CISSSO

A drone shot of a hospital surrounded by green space and residential areas.

Pontiac imagery technicians seeking work elsewhere due to new bonuses

June 20, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Following the news last week that imagery technicians at the Pontiac and Wakefield Hospitals wouldn’t be receiving bonuses of around $20,000 offered to staff at other hospitals in the region, roughly half of the local technicians have applied to jobs elsewhere.

Health authority CISSSO’s Pontiac representative Nicole Boucher-Larivière confirmed to CHIP 101.9 on Thursday that four of the hospital’s eight imagery technicians had applied to work at the Hull Hospital, with another potentially seeking work in Deep River, Ont. She said that imagery technicians are vital for the ER and numerous other departments, and without a full staff, there is a very real risk of service interruptions.

Boucher-Larivière added that the applications take time and aren’t guaranteed to be successful, but was hopeful that in the meantime a solution would be found between the provincial treasury board and the union representing the technicians, the APTS.

A man in a suit stands in front of two microphones at a press conference outside a hospital.

Local officials decry imagery tech bonuses that exclude Pontiac Hospital

June 17, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Pontiac’s representative in the National Assembly, André Fortin, and other elected officials are calling on the provincial government to offer bonuses to employees at all the region’s hospitals. The group held a press conference on Thursday afternoon June 13 outside the Pontiac Hospital.

As reported in Le Droit yesterday, the province announced that bonuses they had been paying to imagery technicians in Hull and Gatineau would be expanded to techs at the Papineau and Maniwaki Hospitals, leaving out those in Pontiac and Wakefield.

Fortin said that while the situation for imagery techs is currently stable at the Pontiac Hospital, the province needs to do more to address the overall interprovincial pay disparity.

Pontiac Warden Jane Toller called the decision to exclude the Pontiac and Wakefield Hospitals from the bonus structure “a slap in the face”.

Three women stand near a sign for the regional health authority CISSSO.

First recipients of new nursing bursary announced — with hopes that it will help retain new nurses in the region

June 13, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Just a few months after it was announced, the MacLachlan family bursary‘s first recipients met on June 11 to celebrate the contribution to local nursing students. The $100,000 fund, administered by the Pontiac Community Hospital Foundation, will go towards four bursaries of up to $5,000 each per year, with the stipulation that the student must work in the Pontiac for as many years as they received the bursary.

Local health authority representative Nicole Boucher-Larivière highlighted the difficult position that they are in when it comes to staffing nursing positions throughout the Pontiac region.

The four accepted this year are Julie Soucie, Sarah Jewell, Marie-Pier Dufour and Kayla Legault, all of whom were in different stages of their schooling.

New coalition formed to press provincial government for health care improvements

June 7, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

A new effort by a coalition of groups to improve the health care situation in the region, called SOS Outaouais, was launched on Thursday, June 6 in Gatineau.

The group’s spokesperson Jean Pigeon, who is also the director of the Gatineau Health Foundation, told CHIP News that the idea was based on the SOS Montfort movement, where Franco-Ontarians rallied to stop the closure of the Montfort Hospital in Ottawa back in the 1990s.

Pigeon explained that by bringing together interested parties such as doctors, health researchers and citizens, they would be able to advocate more effectively for lasting improvements to the regional health care system, which has been plagued for years by short-staffing as well as underfunding from the provincial government.

Mental health advocates hear from patients about involuntary hospitalizations

May 29, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Earlier this month, a group advocating for people with mental health issues held a public consultation with patients who have been involuntarily hospitalized when deemed a threat to themselves or others.

Mélodie Pelletier, a councillor with Droits-Accès de l’Outaouais, explained that they held the consultation in light of the provincial government’s review of law P.38, which regulates when and how someone can be hospitalized involuntarily. Around fifty people attended the consultation she said, including patients and their loved ones.

Pelletier added that short-staffing in local facilities can have a major impact on a patient’s treatment and how well their rights are respected throughout the process.

Fortin requests provincial health commission meet in Outaouais, address staffing crisis

May 15, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Pontiac MNA André Fortin is calling on the provincial health and social services commission to meet in the Outaouais so they can get a close up look at the staffing crisis in local health facilities.

Several high-ranking doctors within the regional health authority CISSSO have recently issued public appeals for aid, anticipating there will be dangerous breaks in service over the summer holidays if the staffing situation isn’t immediately addressed. They note that one of the main challenges for retaining staff in the region is the pay disparity between Quebec and Ontario.

Fortin said that he hoped bringing decision makers to the region would spur more urgent action on the file.

The entrance sign to the emergency department at the Pontiac Hospital.

Mental health patient advocates seek input on potential changes to involuntary hospitalization law

May 10, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

A non-profit that advocates for people with mental health challenges is holding a public consultation next week in light of the provincial government reviewing law P.38.001, which regulates when and how someone can be hospitalized involuntarily if they are perceived to be a danger to themselves or others.

Mélodie Pelletier, a councillor with Droits-Accès de l’Outaouais, explained that the provincial government announced last year that they were going to review the law, but their organization was concerned that the perspectives of people who have been forcibly hospitalized, as well as their loved ones, wouldn’t be taken into account. She said that there are many instances where patient’s rights can be infringed on during the process.

There will be a public consultation on May 15 to get the input of people who have experienced an involuntary hold, either first-hand or with a loved one. More information can be found by calling 819-777-4746 or via their social media.

A man and a woman stand in front of a banner for the CISSS de l'Outaouais.

Family donation of new bursary for Pontiac nursing students hopes to address nursing retention

April 30, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

A new bursary to help retain local nursing students is now available thanks to a sizable private donation to the Pontiac Community Hospital Foundation.

The MacLachlan family recently donated $100,000 to the foundation in order to support the hiring and retention of new nurses, one of the local health service’s biggest challenges at the moment.

Dean said that they would be distributing four bursaries of up to $5,000 each per year, with the stipulation that the student must work in the Pontiac for as many years as they received the bursary. Applicants must be residents of MRC Pontiac or the Municipality of Pontiac, be bilingual, and be enrolled (full- or part-time) in a nursing program for the upcoming year in either Ontario or Quebec.

More information can be found on the foundation’s website, and the CISSSO’s website.

Action Santé Outaouais publishes report on rural health services

February 28, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Action Santé Outaouais, a non-profit that advocates for citizens’ health care rights, recently released a report on a series of discussion groups that they hosted in rural areas in November 2023, including one in Bristol.

Mathieu Charbonneau, the group’s director, explained that they tried to focus on the shared challenges that these regions had, as opposed to issues that were particular to one area.

The report highlights six priorities for action to improve health care in rural regions.

“The six actions identified here stem from the fact that the many reforms in recent years have not yielded expected results, especially in rural areas,” the report reads. “The time has come to ask why we keep spending more to get lower volume and standard of care.”

Charbonneau highlighted what he called three especially important priorities: improving services at CLSCs, address staff shortages through competitive salaries and the establishment of “true local management”.

The full report is available here.

The white and blue entrance sign of the Pontiac Hospital.

New CT scan to be installed at the Pontiac Hospital next month

February 22, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

Regional health authority CISSSO announced on February 21 that the long-anticipated replacement of the CT scan at the Pontiac Hospital will get underway shortly.

The installation of the machine will begin on March 11 and it will take roughly two months to install, calibrate and train staff. During the installation process, a mobile machine will be set up at the hospital to ensure continuity of service, at a cost of around $150,000, on top of the $850,000 spent on the scanner itself.

CISSSO’s Director of local services for the Pontiac, Nicole Boucher-Larivière, explained that while there were some delays during the acquisition process due to parts being on backorder, they were happy to be moving forward with the project. The installation will also involve renovations to the room as well as upgrades to the electrical and ventilation systems.

Boucher-Larivière said that the machines have an expected lifespan of about 10 to 12 years.

A waist up shot of a man in a suit in front of a blank background.

New CISSSO CEO plans to address hiring issues, surgery backlog

February 20, 2024 by Caleb Nickerson

The new CEO of regional health authority CISSSO, Dr. Marc Bilodeau, spoke with CHIP 101.9 as part of a series of interviews with Outaouais media following the start of his four-year mandate on January 22. Bilodeau comes from a long career in health care for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Bilodeau said that one of his priorities is addressing the region’s surgery backlog. According to reporting by Justine Mercier in Le Droit, despite representing just 4.7% of Quebec’s population, 11.2% of patients waiting more than a year for surgery were from the Outaouais. He said that one of the ways this issue is being addressed is by outsourcing some surgeries to the private sector.

Staffing was one of the issues that Bilodeau said was a top priority, as the proximity of well-paying jobs in Ontario has long made hiring and retention more difficult.