Grey County has sent a letter to the South Bruce Grey Health Centre Board of Directors and its CEO.
Councillors have also decided to push for a delegation to Ontario’s Minister of Health in Toronto.
In addition to that, the County plans to ask the South Bruce Grey Health Centre to make a delegation to County Council about its plans to take all ten inpatient beds out of the Durham hospital and move them to Walkerton and Kincardine as of June 3rd, leaving urgent/ emergent care at the hospital from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The letter, signed by County Warden Brian Milne reads:
“I am writing on behalf of Grey County to express our deep concerns regarding the proposed service reductions at the Durham Hospital. As a vital institution within our community, the hospital plays an essential role in the health and well-being of residents.
We understand the hospital may be facing financial and recruitment challenges and difficult decisions must be made. However, reducing services, especially essential ones, could have severe consequences for the health outcomes of community members. Grey County is investing in a new and expanded Rockwood Terrace long-term care home.
Our home, as well as others in the immediate area, have relied on the hospital both to care for very vulnerable residents in emergencies and for laboratory and diagnostic services.
Altering access to emergency services will also put increased, negative pressure on our paramedic services. Our ambulances will be travelling further to get patients to hospital 14 hours daily and need to move patients between facilities when they can’t be admitted to Durham Hospital.
It is crucial to consider the potential impact of these reductions on vulnerable populations, including the elderly, low-income individuals, and those with chronic health conditions.
We understand the loss of inpatient beds will also negatively impact local physicians, causing a ripple effect of negative access impacts. Any decrease in services could result in delayed diagnoses, inadequate treatment, and increased strain on other healthcare facilities in the area.
Furthermore, reducing services may have broader economic implications for the municipality. A decline in the quality of healthcare could deter businesses and families from relocating to the area, impacting the local economy in the long run.
Most disappointing is the lack of consultation or discussion among health care system partners. We are not aware of discussions with the Grey Bruce OHT, Brightshores Health System or the Hanover and District Hospital.
Announcing this change without a plan in place to reassure the public regarding continued service delivery has caused a great deal of community distress.
We urge the hospital board to explore alternative solutions to address its financial challenges without compromising the quality and accessibility of healthcare services. We are willing to collaborate and support efforts to find sustainable solutions that prioritize the health and well-being of the community.
Thank you for considering our concerns. We look forward to working together to ensure that Durham Hospital continues to fulfill its vital role in providing high-quality healthcare to all residents.
Sincerely,
Brian Milne
The letter was also sent to the Minister of Health, hospital CEOs for Brightshores and Hanover and District Hospital, and the Ontario Health Team.
County councillor Paul McQueen was resolved that the matter should be taken straight to the Minister of Health, saying, “The degree of severity and concern about this whole issue— I would suggest that we need to go directly to the minister, on your request with all of us neighbouring mayors to Toronto and take it right to the top.”
Councillor Barbara Dobreen stated she would raise the issue at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) caucus Annual General Meeting in June. Councillor Andrea Matrosovs advocated for connecting with other rural communities facing similar issues in Ontario.
Other than Chesley and Durham, some communities facing similar staffing challenges are Minden, whose emergency department is now closed. Minden now has a daytime urgent care clinic. Some Strathroy residents are voicing their opposition to the obstetrics department being moved out of the Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital. The obstetrics department at Listowel Memorial Hospital is also closed until mid-September due to staffing shortages. In the Niagara Region, Fort Erie and Port Colborne’s urgent care centres have been closed overnight since last summer. They hadn’t operated as Emergency rooms since 2009.
Other hospitals around the province have had short-term ER closures. They include Almonte, Alexandria, Seaforth, St. Mary’s, Clinton, Thessalon, Wingham, and Mount Forest’s Louise Marshall Hospital among others.
Meanwhile, West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles addressed a letter addressed to him which was in the County’s Correspondence list from South Bruce Grey Health Centre Board Chair Jim Bagshaw about threatening language the mayor had used at West Grey’s April 30th special meeting, where Eccles said “One statement that I put out there verbally has been that I told the CEO and President of the South Bruce Grey association that to keep her hands off the Durham hospital and I’ll promise to keep my hands off of your throat.”
Bagshaw called that statement, “Completely unacceptable,” adding, “At SBGHC, we have and will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for any words or actions that constitute violence, threats of violence, intimidation or harassment. You are a leader in this community and inciting violence, appearing to incite or condoning violence will only cause further division and harm.” He said in his view, the comment was a breach of the municipal code of conduct.
Eccles told County council today that he has apologized for “Some verbiage I had said,” adding, “I have since issued an apology to those that I offended.” He added, “We need to be respectful in this battle. We don’t need to be scared of taking the battle on.”
Bagshaw stated in his letter, “We have always been open to conversations and engagement with you and our community. Ongoing engagement, especially during these more difficult times, will continue to be a priority; however, we will not under any circumstance put the safety and security of our staff at risk.”
He added, “We all have one shared common goal – to ensure that our community receives safe and high-quality health care. With this in mind, I hope we can work together collaboratively to achieve this.”
The SBGHC is holding an online public meeting about its plans on May 14th at 11 a.m.
