The C-E-O of the Southwest Local Health Integration Network says the integration with Community Care Access Centres is taking place across the Province and the hope is it will be completed some time this spring.
Michael Barrett explains the merger is one of the provisions in the Patients First Act that was introduced last fall, and was intended to improve consistency and access to community home care, better access to primary care, stronger ties to public health units and greater integration of services at the local level.
Barrett explains the integration with the CCACs will help those things happen but will be phased in so that the transition is seamless and there will be no disruption of service for someone leaving a hospital, or any other facility, and returning to the home or another facility.
Barrett adds that process is taking place in the other 13 LHINs across the province and the hope is it will be completed sometime this spring but he stresses the integration will be staggered to make sure that it's done without interruption of service to the patient.
Barrett points out the LHIN already looks after the funding and planning for most other parts of the system, like hospitals and long-term care homes and community health centres. The intent of the integration with the CCACs is to improve all of those services and make it easier for the patient as they navigate their way through the system.