Board of Directors Meeting Highlights
September 14, 2021
1. The meeting was opened with a land acknowledgement that HCO’s sites are situated on Algonquin Anishinaabe Territory.
2. Kate Cholewa was welcomed as the new Director of Residence Care for Hospice Care Ottawa.
3. Shirley Chennette, team leader for the Family Support Program at Hospice Care Ottawa presented an overview of this program which serves hospice residents and their families, the care team and the community. The team, which is supported by trained volunteers, includes psychotherapists and social workers who support people through illness, death and bereavement. They have adjusted their offerings to accommodate virtual counseling and support groups, as well as re-organizing special events like the Shine a Light celebration held in December to meet evolving public health requirements. There are personnel in place to support the Ruddy-Shenkman, May Court and Maison de l’Est locations as well as the community at large.
4. Lisa Sullivan, Executive Director, provided the following updates:
5. Quality and Risk Management committee will be recommending the Board approve the new COVID 19 Vaccination policy pending legal input. The new policy requires all staff and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID 19 in order to work at the Hospice. Those with valid medical or religious exemptions can continue to work as long as they obtain negative COVID tests (PCR) weekly.
6. Lisa Sullivan reported all statutory payments of the organization have been made.
7. Employee Referral Bonus program has been approved by the Resources committee. The pilot will run from October 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. It recognizes employees of HCO who recommend a candidate for employment. Bonus will be paid out to the referring employee in two installments: $500 at the time of onboarding the new hire; and $500 following six months of successful employment with HCO. This is one tool of several we are using to increase employee retention and recruitment.
8. Next meeting of the Board will be held virtually on November 16, 2021
2. Kate Cholewa was welcomed as the new Director of Residence Care for Hospice Care Ottawa.
3. Shirley Chennette, team leader for the Family Support Program at Hospice Care Ottawa presented an overview of this program which serves hospice residents and their families, the care team and the community. The team, which is supported by trained volunteers, includes psychotherapists and social workers who support people through illness, death and bereavement. They have adjusted their offerings to accommodate virtual counseling and support groups, as well as re-organizing special events like the Shine a Light celebration held in December to meet evolving public health requirements. There are personnel in place to support the Ruddy-Shenkman, May Court and Maison de l’Est locations as well as the community at large.
4. Lisa Sullivan, Executive Director, provided the following updates:
- COVID: The residence visiting rules have been relaxed in accordance with public health guidelines. Day hospice and limited home support visits will be offered in the fall.
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) project activities have been slow due to COVID. However, we have started collecting more data on staff, volunteers and clients on diversity issues. We have also held discussion groups with staff and volunteers on various topics and have participated in a number of training sessions.
- Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) has been provided in the residences by an outside team since September 2021. In general, the care team has a good comfort level with the procedure taking place on-site. In the past four months, 3 of our clients experienced MAiD. The most recent modifications to the legislation include advance consent by the patient.
5. Quality and Risk Management committee will be recommending the Board approve the new COVID 19 Vaccination policy pending legal input. The new policy requires all staff and volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID 19 in order to work at the Hospice. Those with valid medical or religious exemptions can continue to work as long as they obtain negative COVID tests (PCR) weekly.
6. Lisa Sullivan reported all statutory payments of the organization have been made.
7. Employee Referral Bonus program has been approved by the Resources committee. The pilot will run from October 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. It recognizes employees of HCO who recommend a candidate for employment. Bonus will be paid out to the referring employee in two installments: $500 at the time of onboarding the new hire; and $500 following six months of successful employment with HCO. This is one tool of several we are using to increase employee retention and recruitment.
8. Next meeting of the Board will be held virtually on November 16, 2021