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Cuts about to unfold at Picton hospital

About 10 years ago when I first started writing to the media, my goal was to keep the residents of the County informed about service cuts to PECMH. That goal has not changed a decade down the road. My primary concern has always been that it is cost-prohibitive for many County residents to travel to Belleville for services that are no longer available at PECMH. And now there is more to come. The following cuts are about to take place at PECMH in less than two months.

At the end of August we will lose the two maternity  beds and maternity will close. In the past, 180 maternity related tests a year have been completed for women who are expecting. Hopefully, QHC will release a statement saying where these tests will now be performed. In early September, four beds will close on the medical floor.
The original QHC plan was to take seven beds plus the two from maternity and reduce us from 21 beds to 12. In September they will take four beds from the medical floor and next year they will take three more. We will then be down to 12 beds.

Carolyn Corbin our Dietician at PECMH for the last 20 years will be sent to Belleville and Trenton in September. We have not been told who will look after ‘In and Out Patient counselling’. The Family Health Team has a part-time dietician but I suspect that her workload is already heavy.

The Weekly Pulmonary Function Testing Clinic was discontinued this year. I suspect that these patients now have to travel to Belleville.

Urologist Dr. Jim Wilson who travelled from Kingston to Picton  for 30 years to operate a clinic and perform surgery has now retired.  Dr. Wilson was very well liked and will be missed.
In September the lab will close completely. There was a concern that those patients who attend clinics in Belleville such as Oncology or are having surgery would have to travel to the BGH lab for blood work.  My understanding now is that QHC has worked out an an agreement with Life Labs so that these patients will be able to have their lab work done in Picton.

Presently this work is performed by a phlebotomist at PECMH. This phlebotomist has many duties such as taking blood and doing ECGs on  in-patients and then packaging the blood and and sending it to BGH. The nurses will now have to perform these duties once the lab closes. There will not be any extra nursing staff provided to perform these extra duties.

The other service that has not been cut is the operating room where the only surgery performed is endoscopy. I suspect that once the new operating rooms in Belleville are completed, the scopes will move to BGH. The surgeons that are operating at PECMH are also doing the same procedures at Campbellford. I also understand that Trenton is interested in doing scopes again. I must add that the operating room at PECMH is very efficient and  the surgeries performed here are less expensive than BGH.
Hopefully this has been a help to you in seeing the direction that your hospital is taking.  If the operating room closes next year the pillage by QHC and the bureaucrats will be complete. Please speak up for your local hospital while you can.

Fran Renoy, Picton

Filed Under: Letters and OpinionNews from Everywhere Else

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  1. Lovin' the County says:

    She is busier now than when she worked at the hospital..she does soooo much for the County and those of us who live here…thanks Fran

  2. Wolf Braun says:

    I am serious folks… I think the County and its residents need to nominate Fran Renoy for the “Order of Canada” award. She has worked tirelessly to Save Our Rural Hospital – SORH.
    …. P.O.O.C.H.

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