ealth dept. restructures

to focus on communities
North Shore Health divided into 14 neighborhoods

ALTHOUGH THE current
reorganization of the North
Shore Health Department is
causing some disruption for
the 150 full-time and 40 to
50 part-time staff,. Medical
Health Officer Dr. Brian
O’Connor believes the move
will result in greater job
Satisfaction for employees
and better service for local
residents.

WEST VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL

by Maureen Curtis

“(At the moment) it’s like tur-
ning the Queen Mary around,”’
O’Connor admitted.

.. To emphasize communities
rather than functions, the entire
North Shore has been divided into
14 neighborhoods.

Assigned to each neighborhood
will be a team of health workers
consisting of a community health
nurse, a home care nurse and sup-
port from a long-term care
assessor, public health inspector
and ‘occupational-physiotherapist.

By- working closely with a
neighborhood, .O’Connor believes

‘ that. team members will be better

,able to assess. and respond to

specific. needs ~ for example,

‘better resources for seniors in one
case, or difficulties associated with
poverty in another.

‘The restructuring extends up the
chain to four directors who were
‘previously i in charge of:

@ environmental : health (public
health inspection);

@ prevention’ (community health);
8 continuing care;

‘e physiotherapy.

Although ‘these functions and
“associated services will still be
provided, they are no longer the
« prime focus of the organization.

The four directors are noweach .

_ in charge of one of four clusters

of neighborhoods and = their
assigned teams:

@ West Vancouver;

@ North Vancouver City;

@ North Vancouver District cast
of Lynn Creek;

e North Vancouver west of Lynn
Creek.

“We are flattening the
Management structure and break-
ing down the territorial functional
boundaries,” said O'Connor.

Although some employees are
wary of the changes, O'Connor
believes that the team format and
the breaking down of the previous
heirarchical structure should result
in greater job satisfaction.

“Each person will have more
discretion over their work day.
They will be able to be more cre-
ative and innovative,’’ he said.

It will be easier for a team to
tespond to the neighborhood and
define its needs, while taking into
account the principle that there is
more to encouraging ‘wellness’
and a healthy community than the
treatment of sickness.

In some cases, teams might find
that what is most needed to im-
prove health in a neighborhood is
housing, jobs, friends, education
or child care.

According to O’Connor, this is
where local policy makers, com-
munity groups and other fevels of
government can make the deci-
sions in public policy that can
have an impact on health issues.

“For a long time we have ab-
dicated responsibility for our
health to doctors and hospitals.
The public has to be better in-
volved,’? O’Connor said.

While the retraining and
restructuring at North Shore
Health is likely to be completed in
12 to 18 months, it pales beside
the much larger ‘‘regionalization’’
of the entire health-care system in
B.C,

In future, each region, such as
the North Shore, will be assigned

a portion of the health-care

dollar. Money will be spent as
seen fit by new locally appointed

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Although most medical doctors
will still be funded — directly
through the ministry of health,
regionalization will have an impact
on the way money is spent at
Lions Gate Hospital and the
North Shore Health Department.

Funding for the $10 million
worth of North Shore Health pro-
grams comes from the three local
municipalities, the two school
boards and the provincial govern-
ment,

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