__________________________________________________________
[The following link opens a .pdf file of this page]
__________________________________________________________
THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK
REPORT NO. 4
OF THE REGIONAL
HEALTH AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
MEETING HELD ON MAY 11, 2006
For Consideration by
The Council of The Regional Municipality of York
on May 25, 2006
Chair: Regional Councillor J. Frustaglio
Members: Regional Councillor J. Heath
Regional Chair B. Fisch, ex-officio
Staff Present: L. Bigioni, P. Casey, K. Kurji, B. Meekin, J. Mitchell, S. Neill, L. Russell,
J. Simmons, S. Turner, M. Woolhead
The Health and Emergency Medical Services Committee began its meeting at 2:14 p.m. on May 11, 2006.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO ACT - IMPLICATIONS ON CONTROLLED SMOKING AREAS IN REGIONAL LTC FACILITIES
3 2006 LTC FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS AND BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS - PHYSICIAN ON-CALL FUNDING AND NURSING STRATEGY
4 LONG TERM CARE FUNDING - CONVALESCENT CARE PROGRAM
[see also Attachment 1]
5 LONG TERM CARE ADMISSIONS � JULY TO DECEMBER 2005
6 UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTEGRATED PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEM (iPHIS)
[see also Attachment 1]
7 UPDATE - COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS
The Health and Emergency Medical Services Committee advises Council of the following matters having been considered by Health and Emergency Medical Services Committee with the following action:
DEPUTATION
1. Ms Sue Fusco, Chair, STOP regarding E.M.F. exposure. Deferred to June 8, 2006 meeting.
PRESENTATION
1. Judy Hope, Manager, Food Safety, Disclosure and Enforcement regarding Food Safety Audit Report. Received
COMMUNICATIONS
1. Ms. Sue Fusco, Chair, STOP regarding Electro Magnetic Fields exposure. Deferred to June 8, 2006 meeting.
2. Hon. George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, to North York General Hospital, dated March 30, 2006, regarding infection control. Received
OTHER BUSINESS
1. The following resolution regarding 'Family Physician Shortage' was recommended for endorsement:
WHEREAS the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) released a report entitled Ontario Physician Shortage 2005: seeds of progress, but resource crisis deepening; and,
WHEREAS this Report predicts that the physician shortage in Ontario will reach 2,347 in 2006 and 2,648 in 2008; and
WHEREAS it is estimated that 1.2 million Ontarians are without a Family Physician; the population of Ontario continues to grow and age and this problem will grow worse over time as more physicians retire; and
WHEREAS in York Region, Georgina and East Gwillimbury are designated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as underserviced areas for Family Physicians; and
WHEREAS presently there are thousands of Family Physicians practicing in provinces outside of Ontario who have the ability to move between provinces and to open practices without delay in provinces other than Ontario; and
WHEREAS the OMA estimates that over 10,000 Canadian trained physicians are currently practicing in the United States; and
WHEREAS the current licensing and administrative barriers that physicians face through Practice Assessment Programs and return of service requirements lead to delays of between one and five years for Family Physicians who wish to repatriate to the province of Ontario; and
WHEREAS the ability for medical residents to practice under a restricted license to assist with the physician human resource shortage is available in 8 out of 10 provinces but not in Ontario; and
WHEREAS the Regional Municipality of York, through previous resolutions, also recognizes the barriers faced by foreign trained physicians to practicing in Ontario;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the Regional Municipality of York urges the Government of the Province of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario take immediate action to:
1. develop new and more effective (repatriation) programs aimed at recruiting Canadian/Ontario-trained physicians currently practicing in other provinces, Ontario medical students studying in other provinces and Canadian�trained physicians currently practicing in the United States;
2. eliminate all return of service requirements for Canadian- trained physicians;
3. prevent delays to physicians working in other provinces who wish to set up practice in Ontario by putting greater reliance on their status as determined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in those provinces;
4. remove the barriers to restricted licensure for Ontario medical residents in training; and
5. develop appropriate retention measures for highly skilled physicians
THAT a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Premier of Ontario, the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, all municipalities in Ontario, all York Region MPPs and MPs, the Leaders of the Opposition Parties, and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
2. Committee requested that a resolution be prepared for consideration at the June 8, 2006 Committee meeting regarding barriers faced by foreign trained physicians to practicing in Ontario.
3. J. Simmons gave a verbal report regarding the Public Health Capacity Review Committee Final Report. Committee directed that a report regarding the recommendations of the Public Health Capacity Review Committee be prepared for consideration at the June 8, 2006 Committee meeting.
The Health and Emergency Medical Services Committee adjourned at 3:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
May 11, 2006 J. Frustaglio
Newmarket, Ontario Chair
(Report No. 4 of the Health and Emergency Medical Services Committee was adopted, without amendment, by Regional Council at its meeting held on May 25, 2006.)
S. Neill
(905) 830-4444 x 1305