Recent cuts over the years have reduced the Sydenham campus to only five inpatient beds and the emergency department. The meeting between the Sydenham District Hospital board members on March 23rd sparked talks about more potential cuts or closing the hospital all together. The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance saw a $1.8-million deficit and projecting another $3.8-million in the red before next March.
Wallaceburg Heath Coalition creator, Shirley Roebuck says these meeting are held to educate the public about what’s going on locally and provincially with the health care system.
“Education is power, so have to make sure the community knows what’s happening. As we find out tonight what’s happening not only locally but provincially then we can be a force to be reckoned with. Along with citizenship comes responsibilities and we are all voters that can change things.”
Roebuck says she believes with these meetings the community can make a large impact on the out come of the future of the hospital.
“I believe we can save our emergency rooms, save our impatient beds and actually expand health care services by going to the ministry and telling them what we need in this community. ”
The biggest topic brought forth at the meeting was the need for an emergency room and not an urgent care clinic. Roebuck says an emergency clinic is needed in a community like Wallaceburg that is surrounded by a large rural area.
“It’s been proven tonight that an ER is needed in Wallaceburg. We have such a large catchment area with a rural population. We have Walpole Island first nations with a lot of unique health care needs and we have the town of Wallaceburg that have fallen on some hard times and they deserve all the health care that they have had in the past and more.”
Next for the Wallaceburg Health Coalition group will be their push back campaign against the provincial government, with a specific push back campaign for the town of Wallaceburg.