Meno Ya Win prepares for accreditation survey

While preparing for a move this fall, the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre is also preparing for a voluntary survey to assess its quality of service.
The on-site Qmentum Accredtation survey will take place Oct. 3-7. It evaluates the performance of a hospital based on national standards of excellence.
David Murray, Meno Ya Win president and CEO, said the voluntary survey is key to building community confidence in the services provided by the health centre.
"It's the best way to demonstrate to the communities we serve that we do have an ongoing process in place to ensure that our programs and services hit national standards for quality," Murray said.
While the survey is voluntary, which the hospital must invest resources in order to prepare for the survey, Murray said it's a necessary tool in health care to continually improve quality of services - especially when people's lives are at risk.
"The reason's standards are so important is that's how you drive mistakes out of systems," he said.
Meno Ya Win has taken part in three surveys, which take place every three years, since the health centre amalgamated. Meno Ya Win has received accreditation every time.
The on-site survey will assess all aspects of patient care through observation and communication with staff, patients and community partners.
Murray said the health centre has been preparing for the survey, establishing 14 team leaders to prepare different aspects of the organization. It's a daunting task as communication between seven sites can be quite challenging, Murray said.
Meno Ya Win will also be opening the doors to its new location in early November, as construction of the new health centre is almost complete. Murray said the move to the new site will happen throughout October.