Future of urgent care unknown
‘ Things are still up in the air,’ Maloney says
While mayors in south Niagara are welcoming Monday’s news that Welland hospital is to remain open and offer 24/ 7 emergency care services, there is concern over what will become of the Port Colborne urgent care centre.
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins made the announcement about Welland hospital during a news conference when he said construction of a new Niagara Falls Hospital will move forward on the southwest outskirts of that city.
Hoskins also said a number of services are being considered by the ministry under a proposal put forward for Welland including dialysis treatment, geriatric programs, complex- care programs, mental health and addiction services, oncology, chronic disease management and more.
Niagara Health CEO Dr. Kevin Smith said once the new Niagara Falls hospital is complete, and services and the fate of Welland hospital is determined, the health system will look at urgent care centres in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.
Smith said the two centres will be consolidated in the future and moved into the new Niagara Falls hospital or a refurbished or new Welland hospital.
Port Colborne Mayor John Maloney welcomed Hoskins’ announcement about Welland.
“It’s certainly a positive development and it appears we’ll have some sort of health- care facility in Welland, but I think we still have to be vigilant until we know what kind of facility will be there … things are still up in the air.”
Maloney said questions need to be asked about the urgent care facility in Port Colborne, what becomes of it once Niagara Falls’ new hospital is completed as well.
He believes an urgent care centre is needed in the city, even with a hospital in Welland.
“Suzanne Johnston ( Niagara Health president) will be at council at the end of November and councillors will have the opportunity to speak with her and get clarification,” he said.
Maloney said in the meantime, he’ll continue to lobby the ministry and Niagara Health on health care in south Niagara, along with Welland Mayor Frank Campion and Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs.
Jeffs said no one has been clear what service in Port Colborne will look like.
“They are slowly eroding services there now, when we don’t know what Welland will specifically maintain in terms of service , and the urgent care centre is very busy partly because of proximity for residents,” Jeffs said, adding it is also busy to due to long wait times in Welland.
“I think people in Port and Wainfleet and surrounding areas want specifics as to what the service will be. It is frequently omitted when we talk about health care in the south.”
Jeffs, the provincial Conservative candidate for Niagara Centre riding, is glad to hear Welland will have a hospital with 24/ 7 emergency care, but said she wished she was more excited about the announcement.
“The track record of the Liberal government on health care is atrocious and I’m afraid it’s just more empty promises. It’s convenient that within a year of a provincial election this comes out — I hope they stick with it.”
While remaining cautious, she said the Welland announcement is good news and brings about a sense of relief in Wainfleet.
“It set minds at ease for the time being.”
Jeffs said having 24/ 7 emergency care in Welland wil mean Wainfleet residents won’t have to drive to Niagara Falls or St. Catharines for care.
Like Maloney, she also questioned what services will be offered in Welland once the Niagara Falls project is complete and a decision made on what to do in the Rose City — refurbish the hospital opened in 1960 or construct a new one.
Campion said Monday’s news means an awful lot to himself and residents of Welland.
“We now have it confirmed from the ministry and Niagara Health that we will have a hospital, and that is a substantial win, for lack of a better word. I’ve been fighting this for five or six years now.”
The mayor said long, hard discussions with the ministry and health system, with both Jeffs and Maloney involved, over those years paid off.
“It makes sense to have a hospital in Welland, providing quality health and health care for the people of south Niagara,” said Campion, especially with a population of 52,000 and catchment area of 140,000 people.
Under Smith’s recommendations, made five years ago, Welland’s hospital was to be turned into an urgent care centre once the new Niagara Falls hospital is built.
Having a hospital, Campion said, is part of the fabric of the community and it wouldn’t have been right to take it away from those who live in Welland or those who just moved into the city.
When Hoskins was appointed health minister, Campion said the three mayors met with him and explained the need for a hospital not just for health, but also for attracting economic development to Welland and the area.
Hoskins, he said, seemed receptive and empathized with the three mayors.
“Our primary objective from the very beginning has been to have 24/ 7 emergency care and a hospital in the community,” said Campion.
The mayor doesn’t believe Monday’s announcement has anything to do with politics.
“They ( the Liberals) haven’t politicized this. They’re doing the right thing and I think they recognize the need is here. They’ve made a commitment beyond politics and I’ll ensure the ministry and Niagara Health follow through … I have every expectation they will,” he said.