HHHS to renovate long-term care space

By Chad Ingram

The following are brief reports of items discussed during a March 2 meeting of the Haliburton Highlands Health Services board. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place Feb. 25 but was rescheduled due to inclement weather.

The main areas at both HHHS long-term care facilities – Hyland Crest in Minden and Highland Wood in Haliburton – will be renovated decorated in a way that feels more like a home and less like an institution interim HHHS CEO and president Carolyn Plummer told board members.

Currently those areas include nursing stations.
“We’re going to be looking at taking that out of all those spaces” Plummer said. A capital campaign – tentatively called Heart of the Home – will be undertaken to pay for expenses. Plummer said there is review of space and space needs within the long-term care facilities underway in order to better use space.

“We have had discussions about some of our space utilizations” she said. “We are going to be looking at that over the next little while.”
Plummer said she wished to recognize the leadership members at HHHS’s long-term care facilities for their work on the issue.

There are also plans for a multi-purpose space which could include transitioning residents returning from acute care and which would include room for family to stay.
While the HHHS Foundation will be involved that fundraising will be separate from the fundraising campaign currently underway for new palliative wing at the Haliburton facility.

A number of new working groups are being introduced at HHHS. They include a fiscal advisory working group communications working group a practice leadership working group that will focus on best practices and a working group dedicated to a healthy working environment “to engage our staff and recognize the work they do . . . and improve staff morale” said Plummer.

Longtime HHHS board member and past president Len Logozar is no longer on the board after moving from the community. Plummer thanked Logozar for his significant and highly valuable contribution to this board over the years. “His leadership was remarkable” said vice-chairman Dave Bonham.

The Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation’s newest furry fundraising creature will be a fox foundation executive director Dale Walker told board members. A naming competition for the stuffed animal is underway and the foxes should be available for purchase in the near future.
“We’re trying to get them here very quickly” Walker said. The foundation has raised more than $1 million so far this fiscal year.