Posted Mar 12, 2008, 8:42 PM
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Unregistered Loser
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NB
Posts: 1,357
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New company means up 150 jobs
Health Mayor says changes to two health authorities will be difficult; former head of Region 2 board calls consolidation 'positive move'
JOHN MAZEROLLE
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
Published Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Appeared on page C1
SAINT JOHN - Mayor Norm McFarlane says the new public sector company announced by Health Minister Mike Murphy Tuesday will mean 100 to 150 jobs in the city.
"They're good jobs," said McFarlane, who believes the jobs will generally be in the $40,000- to $50,000-a-year range.
Health Minister Mike Murphy made three major health announcements in the legislature Tuesday:
* The province's eight regional health authorities will be reduced to two, one based in Bathurst and one based in Miramichi.
* An arm's-length New Brunswick Health Council will take public input and monitor the health-care system.
* A new public sector company based in Saint John will consolidate non-medical services such as payroll and laundry.
The new company, where the 100 to 150 jobs will be, will also manage electronic health records.
McFarlane said he expects the jobs will be phased in over several years, and that some administrative positions lost because of the amalgamation of the health authorities will likely be moved into this new company.
He said the change to two health authorities will be difficult, but that the most important consideration is putting as much money into health services as possible.
The mayor was also impressed by the people who will be in charge of the new system. The new company will have a nine-member board of directors, led by Saint John's Roxanne Fairweather, head of the Bell Aliant company Innovatia.
The CEO will be Gordon Gilman, who has more than 30 years experience with the province.
Meanwhile, the new Miramichi-based Regional Health Authority B, including the southeast, River Valley, Saint John, and Miramichi, will be led by Rothesay's John Laidlaw, a member of the Cox and Palmer law firm and a director with the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey team.
Bill Teed, a former, long-serving chairman of Saint John's health board, said the changes were good ones, although he does have some concerns.
"In general, consolidation is good," said Teed, chairman of the Region 2 board from April, 2002 until June 2007. "We are indeed a small province. Streamlining the operations is a positive move. This is really one part of a much bigger issue and improving the delivery of health care to New Brunswickers."
Teed, also a lawyer with Cox and Palmer, said he was disappointed that Region 2 CEO Dora Nicinski was not made head of authority B, and he says whenever there are consolidations people worry about the loss of local decision making. "There are certainly issues that will be observed with interest," he said.
Nicinski could not be reached for comment, although the province says each of the CEOs will be given the opportunity to stay in the health system in prominent roles.
The province said it doesn't know yet what the impact on jobs will be, although Murphy promised it wouldn't affect services, hospitals, or bed numbers.
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