The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) finished its fiscal year with a $2.2-million operating surplus.
This is the first balanced budget in several years as CKHA has been dealing with deficits for the past six years, including a $3-million deficit last fiscal year.
CKHA CEO Lori Marshall says the money will buy a new health information system for the Chatham and Wallaceburg sites.
Marshall says the new system includes patient records and should be fully operational by next year.
"One of the things that is critical for all of us is to have a well functioning electronic health record that everyone has access to and ours is at the end of its life at this stage," says Marshall.
Marshall says the new information system will connect the Chatham and Wallaceburg sites to other hospitals if needed.
"That system has to connect and talk to other hospital systems. So, if you go to another hospital or have to be transferred, that information is available to them," she says.
Marshall says the $5-million turnaround feels good.
"It feels good and it was part of the plan. We said all along that we intended to end the year in a balanced position and we are delighted that we are ending the year in a bit of a surplus," Marshall says.
The two local hospitals have a $6.6-million working capital shortfall but it's better than $10.6-million last year.
Marshall says their line of credit will stay at $8-million but the goal is to reduce it to $5-million over the next three years.
CKHA's budget is around $140-million.
The hospitals are still dealing with $20-million in debt.
