Join A Niagara, Ontario Public Forum Exploring Health Care Beyond The Hospital – A Community-Based Collaborative Approach

News from the South Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians

Welland, Ontario – All those interested in the future of healthcare in our community are invited to a free forum the coming Sunday, May 4^th from, 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Atrium at the Welland Community Wellness Complex, 145 Lincoln Street, in the Niagara municipality of Welland, Ontario.

The Council of Canadians, South Niagara Chapter, is organizing the event, open to all who would like to learn more about the changing face of health care in the Niagara Region, and especially to those who might have ideas about better ways of utilizing and integrating the services that may already be in place.

“Through respectful and considered dialogue, we want to try to build up a better idea 
of residents’ concerns, expectations and perceived needs for healthcare services in their communities” said Fiona McMurran, Council of Canadians organizer.

The afternoon will feature a presentation by Joanne Ferraccioli, Health Services Coordinator, Port Colborne, who will highlight effective proactive measures being 
taken to address the many challenges posed to comprehensive healthcare provision 
in SW Niagara by the recent and ongoing restructuring of hospital services in the NHS.

Following this presentation, there will be small-group facilitated discussions on topics including: seniors’ issues; community health centres; the role of the family doctor; heart health; mental health; maternity/gynaecology; and paediatrics.

“We need to properly identify and assess the needs of our community with regard to the provision and maintenance of local health-related services, if we are to advocate effectively for access to the quality and variety of care to which ALL residents of Niagara should be entitled,” McMurran said.

“This is NOT an occasion for people to share personal grievances or anecdotes about their unsatisfactory experiences with the current system,” she stresses. “It is offered as an opportunity for creative, collaborative thinking, information sharing, and potential problem-solving—with a view to countering the prevailing general air of despair (or worse, apathy) that surrounds the recent cuts to local hospital services in the Region.”

The Council of Canadians is a non-partisan, non-profit social action organization that works to educate and empower people to hold governments and corporations accountable through national campaigns and a network of chapters that advocate for clean water, fair trade, green energy, public health care and a vibrant democracy.

(NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)