Community and union leaders announce legal action, demand Ford declare a moratorium to save the Durham hospital
May 23 2024 - 12:06PM
The Durham hospital, located in Grey County, dates back to 1910.
Its community supported its survival through two World Wars, the
Great Depression, amalgamation, and many local hospital boards and
provincial governments. Now, after more than a century, it is
facing a potentially fatal blow with the imminent closure of all
its inpatient beds. The closure is spearheaded by regional hospital
executives without any democratic community input, and the Ford
government is sitting on its hands letting it happen despite having
the power to stop it, said community and health care leaders in a
press conference at Queen’s Park today.
Echoing the strategy that was used to close the
Minden hospital last June, South Grey Bruce hospital executives
“blindsided” the regional municipalities when they announced the
closure and removal of the inpatient beds just weeks ago. The
closure is slated for June 3. Hospital executives claim that the
hospital “emergency department” and some diagnostics will remain
open. However, their plan is to close and centralize all Durham’s
remaining inpatient beds to Walkerton and Kincardine, and they have
permanently closed the emergency department from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.
daily.
Leaders and residents are calling for both the
hospital board to stop and for provincial government intervention.
More than 700 local residents flooded a public meeting, hundreds
joined a community march and vigil on Tuesday, and petitions are
underway. Today, the municipality of West Grey announced it has
retained a well-known legal firm from downtown Toronto who will be
filing action with the courts and the Ontario Health Coalition
demanded that the Ford government declare a moratorium on local
hospital cuts and closures. Union leaders representing health
professionals, nurses and health care workers have joined in,
issuing stern media rebukes and vowing a major fightback.
“The fight to save Durham hospital is about saving
access to public health care for all Ontarians, no matter where
they live. Residents of small and rural communities deserve
high-quality public health care comparable to what’s available in
large urban centres,” said Erin Ariss, RN, President, Ontario
Nurses’ Association. “ONA is united with community members calling
on the Ford government to stop local hospital closures
immediately.”
“There are two levels of decision makers that are
responsible and could stop the hospital closure if they chose: the
hospital board and the Ford government,” noted Natalie Mehra,
Ontario Health Coalition executive director. “Neither has any
mandate. No one anywhere voted to close their local hospitals.
Previous governments have intervened, found staffing and kept the
local hospitals open. The Ford government can - and must - declare
a moratorium on hospital closures effective immediately.”
“If these decisions are being made without concern
for local impacts and needs, and without local input, then sadly we
are left to deal with this situation through large urban lawyers,”
said West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles. “SBGHC seems to only listen to
and take advice from large urban policy makers. So, one must fight
fire with fire.”
"What's happening at the Durham hospital is just
the latest example of the Ford government ignoring the needs of
local communities, just as they ignore the needs of workers,"
concluded JP Hornick, President of OPSEU/SEFPO. "Let us be clear
that it is a political choice to systematically undermine our
public hospitals and patients and our communities will suffer the
consequences."
For more information: Natalie Mehra, executive
director 416-230-6402 (cell); Mayor Kevin Eccles (519) 374-3561
(cell); ONA communications media@ona.org; Katie Arnup, OPSEU/SEFPO
communications opseucommunications@opseu.org