Mock disaster in Bonavista concerns Eastern Health CEO
No disruption caused at hospital after initial reaction
Eliza Swyers was confused to receive an email from the head of Eastern Health after a mock disaster at Bonavista hospital Monday.
Swyers organized the event as part of daily protests of health cuts in the area and, following it, health board CEO David Diamond sent her a message expressing concerns it could cause a disruption at the emergency room.
“I was very conscious of the fact should something happen while we were staging this disaster,” Swyers told The Packet in an email.
“We made it known yesterday to be aware should an ambulance arrive and knew that we would move to one side.”
The protest involved several people carrying others in wheelbarrows and a wheelchair outside the Bonavista Peninsula Health Care Centre, including the emergency entrance.
The protesters then proceeded to the town limits, as if they were heading to Clarenville, since it was after 4 p.m.
Earlier this year, the province cut the Bonavista centre’s X-ray hours. Now, patients requiring X-rays are required to go to another hospital after 4 p.m., unless it can wait until morning or a cross-trained laboratory technologist is on call (who is needed to perform lab work anyway).
Swyers forwarded Diamond’s email to The Packet. In it, Diamond wrote, “I appreciate the issues being raised by the
Concerned Citizens’ group and respect the right of people to appropriately protest decisions with which they disagree.
“However, you need to be aware that if individuals show up at the emergency department claiming that a mass casualty is in progress, our health professionals will be required to respond as if a disaster is underway. That may involve calling back physicians, nurses, other staff, and ambulances, etc.
“This is not just a nuisance to be addressed, but could mean that patients in real need of care get missed or care is unnecessarily and inappropriately delayed.”
Diamond added that he
hopes the group will refrain from participating in protests close to the hospital, so as not to trigger a disaster response from staff.
Swyers says she emailed Diamond, Health and Community Services Minister John Haggie and Bonavista MHA Neil King on July 18 — a week before the mock disaster — to inform them of the group’s plans.
“I don’t know why he didn’t express any concerns when the email was sent last week,” she said.
But it seems Eastern Health did not object to the staged protest at the hospital after all.
The Packet had a followup conversation with Ken Baird,
Eastern Health’s vice-president of diagnostic imaging.
He said there was no actual interference caused by the mock disaster and told The Packet there was no internal disruption within the building.
Since the group didn’t enter the hospital, he said, they didn’t disturb the care going on inside.
“Obviously, we respect the right of the citizens’ group to express their opinions and voice concerns,” said Baird.
“I think we just want to make sure that they continue to do it in a way that doesn’t disrupt service or cause any confusion within the building.”