WORKING TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY

OUR MISSION

The Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Network works to realize our vision of:

Improve Health Outcomes

Better Operation Management

Seamless Systems Integration

Enhanced Learning & Growth

OUR PURPOSE

 

The purpose of the MNCYN is to enable the consistent delivery of safe, quality maternal, newborn, child and youth care across our region. We achieve this by promoting and advocating for a consistent standard of care.

 

Our Network is seen as adding significant value through its ability to:

Provide better health outcomes through systematic improvements in health promotion, illness and injury prevention, acute and follow-up care and patient safety.

Provide better operational management through improved asset management within the organization and across the region resulting in greater return on investment.

Provide seamless systems integration through improved communication, program planning, and support resulting in greater coordination across the region.

Enhance learning and growth by promoting and advocating for a consistent standard of care throughout the region.

View PDF of our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

View PDF of our Ethical Framework.

WHAT WE DO

MNCYN fulfills its mission by offering a number of deliverables and services in our geographical region in Ontario to help health care organizations meet their objectives and exceed professional regulations.

Deliverables:

Deliverables will be defined by the strategic plan which is developed every three years through a strategic planning session and vetted by the Regional Steering Committee and the Executive Committee.

Strategic initiatives will be defined and working groups established.

Metrics will be developed, measured and reported out to our regional partners on a quarterly basis.

Services:

Case reviews

Critical event reviews

Consultation

Site visits

Access to online programs, lecture series, courses, tools and documents

Collaborative quality improvement initiatives (per strategic plan)

Meetings, conference and workshops

More information on our Services and Core Business Deliverables can be found on our Membership Benefits page.

OUR TEAM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kerri Hannon

PAEDIATRIC PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CONSULTANT

Kristine Fraser

PERINATAL PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CONSULTANT

Gwen Peterek

REGIONAL NURSE CONSULTANT

Jocelyn Patton-Audette

NEONATAL MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Dr. Kevin Coughlin

OBSTETRICAL MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Dr. Jordan Schmidt

NEONATAL MEDICAL CONSULTANT

Dr. Henry Roukema

PAEDIATRIC MEDICAL CO-DIRECTOR

Dr. Janice Tijssen

PAEADIATRIC MEDICAL CONSULTANT

Dr. Rahul Ohja

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Kendra Savage

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Anita Bunnie

MNCYN logo

OUR LOGO

Our logo stylishly depicts the progression of newborn, child and youth in a maternal embrace. It represents a strong sense of confidence, community and cultural diversity emblematic of Canadian society.

 

The logo speaks to the creativity, cooperation and professionalism required of such an organization. Modern and dynamic, it symbolizes the collaboration and positive partnerships that the MNCYN strives to achieve for the regional health care sector.

STRATEGIC PLAN

Align and support the work of the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health

A strategic planning session is held every three years with our regional partners and key stakeholders (see appendix A of the Strategic Plan PDF for participating organizations). The strategic priorities are determined by the feedback (themes) as voiced by our partners. The themes are then positioned under the strategic pillars of MNCYN, Quality Health Outcomes, Systems Integration, Improved Asset Management and Enhanced Learning and Growth.

 

The MNCYN strategic plan is a living document that is frequently revisited and updated as required to ensure our priorities are relevant, aligned with public health care outcomes and meeting the needs of our partners.

  1. Develop standardized maternal newborn population for benchmarking.
    Low‐risk women (defined as women with a singleton live birth in 41 cephalic presentation at 37– weeks’ gestation, with spontaneous onset of labour, no previous cesarean deliveries, no maternal medical problems, no obstetrical or intrapartum complications)
    Low-risk newborns: Live born infants >37 weeks of gestational age at birth and discharged home (i.e. not transferred to NICU or special care nursery) (may need to add something about no major congenital anomaly).
  2. BORN KPI’s – KPI 1 Newborn screening samples and KPI 4 elective C/S < 39 weeks.Review of the regional data suggests that these 2 metrics require attention in order for our region to meet the targets. Interdisciplinary working groups would be created with TOR and deliverables, meetings coordinated through MNCYN.
  1. Regional Credentialing
    Cross credentialing of physicians, nurses and educators to support a perinatal system of care. Staff will be trained in LHSC orientation system and required to work a percentage of time in both LHSC as well as one of the organizations in the region.
  2. Acute to community transitions in care
    Explore opportunities to improve communications and transitions in care – paediatric care from acute care organizations to the community. Including Paediatrics technology and or documentation flow to support optimal patient outcomes and improving relationships with all partners in care with the family. Supporting care close to home is a safe environment.
  1. Standardized orientation
    Develop a standardized orientation program for all partners to access. This will include perinatal and pediatric. It will be modular based. It will include competencies and tools to support preceptors. This program will be a train the trainer model and will be supported by the MNCYN nurse consultants.
  2. Human Resource planning – medical/nursing/educators
    Determine a pediatric and perinatal human resource plan for the region. This will be in collaboration with the credentialing priority. Develop an understanding of staffing requirements and projected requirements due to attrition and retirements. Consider a regional schedule for staffing the units.
  1. Provide outstanding education opportunities/workshops/simulations
    ACORN, NRP, FHS, Level 2 nursery course, labour support workshop, conference. Plan simulation events with regional partners Work with partners to determine educational needs. Continue to track events and number of attendee’s.
  2. Experiential Learning
    Finalize the agreement to support staff from SW region to access hands on training through LHSC. Develop internal process through LHSC to determine intake process and tracking. Develop outcome measures to determine impact on quality/services.

HISTORY

 

Graham and Mary Chance NICU Gala May 4, 2011

1970s: BIRTH

(The Regional Perinatal Outreach Program of Southwestern Ontario)

Established in 1979 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Ontario, the Program was the vision of Dr. Graham W. Chance, a Neonatologist, who was born in Birmingham, England and educated in the UK. Dr. Chance immigrated to Canada in the 1970's and spent his first years at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, before coming to London, Ontario. A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach was undertaken, based on needs assessment, to provide perinatal education and support to 33 regional hospitals in the southwest catchment area.

1980s: TODDLER

(Beginnings)

The program focused on building relationships with the regional hospitals and promoting collaboration through the organization of district perinatal nurse leaders, as well as promoting standardized care through the development of standardized chart forms, maternal newborn education and the development of a regional obstetrics database to provide metrics by which to measure outcomes and benchmarking. Collaboration on a national level was realized with the creation of the Canadian Perinatal Programs Coalition (CPPC) in 1989.
A collaborative study conducted to determine the impact of the Outreach Program concluded that perinatal care in southwestern Ontario is regionalized and not centralized. The final report, “Is Perinatal Care in Southwest Ontario Regionalized?”, was published in 1991 (CMAJ).

1990s: TERRIBLE TWOs

(Challenges)

With challenges faced by Regional hospitals due to economic recession, funding cuts, nursing staff layoffs and hospital amalgamations, the Perinatal Outreach Program maintained ongoing support and was identified by the Ministry of Health in a provincial maternal newborn care survey to be an exemplary model for ongoing education in perinatal matters. Regional and provincial collaboration were also continued through the establishment of a Regional Perinatal Care Steering Committee (1998) and the Ontario Provincial Perinatal Partnership (OP3) to advocate for consistent and collaborative care between hospitals and community agencies, including CritiCall and Best Start.

2000s: EARLY CHILDHOOD

(Transitions)

The Southwestern Ontario Perinatal Partnership (SWOPP) (formerly Regional Steering Committee), initiated discussions around shared governance and the anticipated merging of all perinatal services at LHSC. An external review was undertaken (2007), which recommended that a shared governance model, funding and sustainability plan be assumed collectively by the member hospitals that formed SWOPP. Over the next several years the SWOPP was reorganized to become the Maternal, Newborn, Child & Youth Network (MNCYN), which included a new paediatric education component known as the Paediatric Advancement Program (2009).

2010s: MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

(Rebirth & Renewal)

In 2011 the city-wide merger of Perinatal and Women’s Health Programs (St. Joseph’s Health Care London & LHSC) was completed with Program moved to LHSC (June 2011).
MNCYN continued to promote collaboration regionally and provincially through participation on the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health (PCMCH) (2010), supporting initiatives such as the Southwestern Ontario Perinatal Capacity Assessment Study, funded by the Southwest LHIN, aimed at determining the levels of maternal-newborn care required to support the needs of the population in Southwestern Ontario, minimize acute transfers and foster care closer to home.
Several new initiatives were introduced, including development and implementation of core competencies and assessment tools for perinatal and paediatrics, and development and launch of a Regional Paediatric Orientation (RPO) Program.

MNCYN celebrated its 40th anniversary (2019).

Image of the MNCYN Team

2020s: YOUTH

(Expansion)

Ministry of Health LHINs’ boundaries change and expand geographically. The former SW Ontario region will be known as “West Ontario”.

In order to achieve the best outcomes with the lowest possible cost to the system and to patients and families, an integrated, comprehensive, and coordinated provincial approach is required to change practices and drive improved quality and access across the province. To that end, a unified proposal was made by PCMCH and other key stakeholders including MNCYN, to the Ministry of Health to develop a “Network of Networks” that would include CMNRP, SOON, MNCYN, SOMCHN and, eventually, a North Network.

A MNCYN rebranding project, undertaken to reinforce regional shared governance of the Network, involved the launch of a new logo and website and transition of program names (Regional Perinatal Program and Regional Paediatric Program).

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

 

The MNCYN follow the Accountability & Operational Structure (shown below), with top priority being given to our patients and their families.

MNCYN Organizational (Accountability and Operational) Structure

View PDF of the MNCYN Organizational Structure.

COMMITTEES

Regional Steering Committee

Reporting to the Partner organizations’ CEO/ Medical Officer of Health, the Network Regional Steering Committee will make strategic decisions as they apply to the Network and will plan for the successful evolution of program developments in Southwestern Ontario as agreed to by the Partners. The Regional Steering Committee will ensure that the key goals, vision and mission of the Network are consistent with the direction of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, nationally recognized best practice standards, and the needs of The Partners and other stakeholders. Additionally, the Regional Steering Committee will review reports and recommendations resulting from the work of the Task and Working Groups. The Regional Steering Committee consists of one representative from each Partner organization.

Executive Committee

In order to facilitate the operations and management of the Network, an Executive Committee will be formed to represent the Regional Steering Committee. The Executive Committee will report to the Regional Steering Committee at minimum semi-annually or more often when necessary.

 

MANDATE

 

The Executive Committee undertake the following responsibilities:

 

  1. Develop the Network’s strategic directions and annual operating planning process(es);
  2. Receive regular reports from the Task Forces/Working Groups;
  3. Review reports and recommendations resulting from the work of the Task Forces/Working Groups;
  4. Provide advice to LHINs, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ministry of Children and CEOs of member stakeholders on advancing and integrating the activities of the Network to further development of the maternal/newborn and paediatric regional services systems;
  5. Provide a forum to receive and provide updates on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care policy initiatives and other activities impacting the Network mandate to LHINs, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ministry of Health Promotion, the Ministry of Children and Youth, and the CEOs of member stakeholders;
  6. Support the work of the Provincial Council on Maternal, and Child Health;
  7. Carry out fiduciary responsibilities related to the Network including taking an active role in review and approval of a sound operating budget and Membership fee schedule.

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

Membership is voluntary and will include the following:

 

  • Regional Leader of the Network, ex-officio
  • 3 Medical Leads – Obstetrician, Neonatologist, Paediatrician
  • 3 representatives of the Regional Steering Committee (including one CCAC or Health Unit representative, when possible)
  • Chairs (or an alternate) from each of the Task Forces/Working Groups

Baby Friendly Initiative Task Force

The Baby-Friendly Initiative Task Force’s role is to:

 

  1. Implement PCMCH Approved Recommendations from the Breastfeeding Services and Supports Work Group;
  2. Promote the Baby Friendly Hospital initiative;
  3. Promote the WHO Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes.

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

The Task Force Membership includes:

  • Dietician
  • Family Physician
  • Lactation Consultant
  • Midwife
  • Obstetrician
  • Paediatrician
  • Public Health
  • Registered Nurse
  • Epidemiologist
  • Family Practice Nurse

Patient/Family Advisory Committee

The Patient / Family Advisory Committee’s role is to:

 

  1. Role 1;
  2. Role 2;
  3. Role 3.

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

The Committee Membership includes:

  • Patients
  • Patients’ Family Members
  • Family Physician
  • Paediatrician
  • Public Health
  • Registered Nurse
  • Epidemiologist
  • Family Practice Nurse
Want to get involved or learn more about our new Patient/ Family Advisory Committee?