The document discusses the formation of a new regional emergency health services network called the Southwest Emergency Systems Network (SESN). SESN was created to replace the previous Southwest EHS Regional Committee to better coordinate emergency services across the region. SESN will be responsible for enhancing emergency healthcare, ensuring optimal care delivery and accessibility, and integrating services across the broader health system in the Southwest region of Ontario. Recent activities discussed include presentations on telehealth services, the regional trauma system, emergency preparedness, and non-emergency ambulance transfers.

1. SESN Dispatch June 2002 page 1
Dispatch
June 2002
New Regional Identity
In an effort to ensure an effective and
efficient emergency services network is in
place for the Southwest region, it was
recommended that the Southwest EHS
Regional Committee be replaced with a new
network structure that would better serve the
needs of the region. It is essential that such a
network structure allow for equitable
regional representation in all aspects of the
Emergency Health Services continuum. The
Southwest Emergency Systems Network
(SESN) will be accountable to the Regional
Health Planning Partnership – Southwest
(RHPP-SW) on critical issues related to the
provision of the emergency system in the
Southwest region.
Mandate of SESN
The mandate of the Southwest Emergency
Systems Network (SESN) is to enhance
emergency health services (emergency,
trauma, and critical care) for the residents of
the Southwest region of Ontario and ensure
that the emergency health system is
functioning effectively and efficiently in
terms of:
• Providing optimal (best practice) care
delivery and outcomes,
• Accessibility across all aspects of the
care continuum and,
• Organization and integration within the
broader health system.
Scope of SESN
Issues and services addressed by the
network will include, but not be limited to:
• Access and quality of hospital acute
emergency health services (emergency,
trauma, and critical care),
• Timely and adequate access to pre-
hospital services (i.e. ambulance
transportation, communication and
dispatch, CritiCall, critical care transport
teams, base hospital),
• Timely and adequate access to post-
hospital services (i.e. long-term care
rehabilitation, mental health, placement
coordination, and other community
services, etc.),
• Public health, injury prevention and
public education.
Key Functions of SESN
The key functions of the Southwest
Emergency System Networks are to:
• Facilitate and support a regional
approach in identifying issues, creating
solutions, and identifying future
opportunities to enhance emergency
health services throughout the
Southwest.
• Develop regional strategies and
processes to address needs and priorities
identified by the stakeholders of the
regional emergency health system.
continued……..

2. SESN Dispatch June 2002 page 2
Key Functions, continued
• Identify and develop strategies for
improved coordination and effectiveness
of bed management, diagnostic services,
and other practices as they relate to the
management of emergency patients
throughout the Southwest region.
• Develop processes to obtain, analyze,
and monitor appropriate emergency
health service data in a timely and
efficient manner, identifying and
reviewing trends, and disseminating
relevant information to the appropriate
stakeholders.
• Link and liaise with other local, regional,
and provincial emergency health
services committees and structures.
• Provide a mechanism to obtain input and
advice from stakeholders in the regional
emergency health system.
• Develop strategies to enhance
communication and information
exchange across the emergency health
care continuum.
• Assist and respond to MOHLTC
requests related to emergency health
data and information, as required.
• Establish appropriate support structures,
as required, to achieve regional and/or
provincial emergency health system
goals and expectations.
SESN Meeting Frequency
It is anticipated that SESN will meet once
every two months (6 times per year), or as
required.
SESN Membership
• SW Emergency Systems Coordinator
• Hospital VP Patient Care (Urban)
• Hospital VP Patient Care (Rural)
• Hospital CEO
• MOHLTC
• Senior Field Manager / Field Manager
• ED Physician (Rural)
• ED Coordinator / RN Staff
• ED Manager
• ED Manager
• Public Health Unit – Associate Medical
Officer of Health (Urban)
• Public Health Unit - Injury Prevention
(Rural)
• Grey Bruce Huron Perth DHC Executive
Director
• Essex Kent Lambton DHC Executive
Director
• Thames Valley DHC Executive Director
• Lead Trauma Hospital
• Municipal (Rural)
• Municipal (Urban)
• Base Hospital / ED Physician
• Community Care Access Centre
• Long Term Care
• CritiCall
• London Hospitals VP ISAN
• TeleHealth
• Primary Care Provider – NP (Rural)
• Regional Consumer
• SESN Administrative Support

3. SESN Dispatch June 2002 page 3
Recent SESN Activities
Telehealth
• Telehealth Ontario Services commenced
in the 519 region in early December
2001.
• Telehealth Ontario representatives
presented an overview of the service at
the February 2002 SESN meeting.
• The long-term goal of Telehealth is to
improve accessibility to symptom
assessment and education.
• Some hospital stakeholders have raised
concerns related to fax forms received
from Telehealth with regards to utility
and liability.
• Based on the concerns identified to date,
it was recommended that SESN conduct
a Telehealth Emergency Department
impact feedback exercise with all
Hospitals across the Southwest.
• As a result, the Southwest Emergency
Systems Network Telehealth – Hospital
Emergency Department Impact Survey
has been circulated as a mechanism to
provide feedback with respect to the
Telehealth Ontario service.
Trauma
• Kathrine Grant of London Health
Sciences Centre and Elsie Galbraith of
Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital, Windsor,
gave a presentation on the Southwestern
Ontario Trauma System at the April
2002 meeting of SESN.
Emergency Preparedness
• Steve Beatty of Emergency Measures
Ontario gave a presentation on Ontario
Emergency Management Reform at the
February 2002 meeting of SESN.
• Bill 148 was introduced December 6,
2001 and is expected to pass in May or
June 2002. It outlines mandatory
standards and training to be provided
and is based on international standards
and procedures.
• After proclamation of Bill 148,
communities will have 1 year to
implement the mandatory emergency
management programs. At the end of the
1-year implementation period, Steve
Beatty will perform an audit of SW
emergency management programs.
• Emergency Measures Ontario will be
changing its name to Emergency
Management Ontario.
• SESN members were invited to an
Emergency Management Briefing held
by Emergency Measures Ontario on
February 15, 2002.
Injury Prevention
• This past winter, SESN assisted
SMARTRISK in circulating an Injury
Prevention Program Questionnaire as a
means to create a web-based Injury
Prevention Program Catalogue.
• Information from the Questionnaire was
used to update SESN’s Southwest Injury
Prevention Inventory, which is available
electronically by calling (519) 858-5015,
ext. 243.

4. SESN Dispatch June 2002 page 4
Non-Emergency Ambulance
Transfers (NEAT)
• The NEAT Expert Panel was formed in
November 2000 in response to the June
2000 “Current Emergency Health
Services Issues Interim Report for
Southwestern Ontario”.
• A “Southwest Region Non-Emergency
Ambulance Transfers One-Day
Workshop” was held in London on
March 26, 2001 with approximately 100
regional stakeholders in attendance.
• The NEAT Expert Panel produced the
“Conceptual Framework for a
Southwestern Ontario Non-Ambulance
Medical Transportation Service
(NAMTS)” in May 2001, which was
submitted to the MOHLTC.
• A presentation was made to the
MOHLTC in Toronto on July 19, 2001.
• The Ontario Ministry of Health and
Long Term Care has contracted IBI
Group to conduct a study of “Inter-
Facility Transfers for Land Ambulance
Services”. The study will investigate
current practices and arrangements for
accommodating inter-facility patient
transfers (both medically stable and
unstable patients) and other non-
emergency calls in Ontario, review best
practices in other jurisdictions, and
analyse potential application of these
best practices to Ontario jurisdictions.
• A “Stakeholder Consultation” session
was held on April 10, 2002 in London in
order to give approximately 40 regional
stakeholders an opportunity to influence
the scope and outcome of the IBI Group
contracted study.
New SESN Priorities
• As a result of a Priority Setting Exercise
conducted by SESN last fall, two issues
were identified as priorities for 2002-
2003:
1. The role of Nurse Practitioners /
Advanced Practice Nurses.
2. A survey of Continuing Education
needs (technical and clinical),
followed by assistance with the
coordination / delivery of Continuing
Education
• Two new Expert Panels have been
formed to address these issues.
• The Chair of the SESN Nurse
Practitioner Expert Panel is Ms.
Adrienne Fulford, a Nurse Practitioner
with the West Elgin Community Health
Centre.
• The SESN Continuing Education Expert
Panel is being chaired by Ms. Reta
Sproule, Director of Patient Care
Services at the Hanover and District
Hospital.
To contact SESN:
Tamara Stefanits,
SW Emergency Systems Coordinator:
(519) 858-5015, ext. 228
tstefanits@tvdhc.on.ca
Anita Evans,
SESN Administrative Assistant and
Editor of Dispatch:
(519) 858-5015, ext. 243
aevans@tvdhc.on.ca
c/o Thames Valley District Health Council
105 – 100 Collip Circle
London, Ontario N6G 4X8