Gates to host health care town hall session Tuesday
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is hosting a town hall meeting Tuesday to discuss issues affecting health care in Niagara and to allow residents to express their ideas and share their experiences.
The free event is to start at 6:30 p.m. at Coronation 50 Plus Recreation Centre, at 5225 Summer St. in Niagara Falls.
“It’s really an opportunity for us to hear from the residents of Niagara, the residents in my riding on what’s going on in health care and how it’s impacting them personally, how it’s impacting their lives, how it’s impacting their families,” said the New Democrat.
“We have a publicly funded health-care system that should work for everybody and you should get the care you need when you need it. I don’t believe that’s happening in the province of Ontario and it’s not happening in a lot of parts which make people healthy in Niagara as well.”
Gates said the town hall will feature a number of health-care experts, including representatives from Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara Dental Health Coalition and long-term care homes.
He said France Gelinas, health critic for the NDP, will attend.
Gates said after health-care representatives speak, the floor will be opened up for residents to do the same.
“We’re going to open up the floor for questions and to tell your story — tell what’s happened to you or your loved ones in the Niagara system around, it could be mental health, it could be long-term care, it could be other issues,” he said.
Gates said he believes longterm care will be brought up often Tuesday, as will the wait time to receive care in emergency rooms.
He said paramedics often have to wait to unload patients due to a shortage of hospital staff or beds.
Gates said a funding freeze has impacted the level of health care at the same time hospital hydro bills are increasing dramatically.
“You cannot freeze health-care funding for a number of years and not expect to have cracks in the system,” said Gates.
“We believe there’s a crisis in health care, there’s a crisis in mental health, there’s a crisis in pharmacare and dental.”
This won’t be the first time Gates has hosted a health care town hall.
“The impact of hearing those (people’s) stories do a lot more than any politician can say,” he said.