Riverside reports another deficit

Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc., which oversees hospitals and long-term care facilities in Rainy River, Emo, and Fort Frances, held its annual general meeting in Rainy River last Thursday night.
Attendance was sparse compared to a decade ago when arenas were packed with hundreds of voting members from the three communities. There were just 14 people in the gallery this year and nearly as many board members holding the meeting.

Two items topped the agenda: Riverside’s financial status and the first actual election of officers in years.
Riverside CEO Wayne Woods reported the corporation had a deficit for the second time in two years. For 2008/09, they ended the year on March 31 with a $950,192 deficit—more than triple the previous year’s $229,649.
Woods said the deficit was due mostly to “one-time expenses.”
He noted Riverside received a 2.1 percent increase in government funding but, at the same time, wages rose by 3.0-3.5 percent while supplies jumped five-10 percent.
“I feel we will be back on track this year [2009/10],” Woods predicted.
Meanwhile, for the first time in a number of years, Riverside had more people interested in being on the board of directors than there were seats.
Long-time director Wendy Judson served the maximum number of terms without taking a break while Sarah Berg of Rainy River stepped down after a three-year term.
Two other seats, including Norma Elliott’s of Rainy River, were up for election. However, five individuals indicated they would run for them.
In the end, Elliott and Troy L’Hirondelle were re-elected while Sandy Skirten and Jason Kabel were elected.
Noreen Robertson was not, but was thanked for her interest.
Also last Thursday, Woods spoke of the start-up of the new CT Scanner at La Verendrye Hospital in Fort Frances as a proud moment this past year.
He also noted that work to bring Rainycrest up to modern standards was progressing well, and that the Rainy River Health Centre now has a new state-of-the-art fitness centre.
Woods also was pleased with a public opinion survey of the facilities Riverside oversees coming in at 4.64 out of 5.
“We will continue to strive for improvements and perhaps this year it will be 4.9!” he enthused.
In other news, all four auxiliaries reported busy years, with Emo just announcing they donated $10,000 this past week for a cardiac monitor.
The Rainycrest auxiliary donated almost $38,000 to the facility last year while the auxiliary at La Verendrye reported it was able to raise $41,000 of its pledges to the Riverside Foundation for Health Care.
The Rainy River auxiliary made nearly $30,000 in donations.
The doctor shortage in Fort Frances was the main issue of the report by Riverside chief of staff Dr. Phillip Whatley.
Several “housekeeping” bylaws also were passed at last Thursday’s meeting, including one that saw the facilities’ histories updated in the bylaws.
A new mission statement was passed, and definitions in the bylaws of the various types of facilities in the corporation were re-worked.
As well, the board regularly grants privileges to doctors on a six-month basis.
That was changed to one year at Thursday’s meeting.