NLIS 5
September 29, 2005
(Health and Community Services)
 

Minister announces $223,632 to
strengthen Newfoundland and Labrador�s health care workforce

Ujjal Dosanjh, federal Minister of Health, today announced a federal contribution of $223,632 to Newfoundland and Labrador�s Department of Health and Community Services as the first in a series of collaborative initiatives to strengthen the province�s efforts in health human resource planning.

�Last September, when first ministers signed the 10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, they agreed to continue and accelerate their work on health human resources,� said Minister Dosanjh. �With the ultimate goal of reducing wait times, targets and time lines for improvement were also agreed upon. This funding will assist efforts in Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure citizens receive timely access to quality care.�

The contribution comes from the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Strategy (HHR Strategy), which annually receives $20 million in federal funding. The HHR Strategy seeks to create a stable health care workforce with the right number and mix of health professionals, and a renewed and revitalized health system that provides care to Canadians when they need it, wherever they live in this country.

Newfoundland and Labradorians will use these funds to build on existing provincial planning efforts and initiatives concerning the health workforce.

The provincial Minister of Health and Community Services, John Ottenheimer, says Newfoundland and Labrador is working to meet the FMM commitment to develop targets for training, recruitment and retention of health human resources. All premiers pledged to report to the public on progress by December 31, 2005.

�These targets, along with constructive and long-term planning will ensure we can respond to the need for health care workers today and in the future,� said Mr. Ottenheimer. �These new initiatives will improve the recruitment, retention, training, and deployment of various health professionals, and increase the evidence-base and the capacity to plan. We are extremely pleased that Health Canada is on board as a funding and planning partner in health human resources.�

This contribution promotes the objectives of the Pan-Canadian HHR Strategy through numerous activities being undertaken by the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services. These activities include:

developing province-wide standards related to HHR data, and continuing the collection of this data to strengthen the evidence-base for HHR planning;

developing best practices for the recruitment and retention of physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador, coordinated through the office of physician recruitment;

implementing a Resident Assessment Instrument/Minimum Data Set (RAI/MDS) in one organization to establish the collection of nursing workload data which will facilitate better planning and deployment of the nursing workforce;

implementing a regional one-week training program for supportive care workers in order to enhance the provision of community mental health services in the province; and

assisting regional integrated health authorities to develop and sustain quality professional practice environments for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to positively impact nurse retention and client outcomes.

These activities reflect the commitment of both governments to ensuring a health care workforce that will allow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to receive care from the right professional, offering the right service, in the right place, at the right time. The two governments look forward to collaborating on further initiatives under the HHR strategy to address these objectives.

Media contact:

Carole Saindon
Health Canada
(613) 957-1588

Tansy Mundon
Department of Health and Community Services
Newfoundland and Labrador
(709) 729-1377

Ad�le Blanchard
Office of Minister Dosanjh
(613) 957-0200

Public Enquiries:
(613) 957-2991

Health Canada news releases are available on the Internet at //media.health-canada.net

2005 09 29                      10:30 a.m.


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