CISSSO CEO visits Shawville Hospital

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CISSSO CEO visits the Pontiac
Deborah Powell
Local Journalism Initiative

SHAWVILLE – Dr. Marc Bilodeau, president and CEO of the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), spoke to the press at the Pontiac Community Hospital (PCH), September 30.

“I’m here to visit the Pontiac region, a second tour … trying to connect with my teams and local partners, trying to see how I can learn more about the reality of the region and hopefully do better from a health perspective in partnership with all the key partners here,” explained Bilodeau.

Asked to comment on the $70 million deficit CISSSO projects for this year, Bilodeau noted an ageing population and increased demand for long-term care beds. A big portion of the projected deficit come from providing more home care to ease that situation, he explained. “This is forcing us to look at the efficiency of all services we’re providing and that’s the exercise we’re doing now with our team”. Other factors contributing to the deficit are increased costs of goods and services, the agency’s reliance on private staffing agencies and overtime costs.

When asked about the Pontiac’s situation in particular, Bilodeau mentioned the region’s low socio-economic status, which makes the population more vulnerable from a health perspective. He said he and his team are meeting with economic and educational partners along with other related community organizations to improve the social determinants of health. “If we don’t feed people, if they’re not paid enough and have no place to live, they’re not going to be healthy,” he said.

While Bilodeau was unwilling to project any dates for the re-establishment of obstetrics at the PCH, he said it’s an ultimate goal and there are good midwife services locally to help things along in the meantime.

Bilodeau was also asked about the committee, including the minister of health and the treasury board, that is looking at human resource challenges province-wide. The phasing out of agency personnel is one of the big challenges. “We need to figure out ways to bring these people back into the system,” he said, to lower costs and improve continuity of care. Bilodeau also mentioned it’s an added challenge to recruit certain types of personnel, like physiotherapists, when there are no local training programs. “I’m confident we’re going to figure out a real solution for the long run,” he said.

Bilodeau became president and CEO of CISSSO in January 2024. He comes from a long career in military healthcare, most recently serving as Surgeon General and Head of Health Services for the Canadian Armed Forces since 2020.

Photo – CISSSO President and CEO, Dr. Marc Bilodeau, visited the Pontiac Community Hospital and met with the press, Sept. 30. (DP)