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A10O The Canadian Champion, Friday, December 1, 2006 CSTOMER>'~0> AR EC~ ; [IATION DA+g!YSI OFFP] YOUIR ENTIRE PURCHASE WHEN YOU USE YOUR Hbc CREDIT CARD *Soe mni u exoe so e çym ofo $40ic on p& outr Hc e i t Health care plan Iaunched A plan that paves the way lfor henter co-ordinaiion of local health services was launclied this week. The document, entitled the lntegrated flealth Service Plan (IHSP), was prepared hy the Mississauga Halton L ocal Health Integration Network (1-HIN) after consulîtng wvith over 3,000 residents and hecalth service providers. "The strategic priorities outlined in the report relleci the vîews, opinions and priorities of local resîdenîs and clearly addresses the specîfie health needs of our communities," said Mississauga Halton LHIN board chair John Magili. The IHSP highlights strategie health pnorities, enablirig strategies and local solutions to provincial initiatives for Halton Hilîs, Milton, Oakville, Mississauga and south Etohicoke. Missîssauga Halton LHIN CEO Michael Penn emphasized that the IHSP lays the foundation for a new health service delivery system. "This plan ais to put patients, their families and residenrs in each of our local communities at the centre of health care deliverv and health plan- ning," he saîd. "By engaging health service providers, nurses, doctors and health care workers, we will improve the way our local health system serves seniors, mothers and chîldren, people dealîng with mental illness and addic- tions and residents who suffer from long-îermn medical conditions." Improved access In addition to provîdîng for hetter eu-ordination of health services, the IHSP also improves access hy enahling patients to see the right service provider at the right time, lntegrating services will shorten wait times and let patients move smoothly fromn one service to the next without difficulty or delay. "The IHSP is a strategic health care roadmap that helps people stay healthy, delivers good care to them when they get sick and ,vîiI he there for their chil- dren and grandchildren," said MagilI. "As a key driver of hecalth systemn change, the I-HIN lias a veiy important leadership role to play on hehaîf of the communîty in making sure we accom- plish the goals set out in the IHSP" Penn noted that the communîîy will continue to be involved in planning. "The completion of the IHSP is already a great accomplîshment and will shape service delivery that focuses on the patient f'or înanv years to come," he said. "We will continue to work with community resîdents, healîh service providers and our partuers i every step ol tht', joomv lo irinsloin Onarto', of louriecii I I IN orgatnizations created across Ontario hy the Minîstry of Health and Long-Term Care. I-HINs have heen estahlished as a vehicle to plan, co-ordinate, integrate, fond and monitor local health care services and offer innovative responses to some of the significant challenges now facing the Ontario health care sys- tem.