Just in time for the meeting of Canadian provincial premiers with the
federal government to discuss health care, Ontario minister of health makes
an announcement about changes in Ontario's system for healthcare.  While
community mental health received attention, the field of prevention and
health promotion was not discussed, and is unlikely to be part of the
federal meetings September 13-14.

[from Mental Health Notes September 10 2004 Ontario div. CMHA
http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/content/reading_room/mhnotes.asp?cID=5050 ]

GEORGE SMITHERMAN ANNOUNCES ONTARIO'S HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PLAN

In a public address to health-care providers and media, Minister of Health
and Long-Term Care George Smitherman outlined the government’s plan to
transform the health care system in Ontario. In his speech, delivered on
September 9 at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market, Smitherman introduced the
Health Results Team that has been put in place to lead the reform, and he
provided some detail on how that reform would unfold.

Key among the changes was the formal announcement of the Local Health
Integration Networks (LHINs), “a made-in-Ontario solution,” according to the
minister. The LHINs, which will be launched on October 6, will not provide
direct service, but will serve to help move people throughout the
health-care system.

The speech confirmed the government’s focus on community-based services as a
key component of health care reform. “We have demonstrated through our tone,
and our actions that our government has a fundamental belief in and respect
for community-based agencies from the smallest addiction treatment program
to the largest hospital,” the minister stated. He also made the link between
developing community care and relieving pressure on hospitals. “Building
effective, accessible community-based health care is not only good for
patients, it’s a wise use of precious health care dollars because it frees
up hospitals to provide the kind of care that only they can provide — acute
and surgical care.”

The government’s support of community services was illustrated by the recent
investment in community mental health, “the first base funding increase to
community mental health agencies in 12 long years,” as the minister noted.

Some other aspects of the transformation agenda include a review of the
bidding process for home-care services to ensure better continuity of care,
the development of 150 multidisciplinary Family Health Teams to provide
front-line care, and a specific focus on reducing waiting lists for
procedures such as MRIs and cancer care. The mandate of the Health Results
Team assembled to lead the reform process extends to March 2007.

Smitherman called on health care providers to help take part in the
transformation agenda. “Today, I’m calling on the 250,000 people on the
front lines, the thousands more in our ministry and health organizations… We
have an historic chance to demonstrate to the public, to patients, that we
can make the positive changes necessary to preserve, and to improve, our
medicare system.”

For the text of the minister’s speech, see http://www.health.gov.on.ca. A
ministry press release, “McGuinty Government Transforming Health Care to
Better Meet Patient Needs,” September 9, 2004, is also available at
http://ogov.newswire.ca.

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