By Chad Ingram
Published July 10 2018
A merger of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre and Lindsay’s Ross Memorial Hospital integrating the two into one hospital network with two sites would not disrupt the services that Haliburton Highlands Health Services receives from those hospitals HHHS CEO Carolyn Plummer says.
The boards of PRHC and RMH have submitted a joint directional plan to the board of directors for the Central East Ontario LHIN (Local Health Integration Network) according to a press release from RMH indicating their mutual intention to integrate the two hospitals into one while maintaining separate sites.
“A final decision has not been made and the proposed integration is subject to ongoing due diligence stakeholder engagement and approvals by the boards of both RMH and PRHC; by the board of directors of the Central East LHIN; and by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care” the release reads. “The two hospitals have been working together for many years to jointly deliver excellent care for the region’s patients. Partnerships and collaborations between the two organizations already exist in such areas as diagnostic imaging lab medicine dialysis services mental health obstetrics and pediatrics ophthalmology and orthopaedics.”
HHHS also has agreements with each of the hospitals for a variety of services but Plummer told the paper that if the integration proceeds the delivery of those services would not be interrupted.
“We do have a strategic alliance agreement with the Ross Memorial for several services and resources such as IT and diagnostic imaging for example” Plummer wrote in an email to the paper. “We also have an agreement with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre for some of our laboratory services. At HHHS we have a strong collaborative working relationship with both hospitals which allows us to improve access to services for Haliburton County that we would not be able to do on our own. Regardless of the outcome of their discussions the agreements we have with them will be upheld – meaning there will no interruption in any of the services we share or receive from either hospital. Although there may be some process changes that take place the services will remain intact.”
There will be a series of public meetings dealing with the proposed integration and an online survey is to be launched in July.
