West Niagarans demand new hospital
Meeting about West Lincoln Memorial Hospital draws hundreds of people
The push for a new hospital in Grimsby has been ongoing for two decades, but if anyone thought the community was battle weary Wednesday night proved that’s not the case.
On the heels of Monday’s announcement that Hamilton Health Sciences
(HHS) is planning to strip West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) of its obstetrics and operating departments — what it calls a temporary, 27-month move as required building upgrades are performed — medical professionals and supporters of WLMH organized a snap meeting held at Trinity United Church.
Host Dr. Denise Marshall said the event was not a rally or a political protest, and not a time to air grievances and complain.
“We want to leave with a united message,” she told the standing-room-only crowd.
That united message the group left with is threefold: Medical professionals need more time to develop alternatives that can keep the operating room and obstetrics open, they need access to all the consultant’s documents and other information that led to the HHS decision, and the community needs a firm commitment from the province to build a new hospital.
“We’re at a really critical phase in the history and future of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital,” said its former chief of staff Dr. Gary Benson, who resigned from his post Monday after being told of the news.
Benson said he and his colleagues believe there are other options that won’t strip services from the Grimsby hospital.
Dr. Matt Noble Wohlgemut, who has stepped up as a leader of the effort by medical professionals to keep those services, said he fears the potential loss won’t just be obstetrics and the operating rooms.
“The medical staff feels strongly that’s not going to be the case,” he said.
Without those departments, he said, WLMH would lose its anesthesia capabilities and thus lose emergency, ICU and acute in-patient beds.
Noble Wohlgemut and Benson both called WLMH’s services a unique model that’s a shining example of how community medicine can be provided in Ontario. And with the loss of obstetrics, the team of midwives that work at WLMH and doctors who specialize in obstetrics would be forced to look elsewhere.
He also said the hospital has been a fantastic site for future health-care professionals, providing a great teaching environment for medical students. The loss of services could impact that as well, he said.
Suggestions put forth by the community Wednesday included: A letter-writing campaign, petitions, signs of support to place at front doors or on lawns, doorknocking to raise awareness, a citizens coalition and presence on social media.
Some of those efforts have begun. Niagara Health Coalition is helping form the citizens coalition and the group A Better Grimsby — it sprung up during the municipal election campaign — has offered its support. On social media, #saveWLMH has been created as a hashtag.