News release

Nova Scotia Sets Principles, Zones, Vision for New Health Authority, Op-Ed

Health and Wellness

The following is an op-ed from Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine.


Nova Scotians want and deserve the best health-care system possible.

They want timely access to consistent care. They want effective and efficient care. And they want it delivered to the highest possible quality in the safest manner possible in the most cost-effective way possible.

These are also the objectives of the province as it consolidates Nova Scotia's nine district health authorities into one, plus the IWK. In fact, the principles guiding Nova Scotia's consolidation efforts of services include the concepts of:

Safety -- place a premium on patient safety Relevance -- be relevant to the group of people being served Accessibility -- be timely and equitable Work-life -- respect employee wellness People-centred -- prioritize the perspective and experience of patients/clients and their families Continuity -- be co-ordinated and seamless Effectiveness/Efficiency/Sustainability -- lead to the best possible results using the fewest resources feasible

The province also believes in the importance of local leadership. This is why Nova Scotia's new health authority will have four management zones to deliver its programs and services.

These zones will group the province into four areas: eastern, northern, central and western (go to http://novascotia.ca/dhw/PeopleCentredHealthCare/documents/Management-Zones.pdf for map).

The eastern zone will cover Cape Breton, Guysborough and Antigonish counties. Northern will cover Cumberland, Pictou, Colchester counties and East Hants. Central will cover Halifax and surrounding areas, West Hants and Windsor. Western will encompass the Annapolis Valley, South Shore and South West Nova.

Decisions were made based on where people typically access services, traditional referral patterns from medical staff, boundaries used by other government partners, and other considerations.

In the coming months, the transition and design team will complete its recommendations about how the management zones will be staffed, and the interaction among the new CEO, vice-presidents and health authority local leaders. The principals mentioned and input of hundreds of health professionals and members of the public will guide the decisions.

Finally, I want to recognize the work of a number of CEOs and others, who came together to develop a vision and mission for the new organization. "Healthy people, healthy communities – for generations" is the new vision. The mission: "Working together to achieve excellence in health, healing and learning."

We are making very good progress on health-care consolidation. More work is to come. But the end result will be a better system, one that allows dedicated health-care professionals to excel in their work.