It appears the Sudbury Regional Hospital?s financial house is in order.
The board of directors of the Sudbury Regional Hospital has received the endorsement and confidence of the government-appointed supervisor, Graham Scott, to continue to lead the hospital to a viable, one-site hospital without his assistance.
At a board meeting held last week, Scott announced his work with the hospital is nearing completion and the hospital is back on track to becoming a leader in the province with its new governance model in place.
Scott was called in almost two years ago by the province to complete a comprehensive operational review of all hospital operations.
There were massive cost overruns and huge annual operating deficits, but several months of hard work and co-operation by hospital administration and staff has made him conclude his assistance is no longer needed, said Scott.
?I have every confidence the new board of directors and the senior management team can rebuild this hospital and its operational reputation,? he said. ?They are on track to becoming a model hospital for the province.
?The team should be proud of their accomplishments and look forward to achieving the goal of a one-site hospital for the people of northeastern Ontario.?
Vickie Kaminski, the hospital?s president and CEO, said Scott?s assistance was needed at the time and his many months of hard work have proved invaluable.
?With the advice and guidance of Mr. Scott and a lot of hard work, the hospital now has a capital project that is moving forward and we?re on track with our recovery plan efforts to achieve financial viability,? she said.
In co-operation with Scott, the hospital also has a state-of-the-art governance policy framework, new bylaws, a comprehensive board policy manual and a strengthened committee system which will establish a model for other hospitals in the province.
?This new framework will assist us in becoming a more effective and accountable board, which allows for performance measurements at all levels,? said board chair Tom Querney. ?We now have a platform and renewed determination to be a model hospital with the assistance of Mr. Scott and his team.?
The hospital is now positioned to be truly accountable and the people of Greater Sudbury and northeastern Ontario will have pride and confidence in the hospital, said Scott.
In late August, the province announced additional funding of $83.8 million to complete the one-site superhospital.
When completed, Sudbury Regional Hospital will have 429 beds, making it, by far, the largest hospital in Northern Ontario and 11th largest in the province.
Construction is expected to be completed by the spring or summer of 2006.