After several weeks of consultations with local stakeholders, an independent facilitator has recommended district municipalities pursue a permanent agreement with Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. to take over administration of Rainycrest Home for the Aged here.
“The facilitator presented his findings and recommendations to the member municipalities of the board of management and other stakeholders last Wednesday,” said John Letherby, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
“As a result, the parties are now working towards developing a sustainable and a local solution that best meets the needs of the residents of Rainycrest,” he added.
“This is the greatest thing to happen to the Rainy River District for a long time,” enthused Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown, who also is vice-chair of Rainycrest’s board of management.
“It was very, very well-received by all the municipalities,” Fort Frances Mayor Dan Onichuk said of the facilitator’s report on Friday. “I believe it’s a win-win for everybody.”
“I’m thrilled with the deal,” echoed Fort Frances Coun. Tannis Drysdale. “Everyone in the room was happy with it.”
“If you have Riverside that is dealing with health care issues daily, they’d be the most logical to find a solution to the problems that existed at Rainycrest,” noted Fort Frances Coun. Roy Avis.
“The recommendations [the consultant] made were very, very good for Fort Frances and for the surrounding communities.”
“Obviously, Riverside is pleased that the consultant recommended that we at least go down that road,” said Riverside CEO Wayne Woods.
“There’s still a ways to go. We do have to do some negotiating on it,” he cautioned. “Basically, we’re looking forward to concluding it, hopefully by the fall.”
Independent consultant Scott Rowand was hired by the ministry earlier this year to investigate the options for Rainycrest and make a recommendation on how to proceed.
Rowand met with the home’s board of management, municipal reps, current and former administration at the home, as well as residents and the home’s family council.
“He has had discussions with the ministry and effectively has come up with a proposed resolution that is based on a lot of the things the board of management was looking for, and ultimately in the best interests of the residents,” Mayor Onichuk said.
“I think the municipalities and Riverside and the management board want this to work, and we’re going to try to fulfill that,” said Robin Wright, who chairs the Riverside board.
Details of Rowand’s report cannot be released until a formal agreement is signed, but a memorandum of understanding between Rainycrest and Riverside is expected to be signed by late next week.
Once the MOU is signed, negotiations can begin on the details of the agreement.
Among the details to be worked out will be the question of taxation without representation.
Some municipal reps were opposed to handing over the long-term care facility to Riverside because the home’s board is made up of elected officials who have the right to tax while the Riverside board is made up of district citizens who do not.
Another issue to consider is the fact Atikokan is the only district municipality not represented on the Riverside board because it has its own hospital.
Yet Atikokan currently pays the second-highest levy towards the operation of Rainycrest.
These details, among others, will need to be worked out during negotiations, in which Rowand will continue to play a role.
“My understanding is that he will be acting as a facilitator to try and get the two sides to the table and try and push this thing through,” Woods said.
“It will be mostly between us, Riverside, and the ministry. That’s who has to make the agreement happen,” he added.
Despite the long road ahead, stakeholders remain optimistic the outcome will be success.
“It’s been a very hot and heated debate over the last year,” Mayor Onichuk acknowledged.
“[But] we’ve got the makings of a good agreement all the way around that would be in the best interests of the municipalities, the ratepayers, and, most importantly, the care of the residents themselves.
“It’s something I believe will be a long-term answer for the home,” he added.
“It’s a positive thing for the district and the residents of Rainycrest,” Wright said.
NDP leader and local MPP Howard Hampton also is praising the recommendations.
“These recommendations are the best possible options both financially and in terms of the quality of health care,” he said in a press release issued yesterday.
“I hope that everyone moves forward to implement the recommendations contained in the consultant’s report,” he added. “This is the best-case scenario for the well-being of the residents in this facility.”
Early last year, the Rainycrest board had received three proposals to run the home—from Riverside, the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, and Extendicare.
The board had selected the DSSAB proposal as its preferred choice.
The ministry instead took control of the home on March 18, 2005 and named Riverside the interim administrator for one year.
Since then, the long-standing suspension on admissions has been lifted and the number of incidents of non-compliance with ministry standards has dropped considerably.
Then this past March, the Rainycrest board agreed to grant the ministry a 90-day extension on its control order on the home in order to explore a permanent solution.
At a special meeting of the Rainy River District Municipal Association last month in Barwick, municipal reps voted in favour of negotiations to make Riverside the permanent administrator of Rainycrest.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
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