TORONTO — The CEO of the North West Local Health Integration network retained her job Wednesday as the Ontario government moved to "cluster" the province's 14 LHINS in just five geographic regions.
The government said Rhonda Crocker Ellacott will lead the transition in northern Ontario, with responsibility for the former jurisdictions of the North West and North East LHINS.
It described the move as an administrative step rather than a merger of LHIN boundaries.
The CEOs of nine LHINS being absorbed into regional clusters will receive generous severance packages.
No other staff reductions were announced.
Crocker Ellacott and four other LHIN CEOs, the announcement stated, will be responsible for helping to transition LHIN functions, over time, into Ontario Health or to Ontario Health Teams.
"There will be no impact to patients' access to home and community care or long-term care placement...These changes are a means of streamlining the regional oversight as an interim measure as the government continues to work toward moving home and community care supports out of bureaucracy to integrate them with Ontario Health Teams," the announcement said.
The changes are part of the province's plan to revamp the health care system in order to save money, improve efficiency and end "hallway health care."
The move takes effect on Dec. 2, the same date that five provincial agencies including Cancer Care Ontario, Health Quality Ontario and eHealth Ontario begin transferring into Ontario Health.
The Trillium Gift of Life Network will transfer in at a later date, the government said, to ensure there is no disruption to patients and families involved with organ and tissue donation.
Dozens of Ontario Health Teams will also be established under a scheme aimed at reducing duplication and bureaucracy in health care over a three-year period.
The government has said the new system will organize and deliver care that is more connected to patients in their local communities.
Health care providers (including hospitals, doctors and home and community care providers) will work as a coordinated team – no matter where they provide care.
Providers and organizations eligible to become an Ontario Health Team include, but are not limited to, those that provide:
- primary care (including inter-professional primary care and physicians)
- secondary care (e.g., in-patient and ambulatory medical and surgical services (includes specialist services)
- home care
- community support services
- mental health and addictions services
- health promotion and disease prevention services
- rehabilitation and complex care
- palliative care (e.g., hospice)
- residential care and short-term transitional care (e.g., in supportive housing, long-term care homes, retirement homes)
- long-term care home placement
- emergency health services
- laboratory and diagnostic services
- midwifery services, and
- other social and community services and other services, as needed by the population.
Groups were invited to submit applications last July.
The evaluation process is still underway.
