MPP Bailey excited by changes at Petrolia’s CEE Hospital
PETROLIA – On Friday, May 19th, Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey had the opportunity to see first-hand some of the exciting changes taking place at Petrolia’s Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital.
The visit was part of Nurses’ Week at the hospital, which featured a wide range of events in honour of the dedicated Nursing team at CEE.
During a tour of the hospital, MPP Bailey met with administrators and frontline staff, including an important new addition to the team, Nurse Practitioner Marcel Blais.
Blais has been at CEE for 12 years, but became the hospital’s first Nurse Practitioner just three months ago. Although Blais has been warmly welcomed in his new role, he said there is an education process required regarding the roles and responsibilities of Nurse Practitioners.
“It’s all new for everybody – including me,” admitted Blais.
To help answer some of the questions, the hospital has prepared a PowerPoint presentation outlining what Nurse Practitioners – along with Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses – can and cannot do.
Laurie Zimmer, CEE’s VP of Operations, told MPP Bailey there has been great feedback from physicians and staff since Blais took over his role as Nurse Practitioner. “They’re very accepting,” Zimmer commented, adding that the variety of tasks that can be undertaken by Blais takes pressure off staff throughout the facility.
Prior to taking a tour of the hospital, MPP Bailey met with several staff members who talked about numerous new and ongoing initiatives at CEE.
MPP Bailey was told that integration and collaboration are the keys to the efficient operation of the hospital – and that “silos” are a thing of the past.
Staff talked about the patient experience board, which features direct quotes from patients about their care at CEE. The MPP also learned about Role Clarity, how ‘Questions Save Lives,’ Best Practices, and the hospital’s Collaborative Model of Care.
During his tour, MPP Bailey was thrilled to see the hospital’s new Discharge Planning Board, a large electronic monitoring board that has been in operation since April 17th and tracks various data about patients, including safety and care considerations, along with discharge information.
The board replaces a handwritten white board where staff had to manually enter information – and is the only one currently in the Erie St. Clair LHIN. Among its benefits, the board is designed to empower frontline staff to have more of a voice in patients’ pathways.
MPP Bailey also heard about some of the early steps for the proposed “Health Neighbourhood,” part of a Community Health Master Plan being developed by the Town of Petrolia and the hospital.
One Open House has already been held and a second is planned for Tuesday, June 6th at Lambton Central Collegiate & Vocational Institute (LCCVI), which hopes to engage the community’s youth in the development of the plan.
During and after the tour, MPP Bailey congratulated the frontline Nurses and all of the CEE staff for their dedicated patient care. “The work you do, each and every day, is appreciated by everyone in the community,” said Bailey.
Photo: A new Discharge Planning Board at CEE Hospital in Petrolia allows staff to track a host of data related to patients, including safety considerations, lengths of stay, and discharge information. It replaces a white board with handwritten notations, allowing faster, more accurate patient details to be tracked. Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey is shown during a Nurses’ Week tour of the hospital on Friday, May 19th with Nurse Practitioner Marcel Blais and Manager of Rural Care Linda Schaefer.
For more information, contact:
Bob Bailey, MPP | 519-337-0051 | bob.bailey@pc.ola.org | www.bobbaileympp.com