Full-service hospital needed

Re: Niagara Health’s future ‘contingent on Welland’: CEO, April 17

Niagara Health has let the cat out of the bag. It will be removing Welland’s intensivecare and acute-care patient beds in exchange for other services.

We need these patient beds especially since our population is growing by leaps and bounds. We may, in the near future, hit 80,000 residents.

Welland must have a fullservice hospital, as in the past, able to serve current and future residents’ needs and be able to treat lifethreatening issues.

Keeping intensive-care and acute-care beds in our hospital is a necessity. Welland hospital is being dissected. Losing a full-service hospital is not positive change.

This is what good health care is all about isn’t it? Maintaining and enhancing care for patients.

We need more doctors, anesthesiologists and the promise of restoring afterhours emergency surgeries when the shortage is rectified. Will this actually happen?

Our loved ones, in need of an operation or dealing with a serious illness, when relocated to another hospital in St. Catharines or Niagara Falls will need family and friends by their side as advocates and/or for compassion. If anyone, including seniors, have car problems, don’t drive or are unable to get a ride, I guess they’re expected to hop a bus in a blizzard or find a taxi.

After all, Niagara Health just builds the hospitals; it’s up to us to get there. Transportation

is a problem now even though we have a hospital right in our backyard.

Niagara Health, you can do better.

Mary Lou Solomon-Smith, Welland