Province urged to save hospital
While West Lincoln Memorial Hospital staff are asking for the province help to save the Grimsby institution, a residents committee is asking for a “firm and public commitment” from Hamilton Health Sciences to find a solution other than temporarily moving surgical and obstetrical services.
In an open letter addressed to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliot, medical and professional staff at the hospital warned that the proposed “temporary” measures to relocate surgical and obstetrics programs to other sites for 27 months while facilities are renovated will result in the permanent closure of the entire hospital.
“We will not be able to re-establish these programs at some future date. Family physicians who do deliveries or practice emergency medicine will either stop providing those services or will move their practices elsewhere,” says the letter signed by the medical and professional staff at West Lincoln Memorial.
The letter goes on to ask for the province’s help “to resolve this urgent matter” by providing support for infrastructure investments that “can act as a bridge” until the facility is rebuilt.
“We ask for a clear commitment and an urgent time line to
rebuild West Lincoln Memorial Hospital,” the letter says.
Meanwhile, Save West Lincoln Memorial Hospital residents group has focused its attention on Hamilton Health Sciences, asking for a commitment to find a solution that will not require surgical and obstetrical services to be relocated, as well as to increase surgical nursing staff at the hospital, and confirm that HHS is fully committed to the hospital’s redevelopment plan that has been submitted to the Ministry of Health for approval.
Resident committee co-chair Tony Joosse said although the announcement regarding the hospital was made on election day Oct. 22, it still garnered significant attention throughout west Niagara communities — bringing 1,700 people to a public meeting and garnering 18,000 signatures on a petition circulated by MPP Sam Oosterhoff.
“I just feel so bad that Rob (MacIsaac, HHS president and CEO) and his team dropped this bomb and created this unrest among staff and the community,” Joosse said.
Although the HHS decision was based on an Oct. 5 report by consultant Walter Fedy, Joosse said that report does not recommend moving services out of the hospital.
The report, instead, recommends allowing the operating room to maintain minimum service levels during construction.
“We have not considered the option of shutting down all ORs for six months to allow the OR suite work to occur in one phase,” the consultant’s report says.
“A shutdown of OR capacity would have multiple impacts on over all hospital operations such as maternity and inpatient services,” the report says.
Asked to speak to hospital administration about the issues, Hamilton Health Sciences spokesperson Lillian Badzioch referred The Standard to questions and answers posted on the HHS website.
One question posted on the website asks: “How can Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) not know that shutting down surgery and obstetrics for 27 months will essentially close the hospital?”
The answer says: “No services are being shut down and no timing has been announced for any such measure.”
Instead, it reiterates that “surgical and obstetric services will need to be relocated at least some of the time if and when this work occurs because the operating rooms will be under construction.” It also says the emergency department, day clinics, inpatient beds and medical imaging will “not move or be impacted.”
“How can you run an emergency without an OR?” Joosse asked. “It’s very concerning.”
Meanwhile, he said local hospital staff who have previously discussed their concerns have been silenced.
“I can’t even talk to the doctors now because they’ve been muzzled,” he said.
The hospital’s website responds to a question on that topic, too.
“Everyone who works at HHS follows the same rules for speaking to media about their job and about their employer,” the website says. “Nothing has changed.”