Closson Report on Health Service Integration in Northwestern Ontario
For the Attention of Hospital Board Chairs, CEOs, OHA Board of Directors and CACN Members
From Hilary Short, OHA President and CEO
On August 8, 2005, Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) made public the report of Special Advisor Tom Closson, entitled "An Integrated Service Plan for Northwestern Ontario".
According to a MOHLTC news release, Minister "Smitherman said that the report may serve as a model for how LHINs across the province can approach health care planning". This report is available at http://www.health.gov.on.ca
In his report, Mr. Closson recommended restructuring hospital services, reforming the delivery of primary and tertiary care, improving out-of-region services and reorganizing local governance and hospital management in Northwestern Ontario. A preliminary analysis suggests that many of these recommendations could prove valuable.
In his report, Mr. Closson’s recommended restructuring hospital services by establishing a hierarchy of facilities to provide secondary and tertiary subspecialty care for the entire Northwest. To facilitate this organizational continuum, there would be district governance and management structures. This model would require the dissolution of most existing local service delivery governance and management structures but give special consideration to faith-based providers such as St. Joseph’s Care Group.
The OHA continues to believe that communities and patients are best served by the independent, voluntary, local model of hospital governance currently employed in Ontario.
The OHA’s Board of Directors believes that Mr. Closson’s report and recommendations are significant and important, particularly as Ontario transitions to a regionalized system of health care delivery through the creation of Local Health Integration Networks. That is why, at their August 17, 2005 meeting, they decided to create an OHA Member-led task force to conduct a comprehensive review of them.
The OHA has scheduled a teleconference with Northwestern Chairs and CEOs on Thursday, August 25 in order to get their direction in creating the task force’s terms of reference.
Once this review is complete, the OHA will provide Members with fact- and evidence-based commentary and advice on the report’s recommendations. We will also share this commentary and advice with the Minister, the North West LHIN and the public.
More details about the report review task force will be communicated to Members in the weeks ahead.
If you have any questions about this report or the task force, please contact Steve Orsini, OHA Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs, at 416-205-1339 (email sorsini@oha.com).