“medical and surgical day care services are aimed at keeping people active, healthy and out of hospital beds....” We do have our problems. But they are miniScule compared to sister hospitals who are forced to periodically close Emergency departments or cut elective surgery because they have reached overload. Yet we cannot be complacent about our future. Medical coordinator Dr. Jim Corbett This past year has yet again emphasized that we are trying to maintain a high standard of care for an ever increasing and aging population in the presence, in reality, of a diminishing number of available acute care beds Chairman O R. Booking and Utilization Committee Dr. John Gould It is clear that the Medical Day Care Centre at LGH is still very much tn a transition and formation stage and 1s prloneering an 1n- creasingly important freld of health care delivery Medical Supervisor, MDC Dr Robin Bell Irving Volunteering 1s Changing, as the economy increases and our lives become more hectic tt is becoming difficult to find volunteers People who care about then tellow man, enough to give a few moments of comfort and com passion, will always be needed President, Auxillary to (tons Gate Hospital Sharon larson There are about 250 people in day therapy at the pre- sent time, about as much as staff and facilities can han- dle. One of the large groups they deal with is geriatric patients with psychiatric problems associated with senili- ty. Such patients may attend weekly for socialization and monitoring, and therapists visit nursing homes. The cen- tre has also pioneered a couples program for wives and husbands of such patients to help them adjust to a deteriorated mental state. When the Psychiatric Day Centre opened its doors seven years ago there were no patients aged over 65 — in fact very little was being done for the group known as psycho-geriatrics. With an eye to the future such pro- grams have evolved and likely more will be developed to meet the needs of a large retirement-age Community. The day centre also links up with sheltered workshops in the Vancouver area to place some of the more im- paired patients who are unable to function in the regular work force, but can contribute in a more structured set- ting What lies ahead? So, finding itself facing the acute problems of the 1980s, LGH has decided to take the relatively untried path aimed at keeping patients healthy, active and out of hospita] beds. The road will not be easy, financing for day care has yet to be satisfactorily worked out between hospitals and the provincial government. Acceptance depends on the imagination of both physicians and the public — in- deed on the movement for preventive medicine at a na- tional level Financial support and the rising costs of health care are two enormous problems to be dealt with, but there are others. First there is our rapidly aging population The North Shore community is expected to grow by 20,000 in the next 20 years — 12,000 of these people will be 65 or older. Already 60 per cent of Canadian hospital admissions come from this group. We know there aren't enough long term care beds, which places an intolerable burden on hospitals. LGH’s planned 125- bed extended care expansion will be full before it opens in 1982. With high-priced real estate how can voluntary groups buy land to build rest homes to fill the gap? Lions Gate Hospital itsetf has grown and become more complex The medical care it offers is more sophisticated than ever before — there is still a shortage of trained staff in many areas, a problem faced by every institution of tts size The availability of staff dictates the numbers of beds the hospital can safely keep open. LGH has to cope with pressures concommitant with 456 acute care beds, 169 extended care beds, a com plex day hospital network, an Emergency that sees 50,000 patients a year, and a wide variety of out-patient services More than 200 physicians may admit patients and there are 25 service departments stafted by 1700 tull and part-time employees Given ali this, it would be naive to think there will be a sudden end to long term problems related to money and manpower Top prionty will continue to go to caretul management ot available resources so that care can be given where tt is Most needed, through a proper balance of humanitanianism and economy So tar LGH ts proving that, despite the obstacles, it can be done Lions Gate Hospital Report - Page 3 Beds Acute 485 Extended Care 169 Total beds (excluding bassinets) 654 Newborn 36 inpatient admissions Acute 15,602 Extended Care 89 Long Term Care - Newborn 1,428 Patient Days Acute 147,205 Extended Care 61,687 Long Term Care - Newborn 8,656 217 548 Occupancy Rate Acute 83% Extended Care 100% Average Length of Stay (days) Acute 94 Extended Care 432 6 Cost Per Acute Patent Approved $95 33 Actual $100 55 Total Expenditure $18,818,000 Total Salanes Paid $15.412, 569 Emergency patients 38 623 Laboratory in-patients (units) 2.949 186 Out -patirents (units) 769 453 Other (units) 1,523,511 Pharmacy (# new prescriptions) 59.162 Physical Medicine In patents (units) 1.583 840 Out patients (units) 580 628 Oiagnostic Radiotogy in patients Radhotoyy (examinations) Ww 7VO Out -patients Radtotoyy (examinations) 14 436 in patents Radtomotopes (units) 136 404 Out patents Hadhomotopes (urvts) 247 704 Operating Room Procedures 11 320 Otetery Meals 64 666 Therapeutic meals 116 140 Laundry Pounds of tnen processed 7 922 600 Steam Plant Pounds of steam produced 64,8653 000 223,625 92% 99% 96 945 2 $193 44 $210 90 $37 865 522 $28,667 .721 47 616 3.108.176 1.142 858 1.8695 839 70 487 1 763,726 934 370 876 618 112 678 7 634 133 87 8265 680 ° This 5-year comparative figuras given above sre for a twatve-month ppriod onding December 31 March 31. 18981 respectively 1973 and