By Doug Draper
Ontario’s health minister Deb Matthews announced this August 15 she is appointing a supervisor to run a Niagara Health System many residents in the region do not have faith in anymore.
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews calls for new NHS supervisor
The health minister’s announcement comes less than a week after relatives of people who have suffered and died from C. Diff, in the NHS’s St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland hospital sites offered tearful accounts of filthy conditions and neglect in those hospitals during a public meeting.
One of the first Niagara politicians out of the gate with a media release applauding Matthews’ decision to appoint a supervisor was St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan.
“The appointment of a supervisor will help restore the public’s confidence in the NHS and its administration, which has been badly eroded because of a series of events, including the ongoing C. Difficult crisis at the St. Catharines General site,” McMullan said.
McMullan added that a new supervisor “could assist in the selection a new chief executive officer to lead the NHS in the future.”
Not everyone, however, is as ready to applaud Matthews for what they see as a pre-provincial election awakening to incompetence at the NHS administration and board level they’ve been trying to alert her to for more than two years.
“It’s about time Health Minister Matthews takes us seriously in Niagara,” Niagara south resident and longtime NHS watchdog Pat Scholfield told Niagara At Large. “It’s a shame so many people had to die and suffer before someone would listen,” she said. “Let’s not stop with just having a supervisor appointed to the NHS. We need a thorough housecleaning of the NHS board as well….starting with the newly reappointed chair Paul Leon, who continues to think the NHS is doing a wonderful job. The board sat there at every meeting, once a month, and nodded approval to everything. During this serious C.Difficile crisis they decided not to even have a meeting.”
A statement from Ontario’s NDP this August 15 offered reminders of Matthews’ repeated praise for the NHS administration and board, even while countless thousands of Niagara residents were expressing their concern, over and over again, about what NHS brass has been doing to the region’s hospital services.
The McGuinty Liberals’ sudden concern about management at Niagara Health System would seem sincere if they hadn’t spent the last year insisting health care was improving in Niagara, said the NDP statement highlighting the following quotes, earlier this year, from Matthews.
“Health care is getting better in Niagara; make no mistake about it.” – Health Minister Deb Matthews, Legislative Assembly, March 3, 2011
“ The NHS is doing excellent work. There is new leadership there: the very capable interim leadership of Sue Matthews.” – Matthews, Legislative Assembly, March 2, 2011
“I have no plans to appoint an investigator at this time. There have been several investigations, surveys, community engagements down in that area.” – Matthews, Welland Tribune, March 3, 2011
“That is not the appropriate step to take now,” Minister Matthews on appointing a supervisor, Niagara Falls Review, June 29, 2011
Today’s announcement of a supervisor might help the McGuinty Liberals hide political problems until after an election, added the NDP statement, but it won’t help patients and their families.
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Niagara At Large 
an election ploy – nothing more – Deb Matthews can’t be trusted – that simple
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This is a case where one doesn’t know whether to applaud or cry. The recent comments by NHS interim chief of staff Dr. Joanna Hope described the leveling off of C. difficile cases in Niagara as having “flat lined”. Of all the euphemisms she could have used this one is appallingly inappropriate in light of the tragic deaths by this largely preventable disease. Have those in the Ministry of Health finally twigged to the notion that the administration and the Board simply don’t get it.
My only other comment pertains to Mayor McMullan. It is all well and fine Mr. Mayor to be first out of the gate to applaud this move but the fact remains his city got what it wanted – a new hospital. We in the southern tier will still be left with sub-standard health care as a result of previous NHS decisions. I remain cautiously optimistic, very cautious indeed.
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You give new meaning to Hypocracy. Too little and three years too late.
This is a blatant attempt at vote purchase but we in Niagara remember, We remember our concerns blatantly dismissed by you, We remember the Ombudsman calling the actions of your LHIN “Illegal” We remember Reilly Anzovino. We remember the families and friends of the lives lost from CDiff.
We remember you telling us we were whiners because your NHS was doing a good job.We remember the necessity of pickets, letters, rallies and trips to Queens Park.
October 6th at the polls we will remember the Hell you put us through.
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Doug — many, many thanks for always speaking out on this issue. And thanks for finding those quotes from Minister Matthews, who is a woman incapable of shame. Sadly, the appointment of a supervisor will not bring back those patients who died in agony from C.diff., during an outbreak that did not have to happen. Let us keep a wary eye, lest this announcement herald merely another cover-up by this disgraceful government. I truly believe this bunch is capable of anything.
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We are probably going to see more of this type of “action” from the McGuinty Liberals in coming weeks and months. A week or two ago, Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin announced the government wasn’t going to proceed with a study to find a transportation route between Ancaster and Burlington (it was a part of the Mid-Pen/NGTA) and was strongly opposed in his riding. McMeekin is facing a strong challenge from Tory candidate Donna Skelly of CHCH tv. Now Matthews announces a supervisor for NHS.
Methinks the Liberals are realizing they have been using their thumbs as suppositories for too long!
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The political managers could use this CDiff. issue to divert attention away from the fundamental issue of unnecessary hospital closures. CDiff is the most recent (and on-going) of many issues which will arise if well-funded E.R’s are not re-opened.
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I believe Doug is absolutly right, This knee jerk reaction is based solely on the Press Conference held here in St. Catharines last Wed. Aug..10th. This I believe is damage control at it’s best. The health minister and her caucus members want to keep thier jobs in October. Where has our Mayor been for the past 3 months? We as citizens of St.Catharines needed him to speak out on this heartbreaking C Difficle, that took the lives of over 31 citizens. This is not counting those patients that were sent home to recover. Nor does take into account the elderly that passed away in long term care comes
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This Liberal Government’s obvious contempt for the intelligence of the people of this province is typically insulting.and the legal action taken by citizens against the Joseph Brant hospital has without a doubt raised concerns in the many Board Rooms of the Health Systems throughout this province.as well as the head of the snake.
The articles written by John Levick and Sue Salzer are truisms that are known oh so well by the peoples of this Southern Niagara Region and to have this Heath Minister write an article saying she and her government are concerned is utter blasphemy and worthy of only contempt, knowing what we have experienced in this region. . .
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A new supervisor!!?? We don’t need to add another level to the already oversaturated bureaucracy.
What we need is a Provincial Ombudsman for Health Care, a la André Marin. Someone with clout, independent of party affiliation and certainly not aligned with the NHS.
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Very Informative!!!!!!!!!!!
It really helps me a lot.
thanks for sharing this.
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