(LONDON, Ontario) – London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has completed negotiating its funding and service levels with the South West Local Health Integration Network (SW LHIN), says Cliff Nordal, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The agreement we’ve negotiated maintains current service levels,” says Nordal, “and allows London Health Sciences Centre to continue providing its broad range of high quality clinical programs and services to the people of Southwestern Ontario and beyond.”
The agreement covers hospital funding and service levels for two fiscal years, and goes before the SW LHIN Board for approval today.
“There is no significant impact on our workforce arising from this agreement,” says Nordal. “While a reduction in full-time equivalents is planned, we feel this can be accomplished through attrition, and job losses are not anticipated.” LHSC continues to recruit Registered Nurses to fill vacancies and reopen beds closed because of earlier staff shortages. More than 500 RNs have joined the staff of the hospital since January 2007.
London Health Sciences Centre has a balanced operating budget for the first year of the plan. Under a waiver to the agreement, LHSC will continue to seek funding for operating costs arising from restructuring, to balance the second year. “We will be incurring operating costs for restructuring until programs now located at South Street Hospital are moved into renovated or new space,” says Nordal. “The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has funded these costs through 2008/09. We now need this support for 2009/10 as well.”
For more information contact:
Pat Smith
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
519-685-8500, ext. 77062
pat.smith@lhsc.on.ca
