In Brief: New surgical protocols follow unnecessary mastectomy / Champlain LHIN admits error / Muskoka-Amalguin communities act to protect health services

Windsor-area hospitals are considering changes to surgical protocols after an experienced Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital surgeon misread a pathology report and performed an unnecessary mastectomy last year. The changes may include having more than one health care professional look at the patient’s pre-surgery report or ensuring the surgeon reads the pathology report at least one more time before operating. … After coming under fire for issuing a sole-sourced contract to Courtyard Consulting, the Champlain LHIN is now claiming that it wasn’t sole-sourced after all. “It was unfortunately our fault,” Marie Fourtier told the Ottawa Citizen. The chair of the Champlain LHIN said “we declared it as a sole-source contract, but that was our mistake.” The LHIN is now claiming that there was a second competing firm that bid several thousand dollars higher than the $59,000 contract awarded to Courtyard. The contract was to develop a consistent methodology for Eastern Ontario hospitals to track wait times. Courtyard had come under public scrutiny last year during the e-Health scandal, having been awarded millions in untendered contracts from the Crown Agency. Several employees have ties to senior figures at e-Health, including one who was a former advisor to Premier Dalton McGuinty. … MPP Norm Miller and Huntsville and District Councillor Fran Coleman finally got their meeting with the Minister of Health after complaining about access during question period. Miller and Coleman presented the Minister with petitions asking for a one-time five per cent ($3.4 million) increase to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare’s operating budget. “She didn’t respond,” Miller told Cottage Country Now, “she didn’t respond directly that she would give a definite answer (to look into funding).” Coleman has asked the LHIN to organize a public meeting about the hospital’s $5.8 million shortfall. … Who owns the former Burk’s Falls and District Health Centre? Glenn Miller, reeve of Ryerson Township, told the local media the building may still be under local ownership. “If we got back to the original agreement it looks like either the Village of Burk’s Falls or a group of 13 municipalities still own it.” The ownership of the building may be an important piece in the battle to save the health care facility. Last year Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare closed down the facility with no community consultation or involvement of the LHIN. The Ministry’s plan is to renovate the building as home to a new Family Health Team. Meanwhile, the local communities are upset that equipment purchased with funds donated to the Burk’s Falls hospital are being removed to Huntsville and Bracebridge. … Another outbreak of antibiotic resistant bacteria has occurred at the Owen Sound hospital. The Grey Bruce Health Services has closed a unit to new adminissions and is restricting visitors after an outbreak of VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus). The same unit was closed twice last year due to similar outbreaks. … Kevin Smith, president and CEO of Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s Healthcare, has been named chair of the Ontario Hospital Association Board. …. Dr. Denis-Richard Roy began new duties as CEO of Sudbury Regional Hospital January 11. Dr. Roy was formerly CEO of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montreal prior to coming to Sudbury. … The Hamilton Spectator suggests the Premier needs to answer the questions he’s asked in question period. The issue came up after NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked McGuinty about a 5 per cent cut in surgeries at Hamilton Health Sciences. The Premier answered the question by speaking about family health teams and how they were combating the doctor shortage. “McGuinty does himself no favours by ducking and weaving,” the newspaper’s editorial stated. “That’s not leadership, it’s a pathetic attempt at self-preservation.”