A Commentary by Pat Scholfield
(A brief foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – Pat Scholfield was one of the first Niagara residents, a decade ago, to know that hospital services would be consolidated in fewer and fewer, and possibly one hospital in this Niagara, Ontario region.
Niagara, Ontario resident and citizen health care activist Pat Scholfield
She was one of the only few who was on record speaking out at the time for locating a new mega-hospital for Niagara, opening this March 24 in the north Niagara community in St. Catharines, Ontario, in a more central location in the region for all Niagara residents.
Few listened and few paid attention to whatever few reporters, including this one working for the old Thorold News and Niagara This Week at the time, wrote about consultant reports for the Niagara Health System, going back to a decade ago, recommending that most acute care services be pulled out of older hospitals in Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Welland and Niagara Falls and be located at one hospital site.
Pat Scholfield does not regard herself as a hero. She just paid attention while others chose, for whatever reason, to ignore reports going back ten, eight and six years ago that gutting hospital services at the older Niagara sites and consolidating them in a new hospital was in the offing.
Pat was one of the few citizens at the time who did pay attention while others, including the Ontario Health Coalition/NDP coalition wanted to go on living in a fantasy world that smaller aging hospitals could go on operating as fully functioning acute care centres into the indefinite future.
Pat’s narrative, in my view (and please don’t blame her for this foreword – come after me) is more about working, in a non-partisan spirit, with open minded MPPs like Welland riding MPP Cindy Forster and Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, and with trying to cross a bridge or two with the current Liberal government health minister Deb Matthews to find some common ground in a world where everywhere – not just in Ontario – hospital services are being cut back and consolidated as new out-patient and home-care services are coming to the fore to address the escalating costs of serving aging populations.
This NAL reporter has thrown more than a few stinging comments at Deb Matthews over the past two or more years, but Matthews at least deserves credit for meeting with me and others, coming off a bus from Welland who she knows are terribly upset over what is happening around the restructuring of hospital services in Niagara. As a reporter of local, provincial, national and international news for the past 34 years, I have watched far more politicians in Matthews’ position running away from a meeting with citizens so upset. She at least had the courage to wade in and listen.
So read Pat’s dispatch with that in mind, and knowing that she at least tried to speak out about why a new super hospital in Niagara should be located more centrally in the region before so many others did.)
By Pat Scholfield
We came back from our bus trip to Queen’s Park in Toronto on Thursday, March 21 with the slight feeling that there might be a glimmer of hope, particularly after Ontario’s health minister, Deb Matthews graciously granted to have a private meeting with a small delegation within the group.
Nearly 60 concerned citizens from the Niagara, Ontario communities of Welland, Port Colborne, Wainfleet, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, and Pelham, and even from the nearby Haldimand County community of Dunnville took the trek to attend the question and answer period in the provincial legislature, and listen to Welland Riding MPP Cindy Forster explain to the Liberal government’s health minister, Deb Matthews, the concerns of the southern tier, as Obstetrics, Inpatient Gynecology, Pediatrics and Inpatient Mental Health are all in the process of being transferred this March from the Welland Hospital to the new complex opening March 24 in the north Niagara community of St. Catharines.
Children at a recent rally in Welland, Ontario picket for saving services in one of south Niagara’s larger hospitals. Photo by Doug Draper
Clearly the loss of all these essential services will have a severe impact on the ability of the Welland Hospital to function as a full service hospital and Forster explained the dismantling effect that is occurring at the hospital. She delivered a petition to the legislature with nearly 20,000 signatures requesting services be retained at the Welland Hospital and asked; “Why is the minister ignoring the legitimate concerns of patients, residents and health care providers?”
The health minister explained that she had no intention of reversing any decisions and stated the Niagara Health System has had four external reviews and all unanimously agreed consolidation was better for quality, safety and patient experience.
Following the session Matthews met with a delegation from the bus trip from Welland, arranged by Cindy Forster, including Frank Campion, the chair of Welland’s Health Care Committee, Welland councillors Mary Ann Grimaldi, Dan Fortier and Michael Petrachenko, and myself.
Campion outlined overall concerns, including not just the loss of Maternity/Child and Mental Health, but also the real possibility of Welland eventually losing Orthopedics in the near future. He explained the HIP (the Niagara Health System’s so-called ‘Hospital Improvement Plan’) recommends the removal of Orthopedics from Welland. When our physicians reviewed the HIP, they reported Orthopedics was recommended to be removed from Welland. In his report, Smith advocates focused on consolidating Orthopedics asap. From this evidence we have to conclude Orthopedics will be next on the chopping block.
Following the release of the HIP in 2008, Welland’s doctors prepared a comprehensive report in 2009, basically stating that if Obstetrics, Pediatrics and Orthopedics are all removed from Welland Hospital, they could no longer retain a vital 24/7 Emergency Department. This report was presented to the NHS, the provincially established Local Health Integration Network for Niagara and surrounding regions and counties, the Minister of Health and later to the provincially appointed NHS supervisor Kevin Smith.
Campion wanted to know why we have yet to hear a real response on this report?
I addressed Matthews comments about the four external reviews regarding the transfer of services from local hospitals to the new complex in St. Catharines, and they had all agreed consolidation was the right decision. I pointed out to Matthews that all the external experts from Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa agreed to the theoretical concept of consolidation, but were not familiar with the sprawling geographic problems and lack of public transportation in south Niagara. Whereas our internal experts and local physicians, who understand our unique geography and public transit, all unanimously agreed services should not be removed. Why hadn’t the NHS and Smith, listened to our local experts?
I also asked, “What happens when Orthopedics is removed from WellandHospital? Then will all our people in the southern tier have to go to west St. Catharines for emergency services?” Matthews explained we (in southern Niagara) do have a good Niagara regional EMS (emergency medical services) system.
Matthews also acknowledged that she was not fully aware of some of the information received from our group, and agreed to get back to the delegation.
Entertainment was provided on our bus ride by Niagara guitarist Dave Toderick who played something called “It Ain’t Right”. We all agreed that this should be the theme song for what is happening to our hospital services in south Niagara.
Pat Scholfield is a Niagara, Ontario resident and long-time advocate for quality, accessible health care services for all residents of the Niagara region. She has been a regular contributor of news and commentary to Niagara At Large.
(Niagara At Large invites all of you who care to share your first and last name to join in the conversation by sharing your comment below.)
Niagara At Large 
This is a repeat of earlier response…
Deb Matthews is a servant of the Liberal Party. She represents the Liberal Party and only the Liberal Party. Deb Mathews is no different than all of our elected officials of all of our political parties.
Some think that our elected officials represent the voter. Wrong! Those we elect legally become the representative of their particular political party. When the chips are down and that elected representative must decide whether to side with the voter who elected them or decide with the wishes of their political party, they are obligated to decide in favor of their political party.
Often common sense has little to do with an official’s decisions when political expedience or financial concerns sway the political masters.
In this case of health care in Niagara, Ontario Health Minister Matthews is simply following the demands of the Liberal Party. Her insistence that the so-called ‘hospital restructuring’ will mean better health care for Niagara residents is just hypocritical hyperbole designed to mitigate the ire of the voter.
Without adequate push-back against improper decisions, the voter will always be at the mercy of any political party. However, in this case the Liberal party, predicated on inadequate handling of the economy, is blatantly telling Niagara residents to ‘eat cake’.
The questionable decision not to locate the new St. Catharines hospital in a more central location is compounded by the equally questionable decision to reduce health services for South Niagara citizens. Contrary to the governments assertions unwarranted time and distance does not make for ‘better health care’.
It would appear that we are faced with another tragic scenario mirroring the fateful St. Catharines hospital decision.
We are faced with another sales job that will not adequately serve the citizens of South and West of Niagara as can be viewed at: http://newsalertniagara.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-brilliance-of-bureaucrats.html
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She’ll get back to us when hell freezes over.
Their platitudes remind me of an SNL skit with a reporter saying…
“In Russia today, nothing is wrong…especially in Chernobyl”.
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If people from this area would have listened to Pat (Scholfield) when all this started we wouldn’t be where we are now. They built there beautiful hospital in St. Catharines with offices overlooking their domain. With pockets lined in cash they were saying look what we did. Yes you did all right. You just made the middle class a little closer to the poor class while the upper class is sitting on their thrones saying look what we did. And now we in the Southern part of Niagara have to go to St. Caharines and because this a senior area we will either expire on the way to hospital or expire at the hospital because our loved ones can’t drive to see us. Probably that was their intention. Oh they did a good job all right. A real good job. I told my son that if there is an emergency with me I want to go right to Hamilton or Dunnville. No faith in this end any more. And they will be using this as their election is coming up. Sorry guys I will not vote again this time. No faith in any of you. And for Pat. Thank you so much for fighting for the little guy. Seems no one else will.
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