In the first-ever accreditation of public health services in CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, staff have earned strong praise for making public health—and preventive measures, in particular—an intrinsic element of the care and support that they provide.
The Accreditation Canada inspector (usually referred to as a “visitor”) also found that CIUSSS staff take genuine pride and satisfaction in helping their patients and clients, says Dominique Dufour, Assistant Director of Frontline Integrated Services.
“I’m very happy with the many positive points that were highlighted in the visitor’s report,” adds Ms. Dufour, who is based at CLSC Metro and was Coordinator of Public Health for the CIUSSS at the time.
“To prepare for accreditation, there was excellent cooperation among all directorates and departments, which makes this a success for staff throughout our CIUSSS. The results clearly show how highly motivated and well organized everyone was.”
Among the visitor’s other observations was that strong coordination exists between the CIUSSS and the regional public health agency. The CIUSSS is also widely recognized for its professional expertise, innovative spirit, dynamic leadership, and ability to serve people from diverse, multicultural backgrounds.
However, she noted that a central plan for refrigerating vaccines needs to be developed, and that various CIUSSS committees would benefit from the appointment of additional client or patient representatives.
Although the visitor made specific comments about CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, she was just one of three visitors from Accreditation Canada who were conducting a broad evaluation of public health in all five of the CIUSSSs that serve Montreal.
Thus, the final score of 99.1 represents the level of performance in public health throughout the island.
The visitor who was assigned to CIUSSS West-Central Montreal spent a full day—from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.—speaking with patients, clients, staff and leaders at various locations, with particular attention to preventive measures in health care.
At CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, the visit focused on the day care centre, measles prevention, and activities to stimulate proper childhood development. At the JGH, the tour included the Post Partum Unit and the Herzl-Goldfarb Breastfeeding Clinic. At the Simonne Monet School (where the CIUSSS provides services), the visitor met with a dental hygienist, a nurse and a social worker.
Also on the agenda was an introductory meeting with Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg (President and CEO) and Francine Dupuis (Associate CEO), followed by presentations on dealing with measles (in conjunction with Infection Prevention and Control), smoking prevention, and the way help is provided to vulnerable individuals during a heat wave.
“Before the visit, we made a major push to sensitize our staff to the importance of prevention in all aspects of care,” notes Ms. Dufour. “I’m thrilled that our efforts have paid off.”
