How could the dispute over hospice patient numbers affect Horizon Health Network?
Horizon Health Network faces pressure over patient communication following hospice funding dispute The disparity in patient admission numbers between Percy’s Place and Vondy House prompted the Horizon Health Network to conduct an investigation into end-of-life care options in Miramichi. The investigation's findings led the Horizon Health Network to issue a letter to residents and mandate that hospitalist doctors in Miramichi confirm and document conversations regarding hospice options with all patients and families. This action represents a concrete operational change for the health authority as it seeks to standardize and improve patient communication across the region.
- Effect
- Strong negative
- How direct
- Stated in the reporting
- When
- Within weeks
- The story
- Gone quiet
How it reaches Horizon Health Network
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Two hospices in Miramichi are competing for provincial government funding for end-of-life care. A prominent physician, who backs Percy’s Place, claims his hospice deserves taxpayer money more than Hospice Miramichi Inc. Vondy House, which is currently funded by the New Brunswick government despite operational delays. In 2020, Hospice Miramichi signed a five-year agreement with the province for $542,074 a year to fund four hospice beds and two palliative respite beds.
The full event1independent outlet -
The disparity in patient numbers between Percy’s Place and Vondy House prompted the Horizon Health Network to investigate last year. The focus of the investigation was why the patient admission numbers were 'skewed significantly' in Miramichi. The investigation found that patients and families were not consistently being told about all appropriate end-of-life care options available to them. Consequently, the Horizon Health Network met with all hospitalist doctors in Miramichi to confirm that 'conversations regarding hospice options will be held' with all patients and families and would be documented.
1 report connects these two. Brind only summarizes; follow a link to read the reporting itself.
- cbc.ca Oct 19
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Health authority in New Brunswick, Canada
Everything about Horizon Health Network
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The facts so far
As reported. Each one links to where it comes from.
- The disparity in patient numbers between Percy’s Place and Vondy House prompted the Horizon Health authority to investigate last year.cbc.ca
- Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson wrote a letter to Miramichi residents on Aug. 20, 2025, concerned about the disparity.cbc.ca
- The Horizon Health authority found that patients and families were not consistently being told about all appropriate end-of-life care options available to them.cbc.ca
- Melanson and Horizon’s chief of staff, Dr. Nachiketa Sinha, met with all hospitalist doctors in Miramichi to confirm conversations would be held and documented.cbc.ca
Why it matters
The findings of the Horizon Health Network investigation highlight a systemic failure in how end-of-life care options are communicated to patients and families in Miramichi. This puts pressure on the health authority to not only address the local dispute but also to standardize and improve patient care protocols across the region to ensure equitable access to services.
This situation is part of a larger, long-running disagreement dating back to 2018 regarding how hospice care should be provided in New Brunswick. The dispute involves two facilities, one government-funded and one privately funded, demonstrating the complex challenges health authorities face when managing resource allocation and service delivery in a community.
What we don't know yet
- Will the Horizon Health Network release the full findings of the chief medical ethicist's report?
- How will the mandated documentation of hospice conversations be monitored and enforced across all hospitalist doctors in Miramichi?
What would change this answer
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Reporting
- cbc.caOct 19
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