Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland Hills Hospital president and chief executive officer Linda Davis received assurances from Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini that he would continue to meet with them on local health and health-care priorities,
In her report to the February board meeting, Davis reported that he had come through.
The pledge was made in December, as Piccini announced a temporary boost in bed capacity in response to flu season. Since then, she said, he has met with staff, management, physicians and patients on three separate occasions.
The first of these was on Christmas Day, when Davis escorted him on a walkabout through the hospital, where he met with both patients and their families.
On Jan. 30, Piccini attended a working lunch with physician leaders and the senior management team that Davis recalled as “a welcome opportunity for two-way dialogue around health-care priorities ranging from funding stability to alternative-level-of-care partnerships.”
Later that day, in conjunction with Bell Let’s Talk Day, the MPP also paid a visit to the hospital’s Community Mental Health Services office at 1011 Elgin St. W., where he talked with staff and managers (from both NHH and Four Cast) to learn more about regional mental-health services, opportunities and gaps.
Davis said they look forward to more such meetings, the next one of which is expected to be a demonstration of the successful M-HEART service. This stands for Mental Health Engagement and Response Team, and it is a street-level collaboration between NHH Community Mental Health and area police services launched a year ago.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
