Health

Last week, Radio-Canada reported that Quebec was considering a change in how patients were assigned to see family doctors, prioritizing those with serious medical issues. If enacted, the change would mean that patients without serious health issues, even if they currently have a family doctor, would have to go through a version of the the […]

While Pontiac residents may be familiar with regional health authority CISSSO’s local users committees, which advocate for patients within a specific facility or local service area, they might be surprised to learn that there is a group that represents patients with intellectual disabilities and autism throughout the Outaouais. Michel Marcotte, a representative of the Intellectual […]

On Monday (September 30) the CEO of regional health authority CISSSO, Dr. Marc Bilodeau, was in Shawville at the Pontiac Hospital for a meeting with local representatives. This is Bilodeau’s second tour of the region since taking the helm of the organization in January 2024. Bilodeau spoke about the recent news reported in Le Droit […]

About twenty individuals attended the Pontiac users’ committee annual general meeting, which was conducted on Monday, September 23, at the CLSC in Shawville by the regional health authority CISSSO. The committee informs patients of their rights within the healthcare system and provides a forum for community members to provide input on the quality of care […]

Following Saturday’s news that the provincial government had equalized the bonuses for medical imagery technicians in the Outaouais, regional health authority CISSSO is reporting that only one  tech out of four has followed through on their application to work in the city. This leaves the Pontiac Hospital with five out of eight full-time positions filled, […]

Regional health authority CISSSO is organizing a whooping cough vaccination day for pregnant women in the Outaouais on Saturday September 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 75 boulevard de la Gappe in Gatineau. Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious disease that can be particularly dangerous for young children an […]

On Saturday (september 7) Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that the government would be equalizing the bonuses offered to medical imagery technicians in Outaouais health facilities. “After reviewing the information received, we need to avoid a break in service at the hospitals in Shawville and Maniwaki,” he wrote (translated). The news comes on the heels […]

Compensation may soon be available for those who have been involuntarily hospitalized for longer than 72 hours. Mélodie Pelletier, a communications agent with Droits-Accès de l’Outaouais, an organization that advocates for the rights of people with mental illness, explained that those who have been held for more than 72 hours may be eligible for compensation […]

The far-flung municipality of Rapides-des-Joachims is an anomaly. Situated to the northwest of the rest of the MRC Pontiac, the tiny island community of roughly 150 year-round residents is only accessible from the Ontario side of the river. Due to long-standing agreements, the municipality is serviced by ambulances from Ontario, and patients routinely receive health […]

On Friday afternoon, Le Droit first reported that the provincial government announced has closed the door on equalizing the retention bonuses for medical imagery techs in the region. Earlier this year technicians working at hospitals in the city were offered $22,000 bonuses, and it was only later in the summer that a slightly smaller $18,000 […]