Will PECMH stakeholders speak up for their hospital?

In a recent letter (Them and US) to the local media I stated the damage to PECMH would probably be minimal in the latest round of cuts as there was very little left for QHC to take. I was wrong and I apologize for that statement.

Quinte Healthcare has managed to find six more positions to extract from our local hospital. PECMH is entering into an area that could prove detrimental to the patients and staff. The Ontario Nurses Association has stated that almost 100,000 registered nursing hours will be lost per year and have expressed safety concerns.

Mayor Robert Quaiff has been quoted as saying that “he is both shocked and dismayed” as previous communication said no cuts were coming to PECMH.”
Many of us have discovered over the last 17 years since amalgamation (1998) that Quinte Healthcare senior administration and the QHC Board are sometimes inconsistent with their statements and eventual actions.

The mayor has also stated he is hopeful to have a conversation with Health Minister Hoskins expressing concern with the further erosion of services to our community. I compliment him on taking that very important step.

It would certainly be beneficial to see Mayor Quaiff have the full support of the council (especially the Healthcare Advisory Committee which is a committee of council), the PECMH advocacy group (Pooch), the real estate association and the Chamber of Commerce.

As a point of interest, the Trenton Chamber of Commerce recently wrote a scathing letter to Quinte Healthcare denouncing the many cuts at Trenton Hospital, including 2,300 surgeries moving to Belleville. This is obviously a Chamber of Commerce that realizes the destruction of their hospital will have a very serious effect on their economy.

Would it not also be in the best interests of the stakeholders of our local hospital for representatives from each of the aforementioned groups to meet with the common goal of speaking up for their hospital and preventing more cuts from taking place?

This is a hospital (PECMH) that was chosen by a patient survey in 2012 to be the number one hospital (out of 147) for patient care in the province. That is correct, number I out of 147. This accolade, by the way didn’t just happen. It was as a result of a very dedicated and caring staff.

The “sitting back and waiting to see what happens” game is now over. Quinte Healthcare has made its move. It is now up to the residents of Prince Edward County to decide if and how they are going to respond.
It is now “Them and Us.”
The question here is, “Will the residents of Prince Edward County simply roll over in the face of these drastic cuts or will they, as have many other small hospitals across the province, stand up for their local hospital? My hope is that it is the latter.

Fran Renoy
Picton