| “There is too much
confusion over the status of Peel Memorial,” says BBOT
President Linda Ford. Mayor Susan Fennel says she has
assurances from the Premier that Peel Memorial will
not close for a single day. Bob Richards, William Osler
Health Centre President and CEO, says
“that we have had no notification from the Ministry
of Health & Long-Term Care that Peel Memorial is
to remain an operating hospital after October 28, nor
have we been granted any additional operational budget
that would enable us to do this.”
There have been repeated assurances that Peel Memorial
will remain as some kind of health care center, with
112 complex continuing care beds, proposed ambulatory
care services, an eye institute, out patient surgery,
outpatient rehab, urgent care clinic and a family practice
unit.
Richards says "We are still preparing for a redevelopment
of Peel Memorial in the 2009/2010 timeframe." The
plan is the Lynch Street site will close after the official
opening of Brampton Civic Hospital on October 28, and
be shut down for little more than a year before renovations
are initiated.
That means Peel Memorial will be closed for at least
15 months and there is growing fear that it won’t reopen.
Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesperson David Spencer
said the redevelopment initiative at this point lies
with WOHC and the Central West Local Integration Health
Network.(LHIN ). Local health care officials are required
to file a detailed plan with the MOH that outlines the
plan for Peel Memorial.
Government and local health officials say PMH could
reopen as an ambulatory care facility.
Central West LHIN chair Joe McReynolds told The Brampton
Guardian recently that determining what PHM will be,
in terms of what services it will offer, is still in
the early stages.
"We are still in the early discussion stages of
talking about how we proceed with this," McReynolds
said. "We have been thinking for some time about
how in fact we get the right balance between what the
health care system needs are in the area and what the
hospital care needs are on the acute care side of things.
But we are still at an early stage in that discussion
and I would hope in the next two or three weeks we will
be in a position to talk about how we think it should
proceed and get something going by the fall."
McReynolds said the LHIN plans to gather public input
before making any final decisions.
In a strongly worded letter to Dalton McGuinty, BBOT
President Linda Ford has urged the Premier to keep Peel
Memorial Hospital open, calling the closing a “health
care crisis” for Brampton.
“Hospitals are a responsibility of the provincial government,
and as such, your government is accountable for ensuring
that Brampton has adequate hospital care that is commensurate
with our large and growing population, and with the
higher levels of service provided throughout the province.”
Even when Brampton Civic Hospital opens with 479 beds,
a ratio of one bed for approximately every 1,000 residents,
“it is clear that even with a new $900 million hospital,
Brampton will be under-serviced in hospital care - unless
Peel Memorial Hospital remains open,” Ford said.
The provincial average is Ontario average 2.7 beds
per 1,000 population. PEI has 3.4 per 1,000 population,
Nova Scotia 4.0 per 1,000 population and New Brunswick
5.3 per 1,000 population
“Brampton expects and frankly deserves the same level
of care.”
Ford urged the Premier by way of Order in Council,
to commit funds and provide a directive to keep Peel
Memorial Hospital open.
She said despite commitments, made by the previous
provincial government and the McGuinty government that
Brampton would have two hospitals, the definitive answer
is still unknown.
“It is abundantly clear that Brampton has for too long
been severely under-serviced with the hospital care
that we have been receiving. Our residents and businesses
expect and demand nothing less than two hospitals.”
Ford urged the Premier to “immediately demonstrate
a commitment” to two hospitals in Brampton.
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