A Brief Foreword from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
There has been a plan in place for at least a few years to build a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital to replace the aging one in the Grimsby/Lincoln area for an estimated cost of some $137 million. But that that plan has been held dormant for lack of a green light from the province’s Liberal government.
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews slams the province’s Tory leader Tim Hudak, on his open letter to her for funding a new hospital in his riding.
Before, during and continued on through the present time, the province has opened a major new hospital complex in west St. Catharines and has upgraded hospital services in the Hamilton area, questioning the need for a smaller, more rural hospital like a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in between.
Meanwhile, and just a few days ago, the same Liberal government that has so far given no response to a green light on that new West Lincoln hospital plan has said yes to spending more than $26 million on planning for another new hospital in the Niagara community of Niagara Falls – a hospital that Tim Hudak, leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party, has fought for as his party seeks to regain a seat in the Niagara Falls riding. Now Hudak has sent an open letter to Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews, urging her to support the funding for the West Lincoln Hospital plan. Niagara At Large is posting his letter and a return letter from Matthews below.
We leave it to you, our readers, to make up your mind and share your views at the bottom of this post, should you wish.
January 14, 2014
Hon. Deborah Matthews, MPP
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
10th Floor, Hepburn Block
80 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2C4
Dear Minister Matthews,
Re: West Lincoln Memorial Hospital deserves your support
I am again writing to call on you to move forward with a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. For years you have put this project off, claiming there is no money in the budget for it.
So yesterday I announced my plan to create a million private sector jobs in eight years. With more people working we will be able to invest in important health infrastructure like a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
Ontario Tory leader Tim Hudak attacks province’s Liberal government for not funding plans for a new hospital in his riding in the west Niagara area.
However, yesterday you made a political announcement of the most cynical kind. After two years of silence on the project and leading into a by-election, you announced a new hospital in Niagara Falls. There is no doubt this project has strong merits, which is why I supported it 20 months ago when Supervisor Kevin Smith called for it, yet you said it wasn’t a priority.
Minister, government’s most important duty is to support our sick and vulnerable. It is a responsibility I take very seriously and it is not to be used for political gain. You unilaterally dropped the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital from the 2012 budget, yet every time there is a by-election you seem to find money for projects in the contested riding, whether you ever supported them or not: the Windsor hospital, Scarborough subway, and now the hospital in Niagara Falls.
Your government is spending $3.6 billion more this year than you did last year. That amount could have built the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital 25 times.
My question to you is despite all the new spending, why do you continue to leave West Lincoln Memorial Hospital off of the list, yet it was on the priority capital plan back when none of these projects were even on the Liberal government’s radar screen?
West Lincoln Memorial Hospital is a project based on need. It is about quality of patient care. Not only that, the community has already done their part. They have raised more than $14 million and even amalgamated with Hamilton Health Sciences to improve their viability for a new hospital. What they need now is for you and your government to do your part.
I urge you to stop playing politics with the health and safety of West Niagara and Stoney Creek residents. Make your decision based on what’s best of our health dollars and our fellow Ontarians, not what’s best for your careers. Put this project back on the capital plan for construction immediately. It’s the right thing to do.
I look forward to your response as I regrettably have yet to receive a response from you to my previous letter.
Sincerely, Tim Hudak, MPP
Niagara West – Glanbrook
Office of the Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
Dear Mr. Hudak:
I find it remarkable that you are now coming to the defense of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital given that, in May 2012, you said that it shouldn’t be rebuilt until economic conditions improve.
I would also remind you that when the PCs were last in government, you cut West Lincoln Memorial Hospital’s budget by 8 per cent.
The PC track record is to close hospitals, cut health care jobs and reduce access to needed services. Indeed this morning, you confirmed your plan going forward to eliminate health care positions.
When it comes to the new Niagara hospital project, only Ontario Liberals can be counted on to follow through on Dr. Kevin Smith’s advice and actually build this hospital. That’s why we have made a very real commitment to this project with a $26.2 million planning grant.
Niagara Falls families know the PCs won’t build a new hospital. As Junior Health Minister to Mike Harris, you closed hospitals and fired nurses. Unfortunately, the NDP voted against a new Niagara Falls hospital on November 25th at Queen’s Park.
Unlike the opposition, our government has been absolutely consistent in our commitment to health care in Niagara, and we have the track record to back us up. Under our watch, 23 major hospital projects have been completed or are under construction across Ontario.
Our government is committed to the viability of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, which recently integrated with Hamilton Health Sciences. We will give serious consideration to proposals from the hospital around capital planning and its role in providing health care going forward.
(Niagara At Large invites 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.)
Niagara At Large 
No money for it…. No money for other hospitals….. You have to be freakin kidding me. Doug please send this article and this comment to Deb. Perhaps she has forgotten how her party has wasted BILLIONS!!!!!! in this province. Do I need to go into SPECIFICS????
Perhaps she has forgotten how her parties fiscal policies have cost us many business and tax paying jobs!
Perhaps she has forgotten how much was raised by the residents of Grimsby/Lincoln!
Perhaps she has forgotten how much the discretionary/esthetic features of the new St.Catharines hospital cost and how far those resources could have gone to building another hospital!
Perhaps she has forgotten how much her parties vote buying public union strategic planning has cost the tax payers of this province! That sunshine list just keeps growing doesn’t.
Deb seems to have the memory of an ant and I also suspect the intelligence of one (perhaps).
I congratulate Tim for his attempt to re-ignite this initiative. We are entitled to and expect that we should NOT have to travel 30km’s+ for health services. The fact that Deb thinks we should, I find very disturbing but not surprising!
By the way Deb, great job on that new hospital. Great return on investment! True story – a buddy of mine recently had a stroke that affected his arm. He went to St. Catharines and was discharged immediately with a splint despite no signs of trauma to the arm. A SPLINT! HE HAD A STROKE!!!! He went to Niagara Falls and received the appropriate treatment. HE COULD HAVE DIED! I CAN TELL YOU MORE, but Doug I think would object.
Maybe we need more private birthing suites instead of qualified personnel! Perhaps an indoor waterfall in the next hospital would be nice instead of doctors!
Sadly just sayin……….
LikeLike
Stop the political posturing. We are in a time of extraordinary change in Ontario as the province focuses on significant shifts in spending to balance the budget. With almost half of the provincial budget allocated to health care, the government is looking to hospitals to make the best of what they already have and deliver services more efficiently. At the same time, many communities across Ontario are growing and the demand for health care services is increasing exponentially.
As the Ontario government continues to face these challenging economic times and declining provincial revenues, it continues to introduce new strategies to address the provincial deficit. Health funding reforms are now shifting away from the global, provider-centric funding model and more hospitals will need to become more efficient and focus on services that meet or exceed provincial benchmarks and standards.
The Ministry of Health is transitioning from the treatment of disease to the maintenance of health which means reducing the dependency on a provider-centric health care model such as unplanned hospital visits and highly invasive interventions, and empowering people through education, self management, and community support. Patients are being informed about making healthy lifestyle and living choices so they can stay healthy or better manage their chronic diseases at home or in the community.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is now establishing more non-profit community-based speciality clinics offering select OHIP-insured, low-risk routine procedures. These clinics focus on providing high volume services that do not require an overnight hospital stay. Moving many low-risk routine procedures from hospitals to community specialty clinics will help improve the overall patient experience while resulting in better value for taxpayers.
In order to strengthen the overall health system, the province has been investing heavily in a number of co-ordinated initiatives to expand alternatives to emergency room services so that the province’s emergency rooms are not routinely used as default entry points into the health care system. When patients rely on emergency rooms when their need for health services can be more appropriately addressed elsewhere in the system, it contributes to longer wait times and puts undue burden on more costly acute care services.
The health and saftety of communities across Ontario should not be about politics. Any person who places politics before the health and safety of Ontarians should be removed from office or voted out.
LikeLike
I definitely agree with your last paragraph Doug, but what do you expect people to do when they have to wait a year for diagnostic procedures that can pay for my dog to have the next day!
It’s all about political posturing and that is why they ALL have to go. Wish we could bring some revolutionary spirit here to Ontario, but our politicians have done a good job of keeping us under leash by keeping us busy just paying the bills. Who has the time? Unfortunately the other side of that coin…. Who doesn’t?
Just sayin……
LikeLike