation and the Prime Minister's Office. The Premiers' Council on Canadian Health Awareness is supported by all of Canada's provinces and territories and aims to improve the access of Canadians to health information and raise the awareness of the challenges of and solutions for the future of healthcare. (www.premiersforhealth.ca)

As part of its global research agenda, the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada released an eighth installment of research papers in a series of some 40 research and discussion papers covering a range of health topics. The three latest papers are entitled: "How Will the Ageing of the Population Affect Healthcare Needs and Costs In the Foreseeable Future?;" "Political Elites and Their Influence on Health-Care Reform in Canada" and "Raising the Money: Options, Consequences and Objections For Financing Health Care in Canada." The 27 papers released to date are available at: www.healthcarecommission.ca.

A report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that 10.6% of total hip replacements in Canada (excluding Quebec) are repeat surgeries called revisions. Data published for the first time and released today show that 1,770 of the 16,622 total hip replacements performed between April 1, 2000 and March 31, 2001 were revisions of previous operations. For total knee replacements, 7.9% of surgeries were revisions (1,579 of 20,086).

Provincial Comparisons

In 2000/2001, Manitoba and New Brunswick had the highest percentages of hip replacement revisions at 15.2% and 15.0%, respectively, while PEI (7.6%) and Saskatchewan (7.9%) had the lowest percentages. For revision of knee replacements, New Brunswick (13.0%) had the highest percentage, while Prince Edward Island (5.9%) and British Columbia (6.8%) had the lowest percentages. Quebec revision data are not available at this time and are excluded from the analysis. Based on a preliminary sample of clinical data collected directly from orthopaedic surgeons who participate in the Canadian Joint Replacement Registry (CJRR), the most common reasons for a revision to a total hip replacement were loosening of the implant (65%), followed by osteolysis or softening of the bone tissue (34%), implant wear and tear (29%) and instability (15%). (www.cihi.ca)

In mid-August Huron Perth Hospitals Partnership Joint Executive Committee appointed John Sutherland as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sutherland has been Vice President, Finance and Information Management with Huron Perth Hospitals Partnership since February 1999. (www.hphp.org)

In September, Health Canada released Healthy Canadians - A Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators 2002. This report is part of the commitment made to Canadians by First Ministers in September 2000 to increase the accountability of the healthcare system. In September 2000, First Ministers directed Health Ministers to collaborate on the development of a comprehensive framework using agreed upon comparable indicators so each government could begin reporting on them in September 2002. This marks the first time that health ministries from all provinces, territories and the federal government will report to their constituents at the same time on a set of comparable health indicators. The report is available at https://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iacb-dgiac/arad-draa/ english/accountability/indicators.html

Dr. Richard Schabas has resigned his position as Vice President, Medical Affairs, at GlycoDesign Inc. and has accepted the position of Chief of Staff at York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill, Ontario. (www.yorkcentral.com)

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority will enter into a public-private partnership to build an Academic Ambulatory Care Centre on the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) site that will improve patient services, while enhancing training for medical students. While public-private partnerships (P3s) already exist in the management of long-term care homes, this will be the province's first P3 project involving the construction and operation of a large, integrated healthcare facility.

At present, ambulatory or "walk-in" patient care services at VGH are provided by various medical disciplines at different locations. The new facility will coordinate ambulatory patient care services - including associated specialty clinics, along with medical education, physician practice offices, research and related commercial/ retail activities - at one site. It will also accommodate teaching functions in a clinical setting, with lecture and seminar rooms, a library and clinical teaching rooms integrated with specialized hospital clinics and private specialist offices. The centre is expected to support several hundred medical students, over 580 medical and allied professionals, and an estimated 600,000 patient visits annually. (www.vancoastalhealth.ca)

Saskatchewan is providing patients with much better access to surgery than what was reported in a survey on wait times released in September by the Fraser Institute. According to data collected from Saskatoon and Regina hospitals, half of all patients receiving non-emergent surgeries (includes urgent and elective classifications) waited less than 10 weeks for their procedure after being seen by a specialist. This is significantly shorter than the estimated wait of 26.9 weeks reported by the Fraser Institute. As well, the Fraser Institute greatly overestimates the number of people waiting for procedures in Saskatchewan. Actual data from Saskatoon and Regina hospitals shows approximately 26,000 people waiting for surgery. (www.heath.gov.sk.ca)

Sandra Heath has been named Chair of the Board of Directors of Providence Health Care in Vancouver. Ms. Heath has held management positions in both the private and public sectors, holds a Certificate in Conflict Resolution and is a Certified Mediator. Daniel Nocente, who recently joined the Board of Providence Health Care, is the new Chair of St. Paul's Hospital Foundation, a Board which he joined in 1998. Providence Health Care, the largest Catholic healthcare organization in Canada, operates eight facilities in Vancouver including St. Paul's Hospital. (www.providencehealthcare.org)

The new Chair of the Yukon Hospital Corporation Board of Directors is Marny Ryder of Whitehorse. Ms. Ryder's career in healthcare includes being a community health nurse, a nursing instructor for Yukon College's Nursing Assistants Program and as a staff development consultant in Yukon government's Public Service Commission.

The Alberta government announced new assignments for three deputy ministers. Dr. Roger Palmer moves to Health and Wellness from Environment. Shelley Ewart-Johnson moves to Human Resources and Employment from Health and Wellness. Ron Hicks moves to Environment from Human Resources and Employment. Dr. Palmer joined Alberta Education in 1986 as assistant deputy minister and was appointed deputy minister in 1998. He became the first Deputy Minister of Alberta Innovation and Science when the department was created in May 1999. In March 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Environment. (www.gov.ab.ca)

Dan Ross was recently appointed Chair of London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) Board of Directors. For the past two years, Mr. Ross served as Vice-Chair. From 1996-2000, Mr. Ross served as a Commissioner on the Health Services Restructuring Commission. He replaces Geoff Davies who has completed his term. (www.lhsc.ca)

In September, Alberta became the first province to approve a private surgical facility for uninsured overnight stays. With patient safety and public benefit affirmed, Health Resource Centre (HRC) in Calgary was to provide selected uninsured procedures requiring an overnight stay. HRC is now also accredited by the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons to ensure patient safety. HRC will offer five orthopaedic procedures to patients who are uninsured under the Canada Health Act. These include Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) recipients and federal government employees such as the military and RCMP. Because third parties pay for these services, no Alberta government health dollars will be spent on the facility, or towards the fees of the physicians employed there. (www.networc.com/hrc/home.html)

Dwight Nelson, President and CEO of Regional Health Authority #4 in Saskatchewan, recently announced the appointment of two senior executives for the new region. Mr. R. Patrick Dumelie is appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Health Services and Dr. Brian Laursen assumes the role of Senior Vice President, Medical Services. RHA #4 is an academic health organization with 8,500 staff representing the amalgamation of the former Pipestone, Regina and Touchwood Qu'Appelle health districts on August 1, 2002. (www.health.gov.sk.ca)

Hilary Short has been appointed to the position of Chief Operating Officer with the Ontario Hospital Association and as such she will chair the senior management Operations Committee. This new position is in addition to her current role as Vice President, Member Relations, Policy and Public Affairs. (www.oha.com)

The new Manitoba Telehealth site at St. Boniface General Hospital now officially links its medical specialists to patients and colleagues province-wide. Sixty-two health professionals, including 48 doctors, have agreed to provide services in 31 clinical service areas over the network. Clinical areas include psychiatry, dermatology, infectious diseases, hepatology, neurology, urology, pain clinics, otolaryngology, speech and language pathology, cardiology, respiratory disease and pediatric surgery. The initiative includes 23 telehealth sites across the province and is funded as a two-year, shared-cost incentive with $1.5 million from Manitoba Health and $3 million from Health Canada through the Canada Health Infrastructure Partnerships Program (CHIPP). (www.gov.mb.ca)

Dr. Susan Sudbury has been appointed lead hospitalist for Peterborough Regional Health Centre. She will provide primary inhospital care for patients who are not receiving care from a family physician. Her team of hospitalists works in acute, non-surgical and continuing care areas of the Centre. (www.prhc.on.ca)

Karima Velji was appointed Vice President, Professional Practice and Chief Nursing Officer of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. Ms. Velji is currently completing her PhD in nursing at the University of Toronto. (www.torontorehab.on.ca)

On September 4, Julie Davis was appointed President and CEO of the Board of Directors of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation. Ms. Davis was previously part of senior management with Quaker Oats and was also with Unilever Canada for seven years.

Mark Newman, who has served as Trustee, Vice Chair and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Niagara Health System since 2000, resigned his Chair position on September 20. Larry Tokarchuk resigned as Chief Executive Officer effective on September 30, having served in that position for over two years. Paul Leon, formerly Vice Chair of the Board, was declared the new Chair until the next Annual General Meeting in July 2003. The Board of Trustees appointed Debbie Sevenpifer as Acting CEO. Ms. Sevenpifer has held the position of Chief Financial Officer since May 2000. Betty Lou Souter, a Board Trustee since the health system's founding in March 200, was elected as Vice Chair. Ms. Souter is the CEO of Community Care, St. Catharines, Thorold and West Niagara. (www.niagarahealth.ca)

Warren Chant, CEO of Leamington District Memorial Hospital, was elected Board Chair of the Ontario Lung Association for a two-year term. Mr. Chant is also a member of the Ontario Hospital Association Board of Directors and has been a volunteer with the Lung Association for the last 14 years. (www.leamingtonhospital.com)

Mount Sinai Hospital has appointed Lawrence S. Bloomberg as Chairman of the Hospital Board. Mr. Bloomberg is a Director of the National Bank of Canada and the founder of Canadian investment company, First Marathon Inc. Harvey Naglie joins Mount Sinai Hospital as Vice President of Business Development and as Vice President of the Foundation. Mr. Naglie was President and CEO of Financial Executives International prior to joining Mount Sinai. (www.mt.sinai.on.ca)

In Nova Scotia, eight nurse practitioners will soon be working in Annapolis Royal, Wolfville, Hants North, Advocate Harbour, New Glasgow, the Strait- Richmond area, Inverness and the Musquodoboit Valley. Nurse practitioners work in collaboration with family doctors and are able to diagnose and treat certain illnesses, order certain tests, x-rays and ultrasounds and prescribe some medications, leaving family doctors with more time to spend with patients who need additional care. They also lead programs in the community to promote good health, like nutrition classes or health clinics for women that are tailored to the specific health needs of the community. (www.gov.ns.ca/heal/)

West Park Healthcare Centre in Toronto announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Derkach as Chief of Staff effective October 1. A graduate of McMaster University Medical School, Dr. Derkach has more than 20 years clinical experience as a family practitioner as well as leadership and administrative skills developed through his work in community retirement and nursing homes and complex continuing care and acute care hospitals. West Park is Greater Toronto Area's western regional adult rehabilitation centre and a local provider of complex continuing and long-term care. (www.westpark.org)

Dr. Alan Goldbloom, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at Toronto's Hospital For Sick Children, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Children's Hospitals and Clinics, a children's healthcare organization with 268 beds in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota effective November 30, 2002. Dr. Goldbloom arrived at Sick Kids in 1987 as Director of Medical Education and Associate Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto. In 1991, he became Associate Paediatrician-in- Chief. In 1993, Alan joined the executive management team of the hospital as Vice-President, Patient Programs, and later Vice President, Clinical and Academic Affairs. He moved to his current position in February 2001.

In September, Tony Clement, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care announced the establishment of the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario. This is the first body of its kind in Canada to focus on improving provincial cancer services. The Council will operate at arm's length from Cancer Care Ontario and other cancer service providers in the province. However, it will work closely with cancer care partners such as University Health Network - Princess Margaret Hospital, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Public Health, Canadian Institute of Health Information, Program in Evidence-based Care, Joint Policy and Planning Committee, as well as hospitals providing regional and local cancer services. The Council, chaired by Michael Decter, will monitor and assess cancer incidence, prevalence, treatment outcomes and overall health burden; efficiency indicators, such as access, waiting times and length-of-stay; as well as patient satisfaction.

The establishment of the Council is just one of several measures recommended by the Cancer Services Implementation Committee to improve cancer treatment for Ontarians. Other measures include: the development of joint oncology programs between regional cancer centres and partner hospitals, the creation of an information management system that will bring together information from various sources to help improve the efficiency of the cancer care system and the establishment of Regional Cancer Care Advisory Committees, which provide advice and reports on ways to improve local cancer delivery. For more information see: www.gov.on.ca/health or www.cancercare.on.ca

St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto recently announced that world-renowned public health expert Dr. Prabhat Jha and Nobel Prize recipient Dr. James Orbinski would join its Inner City Health Research Unit. These researchers will contribute their global expertise and build an international health perspective complementing the Inner City Health Research Unit's commitment to improving the health of disadvantaged populations around the world. Dr. Jha has been recognized on numerous levels for his innovative and leading-edge research and holds the Canada Research Chair of Health and Development at the University of Toronto. Dr. Orbinski founded the Canadian branch of Medicins Sans Frontiers and traveled to Oslo to deliver the 1999 Nobel Prize Speech when he accepted the Prize on behalf of MSF (www.smh.toronto.on.ca)

The Ontario Family Health Network (FHN) is continuing to build momentum as two more networks have been formed in Ottawa. Some 70,000 Ontarians will now be offered the opportunity to join a FHN. To date, 884 doctors have contacted OFHN to ask for an analysis showing their earning potential in a Family Health Network and OFHN staff have met with more than 1,000 interested doctors to explain the model. Under the FHN model, physicians work with a nurse-staffed, afterhours telephone health advisory service to make primary care treatment or advice available to their patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The networks emphasize illness prevention and comprehensive primary care for patients while promoting a stronger doctor-patient relationship. (www.ontariofamilyhealthnetworkgov.on.ca)

Research to find a viable cure for juvenile diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes, received a boost with the launch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Centre for Beta Cell Replacement at McGill University and Université de Montréal. Under the leadership of Lawrence Rosenberg, MD, PhD, at McGill University Health Centre and co-director Marc Prentki, PhD of Université de Montréal, the Centre will address one of the major obstacles in islet transplantation: the critical shortage of beta cells available for transplants. (www.jdrf.ca/)

Providence Centre in Toronto has announced the appointments of Christopher J. Hodgson as Chair and M. Elyse Allan as Vice Chair of its Board of Directors. Mr. Hodgson was recently appointed President and CEO of Altamira Financial Services. Mrs. Allan is the first ever female President and CEO of The Toronto Board of Trade. Providence Hospital, the Houses of Providence and Providence Community Centre are the three integrated care divisions of Providence Centre that provide clinical treatment and care of older adults. (www.providence.on.ca)

Dr. Cameron Mustard was recently appointed president and scientific director of Ontario's Institute for Work & Health (IWH). Dr. Mustard joined the Institute as Scientific Director in 1999 and has led the development of the Institute's research agenda over the past three years. In addition to his scientific director role, he has served as IWH Interim President since July 1, 2002. Dr. Mustard is a Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, an Associate Director of the Population Health Program of The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and an Institute Advisory Board Member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health. (www.iwh.on.ca)

The Hospital for Sick Children appointed Mary Jo Haddad as Chief Nursing Officer. In addition to this appointment she will continue as Vice President, Child Health Services. Ms. Haddad first joined the Hospital for Sick Children in 1984. In 1999 she joined Halton Health Care Services as Vice President, Professional Practice and Chief Nursing Officer, but returned to the Hospital for Sick Children in 2000. (www.sickkids.on.ca)

Vendor News

Merck Frosst announced the appointment of Dr. Francois Bertrand as Executive Director, Medical Research, with responsibility for all operations pertaining to Regulatory Affairs, Medical Services and Clinical Research in Canada.

Each year, The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research makes available temporary work terms to about 70 undergraduates. This co-op program provides undergraduates with the opportunity to fulfill their course requirements while working with first-class researchers. Students help researchers pursue novel and innovative research and many also carry out their own projects. The hope is that their findings will advance scientific knowledge and also provide an important first step in a creative and fruitful career in scientific research. Many co-op students at Merck Frosst appear as authors on important publications that may help to advance their careers. Students should apply through their university's co-op offices.

Agfa's HealthCare division has been awarded the contract to complete the third and final stage of the largest PACS project in the world - HUSpacs in Finland. Agfa will link all 21 X-ray departments in the Helsinki and Uusimaa districts of Finland into one virtual department sharing one common image database. Already, 17 hospitals have been integrated into the network. Winning the final phase follows Agfa's successful implementation of both the pilot and second stages of this ambitious multi-million euro PACS project.

By the end of 2002, 17 out of the 21 hospitals will be completely filmless, with the final four following suit by the end of 2003 as well as 53 primary health care centres, nine primary health care hospitals and private clinics. In total, over 1,000,000 examinations will be handled per year, representing around 20 terabytes of imaging data completed on over 300 connected modalities.

HP Canada is one of four major corporations participating in the project: Taking Pulse. The project conducts research on current economic prospects for Aboriginal peoples, and consults with corporate leaders, government officials and Aboriginal leaders to encourage more young members of Aboriginal communities to prepare themselves to move ahead in the private sector workforce. Got some ideas? Contact your HP representative or send a note to HP@longwoods.com.

The impact of the Internet on your relationships with patients and communities is dramatic. Courtesy of CISCO's Thought Leadership Series readers can read about Don Tapscott's analysis and ideas related to working with stakeholders. Recommended reading. Go to: www.longwoods.com and click on "Tapscott."

The 3M Health Care Quality Team Awards encourage and recognize innovation in health services by linking two important concepts - quality and teams. Although two submissions were selected for special recognition - the Trillium Health Centre for "Ambulatory Care That Takes Quality to the Extreme" and the Maimonides Geriatric Care for "Maimonides Restraint Reduction Program" - the 2002 competition included many important quality improvement efforts. More information is available by contacting Gary Mandziuk at: gjmandziuk@mmm.com.

Source Medical Corporation, a healthcare products and services distributor, has joined Global Healthcare Exchange (Canada) (GHX) as a distributor member. Distributors play a key, integral role in the healthcare supply chain across Canada. Now, Source Medical will be able to transact business with GHX supplier and hospital members to purchase medical/surgical products and services directly through the use of GHX's internet- based trading exchange.

The ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON AWARD has a very significant history. The program is made possible in Canada through the efforts of Johnson & Johnson. Winners (we count over 200) are now Canada's top leaders in healthcare. The award is in recognition of individual achievement and the further advancement of health administration practices. Each year, winners are designated by the individual faculties. They are the graduating class students who show the most promise of making a noteworthy contribution to the field of Health Services Administration. For 2002 they are: Patricia Erlendson and Brynn Harman from the University of British Columbia; Major David Gutscher from the University of Alberta; Lee Fairclough from the University of Toronto; Erica Campbell from the University of Ottawa; Ewa Sidorowicz from the Université de Montréal; Maha St. Pierre from Dalhousie University.

Leadership Development at ARAMARK focuses on an academic partnership with Pennsylvania State University to offer selected senior managers the option to participate in three select training programs: leadership development; advanced leadership development; and strategic leadership. This provides managers with the perspective and skills required for increased personal and professional growth in a rapidly changing environment. Sound familiar? Examining your own options in leadership development? Maybe ARAMARK can help you design a program for your organization.

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