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The Cité de la Santé blows out thirty birthday candles

Expansion of services in last five years points to more growth to come

par Hugo Morissette
Voir tous les articles de Hugo Morissette
Article mis en ligne le 29 septembre 2008 à 10:29
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The Cité de la Santé blows out thirty birthday candles

Mothers (and children) in action during Cité de la Santé's 30th Aniversary Celebration. These are a couple of moments (at a BBQ) from a week of activities marking the Laval hospital's 30 years of service to Laval and surrounding areas. Hospital officials cite the birthing centre as one of the services that has experienced significant growth at the facility in the past five years. One out of every 20 newborns in Quebec first sees the light of day at the Cité de la Santé. (Photo: Martin Alarie)

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The Cité de la Santé blows out thirty birthday candles

Expansion of services in last five years points to more growth to come

Laval's Cité de la Santé Hospital has reached another milestone, marking thirty years of service to the community.

This past Tuesday, a who's who of the Laval community gathered to launch a week of special activities in celebration of the hospital's contribution to the health of residents of Laval and surroundings. Representatives of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux (CSSS) de Ville de Laval, the Agence de santé (ASSS), the Fondation de la Cité de la Santé, and government marked the official opening of the Gift of Health Week, Arbor Day, and the Salon des artisans, all of which took place in the past few days.

Although the atmosphere was festive, the occasion easily lent itself to an analysis of the progress made by the hospital since its last milestone, the 25th anniversary celebrated in 2003.

For CSSS de Laval director-general Luc Lepage, one of the most significant events of the past five years was the coming of a new emergency room to respond to a crying need in that sector.

It should be remembered that prior to this major investment, the occupancy rate for stretchers in the ER reached 130%. Visits to the ER had risen 14% between 2000 and 2004, with patient traffic climbing to 60,000 from 52,000 annually. The situation made the work of medical professionals extremely difficult at the time.

CSSS

The creation of the CSSS in 2004 represented a major change in the system of health care in Laval. This reorganization of health care services continues to effect changes in the tasks of medical personnel.

The network, which regroups all CLSCs, CHSLD (Centre d'hebergement et de soins de longue durée – Long-term care centres), the ambulatory centre and the hospital, is now administered on a local basis.

To adjust to the challenge, the hospital administration says it now "finds itself in a process that will allow it to better respond to the needs of the population". The integrated oncology centre, the addition of short-term beds, the development of the operating room block, the building of a research centre, the expanding of the birthing centre and the recognition of the hospital as a university teaching institution – were all cited as examples of the new and improved health care process at Cité de la Santé.

The challenge

Luc Lepage points to several other challenges of the next few years. "As the population ages, the need for surgery, cancer treatment, dialysis and heart diseases are all sectors in which the demand for services will increase," he says. "We're also experiencing major growth in births occurring at the hospital. At present, the Cité de la Santé is the site of one out of every 20 births in Quebec.

"The biggest challenge is the volume of patients," Lepage continues. "To provide care in the ER at a faster pace is a top priority. As well, it's essential to reduce visits through referral of other medical facilities on Laval island and by promotion of healthy living habits in all residents as a way of eliminating the need and frequency for seeking medical attention."

The formula for the allocation of general practitioners between regions remains a major concern for Mr. Lepage, who states he's dissatisfied with the decision of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) to assign only three new physicians to Laval.

Representing the Quebec government at the launch of the 30th Anniversary celebration, MNA Alain Paquet says he's aware of the situation in Laval.

"We don't make doctors out of powder and water," he notes. "It has to be kept in mind that thirty years ago the people of Laval relied on Montreal (for medical services). The situation tends to change and, since 2003, the budget allocations for development (of services) have increased more for Laval than for Montreal."

One of the solutions foreseen to counteract the shortage of doctors is the introduction of front-line nurses who would free the physicians on duty from certain tasks. The first of these front-line nurses is expected to go into service in the Spring of 2009.

The Cité de la Santé first opened its doors in 1978, the fulfillment of a dream of Doctor Lucien Paiement, mayor of Laval at the time.

<@BV:The Cité de la Santé, near completion, in 1977.

(Photo: Martin Alarie)

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