By Sue Salzer
The recent history of Douglas Memorial Hospital in Fort Erie, Ontario should, by now, be a well-known story to all residents of Niagara – important to some and sorry about your luck from others.
Pariicpants clap for speakers at rally to keep hospital services in south Niagara. Photo by Doug Draper
De3pite written assurance to the mayors of Fort Erie and neighbouring Port Colborne some five years ago from the Niagara Health System – the body established by the province a decade ago to amalgamate most of the hospital service in our region – that their community hospitals would remain intact with the approval of a new hospital for residents of St Catharines, the NHS’s so-called “hospital improvement plan” followed shortly thereafter. With a reading of that plan it quickly became apparent that a death knell was about to befall local community hospitals. It was a well perpetrated hoax.
With the removal of medical beds,operating rooms,and the downgrading of emergency rooms to an “urgent care centres,” residents of Fort Erie and Port Colborne now turned to flourishing hospitals in Welland and Niagara Falls to join their wait lists.
We travelled northwards for cataract surgery, day surgery, operations and medical beds including birthing and pediatric care for our children. When plans were released for the new St. Catharines hospital it was quickly noted that they were prepared for 3,000 births a year.
But wait. How strange that all of Niagara only has around 2,700 births a year.
On inquiry, both Welland and Niagara falls were assured there was no plan to incorporate all birthing – another great whopper perpetrated on Niagara communities. And now, with obstetrics,pediatrics,mental health and maternity scheduled to move north to the new St. Cathariines hospital site on March 24th, these united mayors and councils have drawn a line in the sand.
As defenders of their communities, they outlined at a rally before 100 outraged citizens in Welland this past Saturday, January 19, all the pitfalls that will result if this convoluted plan proceeds. All southern tier councils were represented and we hope they take the message back to their communities that it is time for a united voice.
They have wisely put the ball back into court of Kevin Smith, the provincially appointed supervisor of the NHS. We shall now see if he will stand behind his rhetoric about working and consulting with doctors and communities or whether that rhetoric amounts to nothing more than vacant words.
Are the financial needs and the need to fill the beds in the new hospital to outweigh the needs of the southern tier? Do the opinions of our local doctors not outweigh the input of a few consultants? Can the warning of traffic issues from the transportation committee continue to ignored?
Following are the three most reasonable suggestions to Kevin Smith and the NHS that came out of the rally in Welland.
- That Kevin Smith and the NHS wait at least six months after the new st. catharines hospital opens to finalize the decision on moving maternal and child care services and in-patient pediatrics out of the hospitals in Welland and Niagara Falls – that is, not implement these decisions before September 30.
- That the new NHS board of directors – once they are in place – have an opportunity to review this critical set of decisions.
- That the tripartite review committee established by the Minister of Health and long-term care – involving the LHIN, the NHS and the region – reconvene as soon as possible, and complete the review it was tasked to do.
Sue Saltzer is a resident of Niagara, Ontario and long-time citizen advocate for preserving acute care hospital services in Niagara’s southern tier.
(Niagara At Large encourages you to join the discussion by sharing your views on this important issue involving the health care of residents in the Niagara, Ontario region. If you don’t live in Niagara, perhaps you are facing similar challenges around hospital services in your community and can bring valuable insight to this discussion too. Remember that NAL only posts comments by individuals who are also willing to share their first and last name with their views.)
Niagara At Large 
One of the biggest hoaxes of all was when Kevin Smith was sent by health minister, Deb Matthews as supervisor to straighten out the mess at the NHS. He assured us he would investigate the NHS and review the HIP (hospital improvement plan) ….you remember the plan that basically dismantled both Fort Erie and Port Colborne hospitals and, when completed, would do the same thing to Niagara Falls and Welland Hospitals.
We were suspicious when one of the first things Smith said was, “I don’t want to talk about the HIP anymore”. He didn’t want to talk about it. He just wanted to implement it. That is exactly what he is doing as he orders the NHS to move Mat/Child and other services to the new complex in St. Catharines.
Recommending a new hospital for south Niagara was just a clever ploy to get the affected municipalities arguing as he swooped in and removed services from their hospitals….telling people those services will return when a new south Niagara hospital is built in four to six years.
If anybody honestly believes a new hospital will be built in south Niagara, ask yourself, why hasn’t Smith announced to St. Catharines and area, Mat/Child is only temporary at their new complex and will be moved to south Niagara in four to six years?? He would be run out of St. Catharines on a rail.
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Susan About 6 or 8 months ago the City of Welland hosted the doctors from this “NEW” hospital and afyer the meeting the Head honcho and another doctor were conversing outside on the walkway of the Welland City Hall. After they had finished I approached the gentleman Head Honcho and we discussed the “New” Hospitals and the effect it going to have on the Southern Peoples…He Agreed, in fact it was he, who broached the subject of Location and reiterated the fact that the “HOSPITAL” should have been built at the corner of the 406 and 20 highways….
That is exactly what we the people of the Southern tier have been saying since day One.with no one listening or caring.
Councillor Rigby to this day states it is a St Catharines Hospital and he supported the location from day one. Parkington’s law firm I have been informed handled the transfer of the Land from Dr. Hunt to the NHS.
Apart from the one meeting in the crowded hallway of the Welland YMCA there was NO consultation with the Southern peoples by Sevenpifer and or the NHS Board. Oh! Yes the Rep from the LHIN was present in the crowded hallway along with the former Communication person Clark, Sue Matthews was there as a vice president of Patiuence whatever
As you remember they were offered a room but declined which goes to show the respect they had for the peoples they were about to crucify
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A dishonest divide and conquer approach has worked in Niagara at almost all levels – professional and political. Thus, the ‘centralization of medical services movement’ is now essentially a fait accompli for core medical services in outlying Niagara. Alien centralization plans – such as the HIP template – that may well work in congested urban areas such as Ottawa (remember Dr Jack?) and Hamilton (the home base of pseudo-Dr Kevin) have been foisted upon our small city/town and rural areas where they do not work properly at all. In fact such plans are dangerous! Of all citizen ‘protesters,’ only Mrs Sue Salzer and her Yellow Shirts remained steadfast, focused and undivided. But realistically, they cannot stem the centralization tide any longer. Big money is against them. About all they now can and should do is to start a grass roots ‘decentralization movement’ and maybe, in 20 years or so, Medicare in Niagara will be returned to where it was 10 years ago – near the people needing it.
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