Your Work Environment

The health and social services in the Pontiac territory are provided by the following centres :

   1. a local community services centre (CLSC) and its premises
   2. a hospital centre (CH)
   3. three residential and long term care centres (CHSLD)


The CLSC mission is to offer, a primary level of care to the population of the territory. That such services be dispensed in its facilities, in the person’s own environment, in school, at work or at home, they are the external services.

The organisational plan includes medical support for the following sectors

- Youth Program
Consultation, health education and treatment for clients aged 0-18.
- Mental Health
- Home Care
Medical support for the home care team with medical consultations as needed
- Family practice
Medical consultation and follow-up
- Fort-Coulonge Emergency Room, open 24 / 7
Stabilisation and treatment of patients requiring urgent medical care.
- Health at work
Evaluation, education and consultation concerning health risks related to the work places in the territory
- Learning disabilities
Evaluation, follow-up and treatment by a multidisciplinary team for children demonstrating learning disabilities


The mission of the Hospital is to offer diagnostic services, general and specialized medical care.

The medical organisation of the CLSC, the CHSLD and the Pontaic Community Hospital lies mainly with a team of general practitioners supported by two anesthesists , two surgeons, a radiologist and an internist.

   1. Department of General Medicine - Clinical services

- Chief Department :  Dr Thomas O’Neill
The department of general medicine includes all the general practice activities of the hospital and CLSC.
- Emergency
Stabilisation and treatment of the patient requiring urgent medical care. Trauma service existing.
One emergency room open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week
- General Care
Hospitalisation and treatment offered to the adult population according to their health care needs
- Intensive Care
Unit conceived to treat acute pathology such as myocardial infarction, polytrauma, toxic ingestions, etc.
- Obstetrics
Prenatal care of normal pregnancies and delivery after 36 weeks gestation.  Between 140 and 150 delivery per year.
- Neonatal Care
Care of the newborn
- Pediatric Care
Care by general physicians of the children aged 0 to 16 with a problem related to general pediatrics
- External clinic (general medicine)
Family practice, follow up care requiring nurse assistance, multidisciplinary clinic and minor surgery
- Psychiatric outpatient care
Supportive therapy and treatment of patients with mental health problems
- Family Medicine
Organisation of teaching of the family medicine residents under the supervision of active members of the department
- Day medicine
Polyvalent clinic which provides support to general medicine, oncology and home care
- Diabetic clinic
Multidisciplinary clinic for the treatment and prevention of complications associated with diabetes mellitus. The clinic occurs once per month.

   2. Department of specialised medicine

- Chief  Department : Dr A. Karabatsos
This department includes internal medicine and the specialised services provided on an itinerant basis
- Internal medicine
Responsability for internal medicine consults as well as consultation in intensive care, external clinic, general medicine and emergency room. Supervision of the pulmonary function lab, the asthma clinic, exercise stress testing and cardioversions
- Cardiology
Consultations in external clinic and echo cardiography.
- Pediatrics
Consultations in external clinic.
- Oncology
Consultation in external clinic in hematology and the overview of the protocols of chemotherapy in day medicine. Support to the laboratory in hematology and for the blood bank.
- Psychiatry
Consultations in external clinic at the hospital and at the CLSC. Support to the mental health team. The psychiatrist is in the territory once per week

   3. Surgery Department

- Chief Department  : Dr Earl Potvin, surgeon
Includes all the surgical activities of the hospital including day surgery, elective surgery, urgent surgery and obstetrical surgery.
- General surgery
General surgery including orthopedics, obstetrical surgery and laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Gastroscopy and colonoscopy as well as consultations in external clinics are also provided.
- Ophtalmology
External clinic and cataract surgery.
- ENT
External clinic and ENT surgery.
- Gynecology
External clinic and gynecologic surgery.
- Urology
External clinic and cystoscopy.
- Orthopedics
External clinic and arthroscopy.

   4. Department of Anesthesia

- Chief department : Dr Thomas O’Neill
Clinical service supporting day surgery, general surgery, specialised surgery, obstetrics, intensive care and supervision of the inhalotherapists.
- Epidural service
Availability to provide epidurals if indicated
- Pre-op clinic
Patients are evaluated by the anesthesiologist preoperatively. The clinic takes place once per week
- Pain clinic
to be developed

   5. Radiology Department

- Chief Department : Dr. C Laveau, radiologist
General radiology, IVPs, mammography, arthrograms and simple tomography. A portable x-ray machine is available. Ultrasound is provided both at the hospital and at the CLSC. Cardiac and peripheral dopplers. The service is available 2-3 days per week
- Mammography
Activity related to the provincial breast cancer screening program as well as diagnostic radiology
- Echography
Service available both at the hospital and at the CLSC in Fort-Coulonge. Includes obstetrical, surface and abdominal sonography as well as venous, arterial and cardiac dopplers
- Teleradiology, to be developed in progress
- CT scanning
To be developed, in May 2001

   6. Geriatric and long term care

      The establishment assures the provision of services to elderly patients in its diverses locales.
 
  7. Active Geriatrics

      Five beds are reserved in general care for active geriatric care
   
  8. Long Term Care

The hospital has 25 long term care beds

The mission of the residential and long term care centre  is to offer lodging, assistance, support and supervision services and other services including nursing, medical, pharmaceutical, psychological, leisure, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, meals, housekeeping / maintenance, laundry, financial and pastoral services. 
- Long term care and residential centre
We have a total of 115 beds for residential and long term care, shared between the Pontiac Reception Centre at Shawville (50 beds) and the Manoir Sacré Coeur at Fort-Coulonge (40 beds) and the long term care at the Shawville Hospital (25 beds).
- Home Care
The services are offered by a multidisciplinary team. The Home Care is assured through the whole territory according the needs.

Committees

Different committees met frequently. These committees include the CMDP (Committee of physicians, dentists and pharmacist) and its executive committee, the general medicine department, the obstetric committee, the pharmacology committee, the trauma committee, the infectious diseases committee, the medical act evaluation committee which allows to ensure the care quality at the Hospital.