Latest news with #VitalitéHealthNetwork
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
New Brunswick prioritizes nursing home placements to alleviate Bathurst hospital
For the second time in less than a month, Vitalité Health Network says obstetrical services at Chaleur Regional Hospital will not be available for at least another week. The Government of New Brunswick has approved temporary prioritization of patients at the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst, who are waiting for admission to nursing homes. 'This prioritization is a step toward easing the strain, but it's not a full solution,' said Social Development Minister Cindy Miles. 'We recognize the urgent and pressing circumstances we're facing. We know that seniors deserve better than long hospital stays. That's why our government remains focused on delivering timely, appropriate care, ensuring people are supported when – and where – it matters most.' The Chaleur Regional Hospital is part of the Vitalité Health Network. Nursing home admissions are usually done in chronological order, but due to critical circumstances, the minister has authority to prioritize admission of alternate-level-of-care patients waiting in hospital, a news release from the province stated. This can occur in hospitals where: the emergency department is over capacity and there are prolonged off-loading delays from ambulance bays acute care units are over capacity critical surgeries are cancelled due to a lack of available hospital beds The changes can be enacted for up to 30 days during these critical states. 'It's essential that patients are in the right setting for their needs,' said Health Minister John Dornan. 'Our government understands that the high number of patients in hospitals waiting for long-term care is putting real pressure on our health system. That's why we're working in close partnership with the regional health authorities to improve patient flow, free up critical hospital resources and ensure that those awaiting long-term care receive supportive care in a more suitable environment.' The province has 78 licensed nursing homes with 5,373 beds. There are 431 adult residential facilities offering care and services to about 7,600 residents. 'The department is working to streamline the alternate-level-of-care assessment process. Wait times can be influenced by several factors, including the time people need to make informed decisions. To support clients during this initial period, interim home support services may be offered to help stabilize urgent situations while assessments are completed,' the news release said. The Social Development department is also piloting an initiative funded under the Aging with Dignity bilateral agreement. The pilot introduces long-term care coordinators to improve services access and care navigation. The Nursing Home Without Walls program has also received funding from the department to help seniors stay in their communities and receive services tailored to their specific needs. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
18-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
How researchers are mapping genetics in N.B. to detect inherited diseases sooner
Researchers at Vitalité Health Network imagine a health-care system where patients are screened early for a disorder or disease they inherited from their parents, and mothers know exactly what health problems they could pass down to their children before ever getting pregnant. But first, medical teams need to know which genetic variants are common in specific regions of New Brunswick. Luckily, we are built of microscopic indicators that researchers in Moncton are studying so they can figure that out. "We have thousands of genes," Jean Mamelona, who runs the provincial program of medical genetics, said. "We are going, specifically, to analyze the genes to see if there is a defect or … a default on the gene." Mamelona and his research team at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Hospital are touring the province to map people's genes to build the first database of its kind for each of the seven health zones in the province. Genes provide a wealth of information about the body. But this research is focused on finding defects, otherwise known as variances or mutations. These can cause genetic disorders. The hope is that medical teams will use that information to screen people earlier for conditions such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and Huntington's, among others. It could also be invaluable to inform more precise neonatal screening, Mamelona said. "We can plan precision medicine for the area," he said. The project, which began in 2018 and is partly funded by Research N.B., is expected to be complete once 60 people in each of the seven health zones have been tested by the end of 2027. What results among Acadians are telling us so far Teams have been testing 60 participants in each health zone who can provide medical information and a swab of DNA to be tested. So far, the team has tested people near Moncton, on the Acadian Peninsula, and in Restigouche and Madawaska. WATCH | 'It's what we call a bottleneck effect' A map of New Brunswickers' genes is being drawn, and here's what it could mean 2 hours ago Researchers in Moncton are studying 60 people in each of the seven health zones in New Brunswick to find common variants in their genes. The hope is that medical teams will be able to use the information to screen patients sooner for inherited diseases and disorders. Results from some areas, such as the Acadian Peninsula and northwest regions, have not yet been released to the public. The results from Zone 1, in the southeast, show that Acadians who were tested have similar genetic variants that are likely being passed down from generation to generation. "We have seen that there are some variants that are really more frequent, compared to Caucasian populations elsewhere around the globe," Mamelona said. Forty-three of the 60 participants in the southeast, or 71 per cent of them, were found to be carrying at least one variant. One of the variants was detected in 11 individuals. For privacy reasons, the researchers do not disclose the specific diseases that each of the variants they found could be linked to. To historian and Acadian genealogist Denis Savard, the results are no surprise. He said the similarities in Acadian genes are likely caused by a common thing that happens among smaller ancestral groups. "It's what we call a bottleneck effect," Savard said. "[It's] where only a few families, relatively speaking, start off the population, so there's a limited number of genes to start off even though there's always people coming in and adding to the population." Acadians actually experienced the bottleneck effect twice, Savard said. It happened once when a limited number of mostly French settlers came to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the 1600s. The same thing happened again after Acadians were expelled from the region in 1755, and an even smaller number of them returned to rebuild communities. "If you look at Restigouche, it's pretty much the same families for over 150 years, same for Memramcook area," Savard said. To the research team, Acadians are a strong example of why the medical community could benefit from more in-depth genetic testing, given that early results point to largely homogeneous genetic variances. In other words, Mamelona said, if there is a higher prevalence of carriers for the same genetic variants, and we can confirm them across the province, we can screen new generations for them. Researchers are now trying to recruit in the Miramichi area as they turn their focus to areas of English descent. Saint John and Fredericton are next on the list. Participants must be at least 19 years old, be covered by medicare, not be expecting a child and have two grandparents who were born in that specific area to qualify for the study.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Travel nurse company asks court to strike down 'unconstitutional' law designed to nullify contracts
Canadian Health Labs wants the Court of King's Bench to strike down legislation that the province enacted last month, arguing it is unconstitutional, in a bid to avoid any legal or financial penalties over travel nurse contracts between the staffing agency and Vitalité Health Network. In documents filed with the court in Saint John, Canadian Health Labs alleges the Travel Nurses Act represents "unlawful interference" by the legislature of New Brunswick into a "freely negotiated commercial relationship between two commercial entities." It claims the act was "legislated in bad faith and constitutes an abuse of power by the province." The act is "improper, unconstitutional and unconscionable and must be struck down in its entirety," Canadian Health Labs argues in the documents, filed in response to Vitalité's statements of defence and counterclaims to the company's three lawsuits over the contracts. The Ontario-based company has also notified the provincial and federal attorneys general about the "questions of constitutionality raised in this matter," according to the documents. New Brunswick's attorney general declined to comment Friday through Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Jadesola Emmanuel. She cited the matter being before the courts. The Office of the Attorney General of Canada has received notice of a constitutional question related to the provincial Travel Nurses Act, confirmed federal Department of Justice spokesperson Ian McLeod. It will "review in order to determine next steps," he said in an emailed statement. Bill was introduced in March Health Minister Dr. John Dornan introduced the Act Respecting Travel Nurses in March, after Vitalité cancelled the remaining shifts of travel nurses employed by Canadian Health Labs, even though its contract wasn't set to expire until February 2026. "The contract that we signed was not a good contract for New Brunswickers, for taxpayers," Dornan said at the time. It was signed in 2022 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and dire staffing shortages, he said. "We were desperate." Canadian Health Labs charged about $300 an hour per nurse — roughly six times what a local staff nurse earns, Auditor General Paul Martin found in a report last summer. "The contracts with private nursing agencies were not reflective of best practices and did not demonstrate value for money," Martin said. Two days after the legislation was introduced, Canadian Health Labs launched its first lawsuit against Vitalité, alleging breaches of contract and seeking damages. Then, before the legislation was adopted, the company filed two more lawsuits over two other contracts, which were also signed in 2022 but had both expired in 2024. Canadian Health Labs alleged, among other things, that Vitalité deployed fewer "human health resource professionals" than stipulated, failed to pay invoices, and terminated a renewal "unilaterally and improperly." Dornan subsequently appeared before the legislature's standing committee on economic policy to discuss proposed amendments to the bill. Vitalité's lawyers had raised concerns about the expired contracts not being included, Dornan said. So the government decided it would be "prudent, and perhaps safer, to nullify all three contracts," which covered from July 2022 to February 2026 and totalled $98 million, according to the auditor general. Canadian Health Labs alleges the act "has the effect of allowing Vitalité and the province of New Brunswick to not pay its debts, obtain statutorily protected unjust enrichment, not to be held accountable to the various liabilities Vitalité incurred during its commercial relationship with CHL and attempts to shield Vitalité and the province of New Brunswick from judicial oversight and reprimand for its bad faith conduct." The "use of legislation to avoid payment of accounts receivable for services rendered is tantamount to theft," it claims. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Canadian Health Labs goes on to argue that despite the title of the legislation, the Travel Nurses Act "does not address travel nursing in the province." Travel nursing contracts between Vitalité and other companies — Canadian Health Labs' competitors — remain in place and "unaffected," it says. "When the government, acting as a commercial entity, decided it could pay less for the same services, it used its legislative power to deprive CHL of the contracted benefit," according to the documents. The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick must be free to hear these matters and determine whether the conduct of Vitalité and/or the province of New Brunswick was unlawful, inequitable or deserving of sanction. - Canadian Health Labs In addition, "in anticipation of the legislation, Vitalité made a decision not to terminate the contract which would have triggered damages becoming due and owing on the date of termination." The company argues the government and Vitalité "sought out and induced CHL to enter contractual relationships with Vitalité because of an urgent and desperate need for healthcare providers to keep the hospitals open in New Brunswick," it says. Vitalité "voluntarily agreed to the terms of the contracts with CHL, with the full knowledge and approval of the province." "Without CHL providing nurses, patients would have died," it claims. "The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick must be free to hear these matters and determine whether the conduct of Vitalité and/or the province of New Brunswick was unlawful, inequitable or deserving of sanction." If the act is not deemed "entirely unconstitutional," Canadian Health Labs argues the legislation does not prevent it from "bringing an action or arbitration for damages." In that alternative scenario, the company seeks a declaration that Vitalité is bound by the terms of the contracts with Canadian Health Labs and that arbitration and/or the lawsuits can proceed on their merits. It also requests that Vitalité's counterclaims be dismissed with costs, and seeks a court order appointing an arbitrator. Vitalité declined to comment, citing the ongoing court proceedings. Canadian Health Labs did not respond to a request for comment.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Judge rejects auditor general's bid to access Vitalité's internal audits on travel nurses
A New Brunswick judge has rejected the auditor general's bid to access Vitalité Health Network's internal audits of its controversial travel-nurse contracts. Auditor General Paul Martin sought a court order to compel the regional health authority to disclose the documents as part of his investigation into the management and use of private agency nurses by Vitalité, Horizon and the Department of Social Development between Jan. 1, 2022, and Feb. 29, 2024. But Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare dismissed his application, saying she's not satisfied the Auditor General Act provides an explicit waiver of Vitalité's claims of litigation privilege or solicitor-client privilege. These privileges are "foundational to our legal system," DeWare wrote in her decision, dated June 2. "The Court can only endorse a legislative interpretation which abrogates these privileges in circumstances where the intention of the Legislature can be clearly discerned to have contemplated the scope of such an exceptional authority." Vitalité is entitled to costs of $2,000, she ruled. CBC News requested an interview with Martin, including whether he intends to appeal. In response, his office sent an emailed statement, saying he received notice of the dismissal last week and is "currently assessing the next steps." Vitalité did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a scathing report last June, Martin concluded Vitalité spent $123 million in travel-nurse contracts dating back to 2022, when the regional health authority signed its first deal with Canadian Health Labs. The Ontario-based agency charged about $300 an hour per nurse — roughly six times what a local staff nurse earns. "The contracts with private nursing agencies were not reflective of best practices and did not demonstrate value for money," Martin said at the time. As part of that audit, launched in March 2024, Martin requested "various information and documents" from Vitalité, including internal audit reports on the use of agency nurses. Internal audits were to probe 'irregularities' Vitalité refused to provide the internal audit reports. It had commissioned the audits after it "noticed irregularities in some of the services rendered by the agency nurses which were not in conformity with the terms set out in the governing contracts," according to DeWare's decision. No details are provided, but "in order to investigate potential deficiencies in the services rendered by the nursing agencies, [Vitalité] commissioned an internal audit of the performance of one of the contracts spanning the period between August 2022 and June 2023." Vitalité alleges these audits "confirmed the existence of deficiencies in the performance of the agency nurses' contract with one of the agencies — Canadian Health Labs," DeWare wrote. The company has since launched three lawsuits against Vitalité for allegedly breaching three of its contracts — two expired and one still in force. It's seeking compensation, including punitive, aggravated and special damages. Vitalité has filed statements of defence, as well as counterclaims in all three cases. Martin argued act covers privileged information Martin applied to the court for an injunction on Oct. 9. "Under the Auditor General Act, I have rights of access to any information relating to the performance of my duties," he wrote in a sworn affidavit. This includes privileged information, he argued. Section 13 (a) of the act says the auditor general is entitled to "free access at all convenient times to information, including files, documents, records, agreements and contracts, despite that they may be confidential or private, that relates to the fulfilment of his or her responsibilities." According to Martin, changes the legislature made to that section in 2014, including the auditor general's ability to obtain "private and confidential" information, were specifically made to address this type of situation, DeWare wrote. Discussions surrounding the amendments demonstrate there was a clear desire to enhance the auditor general's authority to obtain necessary information, Martin argued. Vitalité says disclosure would prejudice litigation Vitalité countered that disclosure of the internal audit reports "would prejudice its ability to prosecute" the action against Canadian Health Labs, according to Deware, and that Section 13 (a) of the act "does not explicitly displace or supersede otherwise valid claims of litigation or solicitor-client privilege." If the New Brunswick Legislature had intended for the section to override litigation or solicitor-client privilege, it would have explicitly stated so in the statute, as it does in the Ombudsman Act, Vitalité argued. DeWare noted the Ontario Court of Appeal recently upheld a trial court decision that the Auditor General Act of that province, which, similar to New Brunswick's, does not contain a specific waiver of a valid privilege, "did not authorize access nor compel disclosure of privileged information." The Supreme Court of Canada also considered a similar issue when interpreting a section of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in 2016, said DeWare. The country's highest court ruled legislative language must be interpreted restrictively when determining if solicitor-client privilege may be set aside. Act not explicit, judge rules "While I appreciate the [auditor general's] argument, the addition of the words 'confidential and private' to section 13 indicates an expanded scope to the information which could be sought, it falls short of explicitly stating an intention to have access to 'privileged' documents," DeWare said. She pointed out that with the 2014 amendments, the legislature didn't adopt the "explicit" language of Nova Scotia's Auditor General Act — "solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege, settlement privilege and public interest immunity." "The language of the Nova Scotia statute could not be any clearer." Section 13 (a) of the New Brunswick act "does not grant the Auditor General the authority to require production of documents or information which are properly subject to a solicitor-client or litigation privilege," DeWare ruled.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Judge denies N.B. auditor general's request to view internal audit reports on travel nurses
A Court of King's Bench justice has denied the New Brunswick auditor general's request to view Vitalité Health Network's internal audit reports on the agency's travel nurse contracts that began in 2022. According to a written decision from Chief Justice Tracey DeWare, the auditor general sought to compel Vitalité to disclose the reports as part of its investigation into the management and use of travel nurses. The decision says Vitalité ordered an internal audit for the period spanning August 2022 to June 2023. 'The Respondent (Vitalité) asserts these internal audits confirmed the existence of deficiencies in the performance of the agency nurses' contract with one of the agencies – Canadian Health Labs ('CHL'),' the decision reads. 'The Respondent and CHL are now involved in litigation arising from this contract. 'The Respondent has refused to produce the internal audit reports on the basis they were properly subject to both a litigation and solicitor-client privilege.' Last year, the auditor general's audit found Vitalité, Horizon Health Network and the Department of Social Development spent $173 million on travel nurse contracts between Jan. 1, 2022 and Feb. 29, 2024. 'The purpose of the audit was to determine if government contracts with private nursing agencies represented good value relative to their costs,' the written decision reads. 'As part of the audit process, the Applicant (auditor general) requested from the Respondent various information and documents. The Applicant was particularly interested in governance practices, policies and billings to the agencies.' Chief Justice DeWare said the auditor general argued section 13 of the Auditor General Act allows them to access documents and information that would otherwise be private or confidential. Vitalité argued the disclosure of the internal audit reports would 'prejudice its ability to prosecute the action against CHL.' Chief Justice DeWare said the court must interpret section 13 of the act restrictively, noting that it does not refer to privileged information. 'While I appreciate the Applicant's argument, the addition of the words 'confidential and private' to section 13 indicates an expanded scope to the information which could be sought, it falls short of explicitly stating an intention to have access to 'privileged' documents,' the decision reads. 'Solicitor-client privilege and litigation privilege are foundational to our legal system. 'Section 13(a) of the Act does not grant the Auditor General the authority to require production of documents or information which are properly subject to a solicitor-client or litigation privilege.' Chief Justice DeWare dismissed the auditor general's application and said Vitalité is entitled to costs, which are fixed at $2,000. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
