Gates looks for assurance
MPP calls on minister to retain healthcare services in Fort Erie
Fort Erie’s urgent care centre should not be in jeopardy, says Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, who wants the province to assure residents they won’t lose healthcare services when a new hospital is built on the outskirts of Niagara Falls.
This week, Fort Erie’s representative at Queen’s Park hand-delivered a letter to Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins.
Gates also requested an expansion of services for Fort Erie residents, who lost their emergency room in 2009 when the Niagara Health System and the provincial government downgraded Douglas Memorial Hospital to a 24-hour urgent care centre.
“I believe the residents of Fort Erie are entitled to decent and accessible medical care,” wrote Gates.
“Furthermore, I believe they have shouldered the loss of medical services that should have never been taken from them in the first place.” He said expanded services should also be a part of the plan in Fort Erie as many seniors depend on what’s offered at the urgent care centre. He said Fort Erie is a growing community and that a reduction in services is the wrong approach to take.
“In order to attract more young families, the community needs access to healthcare.”
Fort Erie being a border town and a place that attracts many tourists should also be factored in, said Gates.
“Simply put, there is a strong case to maintain and expand medical services in Fort Erie,” he wrote.
Laura Gallant, a spokesperson for Hoskins, said as is the normal process for any hospital projects, the ministry receives proposals from its hospital system partners, advising them of their view regarding which projects will best serve the needs of their communities.
“Niagara Health System has submitted their desired plan for the future of the hospitals in the Niagara region, and we have reviewed and been informed by the plan they have developed,” she said.
“We’ll continue to dialogue with our hospital partners in the Niagara region, as well as with the (Local Health Integration Network), as we all work to provide access to the high quality health care that patients expect and deserve.”
Once the Niagara Falls hospital is complete, expected in 2023, and services and the fate of the Welland hospital is determined, Niagara Health System chief executive officer Kevin Smith has said they will look at the urgent care centres in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.
He said they will be consolidated in the future and moved into the new Niagara Falls hospital or a refurbished/new Welland site.
“During that time the hope is we’ll see an evolution in family medicine and primary care, with family health teams providing after-hours care,” said Smith.
In an interview with Postmedia last week, Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop called for the province’s commitment to Fort Erie residents, adding a reduction in service or the facility’s closure will not be tolerated.
He said the Niagara Health System has been too secretive of what its intentions are for Fort Erie, and that an explanation is due.
“They’ve been very guarded,” said Redekop.
According to the ministry, the new Niagara Falls hospital will provide health care to more than 434,000 people through state-ofthe-art facilities designed to meet the region’s changing health-care needs.
Patients will have access to emergency and urgent care, laboratory services, ambulatory clinics, and full diagnostics including MRI, CT scans, ultrasounds and X-rays.
The hospital will also feature traditional healing spaces and will continue to facilitate Niagara Health’s role in educating medical and other health professionals.
When complete, patients will also have access to general surgical services; a regional stroke program; seniors’ wellness and aging programs; breast-screening services; integrated chronic disease management programs; mental health and addictions programs; and outpatient services for children, youth and adults.