TORONTO, Sept. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Executives at the Peterborough and Lindsay hospitals have made a plan to amalgamate the two hospitals into one corporation. While this may work for the executives, we are deeply concerned about the impact on health care services. All across Ontario, once hospitals are amalgamated, services get rationed between the hospital sites. It is considered duplication to have the same services in each hospital. All longer-term beds are moved to one site, for example. All rehab to another site. All surgeries are centralized to one site. And so on. Patients and their families are required to drive from town to town to access care that was once available in their home community hospital.
What: Public forums in Lindsay and Peterborough to find out more about what the amalgamation plan means and what we can do to protect our local hospitals.
When and Where:
Lindsay
Wednesday, September 12 7-9 pm
Christian Fellowship Centre
59 Mary St West
Lindsay
Peterborough
Thursday, September 13 7-9 pm
Peterborough Lions Community Centre
347 Burnham Street
Peterborough
Who We Are:
The Ontario Health Coalition has worked with community groups and local chapters across Ontario to save local hospitals from closure and protect services. Our mandate is to act as a public interest advocate, to protect public health care services from cuts and privatization, to insist on democratic policy-making regarding the health care services that are funded and relied upon by our communities, and to uphold the principles of the Canada Health Act. Recently, we successfully saved the birthing services in Brockville and Leamington, stopped the closures of emergency departments in Wallaceburg and St. Joseph Island, saved an array of services at the Ajax hospital, helped to save ICU and other services at the Midland Hospital and much more.
Contact:
For more information: Charlene 705-761-4408 or the OHC office 416-441-2502
Media interviews – Natalie Mehra, executive director, Ontario Health Coalition 416-230-6402 (mobile)