A new group called the Save the Durham Hospital Group is holding a community meeting next week as they organize their opposition to the latest reduction in services at the site.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7th at the Durham arena hall at 7 p.m.
The South Bruce Grey Health Centre announced April 24th, that as of June 3rd, ten inpatient beds would be relocated to the hospitals in Kincardine and Walkerton.
Group members Nora Beatty and Brenda Scott (who is also an Ontario Health Coalition group member, Grey Bruce Health Coalition member and Chesley Hospital Community Support Group Chair) were on the Open Line Show on Bayshore Broadcasting’s AM 560 CFOS on Wednesday with host Murray Calder and West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles.
Beatty said of the news of the change, “That press release that came out last week, it didn’t say they were closing the hospital, but if you have no beds in a hospital and you have something called ’emergent/ urgent care’ that’s not a full fledged emergency department. They have in effect, closed the hospital and turned it into some kind of walk-in clinic.”
Scott says people who donated money for those beds in Durham are now going to have to see them get moved out of their community.
They’re accusing the provincial government of “death by 1,000 cuts.”
The South Bruce Grey Health Centre said in its release the change will allow for better access to urgent and emergency care in Durham amid a staffing shortage, while the inpatients will also be getting better, more consistent care in Walkerton and Kincardine. CEO Nancy Shaw recently told Bayshore Broadcasting News in an interview there is no intention of closing the Durham site.
The South Bruce Grey Health Centre says it will be hosting public engagement sessions in the coming months. Dates have not yet been announced.
- “No Plans To Close The Hospital,” South Bruce Grey Health CEO Assures After Durham Beds Announcement
The Durham Hospital Foundation released a statement on Facebook April 26th saying they’d held a meeting to consider the implications of the decision, noting they were only made aware of it when the rest of the community was. They wrote, “We will continue to act as a bridge between the hospital and the greater community, standing firm in our support for the Durham Hospital and the community as a whole.”
There is also a rally planned for May 11th outside Owen Sound City hall from 9 a.m. to noon, Ontario Health Coalition group member, Grey Bruce Health Coalition member and Chesley Hospital Community Support Group Chair Brenda Scott says, “We’re going to have a few people who will say a few short words about some of the issues with healthcare in our area. We’re going to have an area where people will be able to write letters to their MPP.” They are encouraging those who would like to join them to make their own signs.
On May 30th, a local group will be heading down to Queen’s Park in Toronto to take part in a larger rally. You can find out more about the efforts of these local groups on their Facebook pages at: https://www.facebook.com/people/Save-the-Durham-Hospital/61559045303220/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
And https://www.facebook.com/groups/chesleyhospitalcommunitysupport/