Our Health Priorities
The Central West LHIN’s Integrated Health Service Plan (IHSP) outlines the areas that we will focus our attention on over the next three years as we effect a transformation of our local health system to better meet community needs.
Through an extensive community engagement process that involved meeting with community residents, local health service providers, and community leaders, the Central West LHIN was able to develop a list of health care priorities for our communities. You told us what was important and we listened.
A further analysis of demographic and health utilization data surfaced additional priorities for the Central West LHIN. The following is the list of priorities that will remain our primary focus for the next three years.
Client Priorities
The following is the list of health care areas identified by community residents and health service providers as being important to people in central west Ontario.
Mental Health and Addiction Services
Palliative/End-of-Life Services
Services to Seniors
Maternal/Child Services
Rehabilitation Services
Mental Health and Addiction Services
There are approximately 11,500 seriously mental ill people living in the Central West LHIN, representing about two percent of our total population over 15 years of age. The rate of substance abuse in people with mental illness disorders is estimated to be at 29 percent. We will look at developing an improved service delivery system that connects residents with the right care when they need it.
Palliative/End-of-Life Services
We identified the need to develop an integrated palliative services plan that focuses on a client-centred, interdisciplinary approach to improving access and coordination of comprehensive services for people who need end-of-life care.
Services to Seniors
The population of seniors living in central west Ontario is expected to increase by 90 percent by 2016. Our projected growth rate of seniors is the highest among the 14 LHINs and well above the provincial average. Our focus will be on enhancing the coordination of care between health services and ensuring seniors have timely access to the care they need.
Maternal/Child Services
The Central West LHIN’s birthrate is the highest in the province, and our rate of hospitalization for maternal conditions is higher than the provincial average. Given the significant population growth expected in our communities over the next several years, the demands on obstetrical services will continue to increase. There are also 160,000 children in central west Ontario under the age of 15, but very few health services specifically for children. We will work with health service providers and users of maternal/child services to deliver a coordinated program of care for mothers and their children.
Rehabilitation Services
The availability of rehabilitation professionals in the Central West LHIN is well below the provincial average. We are currently undertaking a rehabilitation services needs assessment that is the first step in developing an integrated community and hospital-based rehabilitation services plan.
Health System Priorities
The following is the list of priorities that impact all health care services in our Central West LHIN.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Primary Care Linkages
Responsiveness to Cultural Diversity
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
According to Statistics Canada (2003), 80 percent of people over the age of 45, or 3.7 million Ontarians, are living with a chronic disease such as arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, depression, cancer or the effects of stroke. Almost 70 percent of these individuals are living with two or more chronic conditions. Their costs represent almost fifty-five percent of the province’s health care costs to manage these diseases. The impact of chronic disease in the Central West LHIN is similar and is increasing with childhood obesity, and a growing and aging population. We are committed to working with health service providers and community residents to identify effective ways to implement the province’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CDPM) framework at a local level.
Primary Care Linkages
Primary care is provided by physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and other regulated health professionals in a variety of settings including doctor’s offices, walk-in clinics, community health centres and hospital emergency departments. The Central West LHIN has fewer family physicians to serve our residents than other parts of Ontario. With that in mind, we have a number of initiatives underway to enhance primary care services in the LHIN, including the establishment of 24 Family Health Groups, four new Family Health Teams, and a new Community Health Centre and satellites. Linkages between primary care and other health services are important to building an effective, integrated health system.
Responsiveness to Cultural Diversity
Representing some of the most culturally diverse communities in the province, the Central West LHIN recognizes that religion, culture and traditions, languages, beliefs, value systems, and race are all critical factors in the planning and delivery of health care services. We have already begun to work closely with members of the LHIN’s diverse communities and with health service providers to identify and implement strategies to engage these communities and address their current and future health needs.
Provincial Areas of Focus
Complementing the health care priorities that we have identified at a local level in central west Ontario are areas of focus that the Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has identified at a provincial level. Our role will be to interpret these strategies locally, as well as communicate local issues and priorities to inform province-wide initiatives.
French Language Services
Aboriginal Health
e-Health
Wait Times
Health Human Resources
Critical Care
Back Office Integration
French Language Services
Brampton is designated under the French Language Services Act, and we recognize the importance of addressing the needs of the estimated 9,400 Francophones living in central west Ontario. We will work closely with other GTA-area LHINs to identify what it is we need to do to address the issues and priorities involved in providing health services to the francophone community.
Aboriginal Health
About 2,900 people living in central west Ontario are Aboriginal. We are working closely with provincial and GTA groups to meet with representatives of Aboriginal groups to ensure they have meaningful input into the health services planning process in the Central West LHIN.
e-Health
Using technology as an enabler, we have collaborated with the Mississauga Halton LHIN on a joint e-health Strategic Plan that will ensure both community residents and health service providers have timely access to credible health information to contribute to informed decision-making.
Wait Times
The Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care has a wait time strategy in place that currently focuses on reducing wait times in five major health services: cancer surgery, cardiac procedures, cataract surgery, hip and knee replacements, and MRI and CT Scan exams. In consultations with local health service providers and wait time strategy staff, we are examining opportunities to increase local access to and the availability of these services.
Health Human Resources
Hundreds of health care professionals work within central west Ontario providing services through hospitals, community health centres, long-term care homes, community care access centres, walk-in clinics, physicians’ offices, and community agencies. Recognizing that there are health care professions that are difficult to recruit for, we will work closely with local partners to develop an overall health human resources plan for the Central West LHIN with the objective of addressing improvements in resident access to local health care services.
Critical Care
The Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care announced a Critical Care Strategy in January 2006 aimed at improving access, quality and system integration in the delivery of critical care services. We are working closely with health service providers within the Central West LHIN to implement the province’s plan to improve access to critical care services.
Back-Office Integration
Back-office integration refers to non-patient care services that support health care professionals in the delivery of efficient and effective health care services. The Central West LHIN is working together with health service providers to explore opportunities for sharing back office services that will maximize the resources available within central west Ontario.