As fundraising efforts continue for the redevelopment of Wallaceburg’s hospital, a documentary is shining a spotlight on the grassroots advocacy efforts that helped keep the site open.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation (CKHAF) has produced the short film entitled “Save Our Sydenham,” which chronicles the Wallaceburg community’s decades-long fight to preserve access to local healthcare.
Directed and produced by the foundation’s own Zishan Ali, the documentary features personal reflections from past and present community leaders and provides an account of the challenges faced when the Wallaceburg hospital site was slated for possible closure.
Ali said it’s a story that needs to be told.
“The citizens have come together and fought the necessary fight to preserve what is important to their community,” said Ali. “It’s basically a story about the community coming together to rally to save the hospital that is in crisis and, in doing so, saving the town.”
The fight to save the hospital has since evolved into a celebration of the $40 million rehabilitation project to modernize and enhance services at CKHA’s Wallaceburg site. The Our Hospital, Our Future Wallaceburg Redevelopment Campaign is currently ongoing with the goal of raising $9 million in support of the project.
The redeveloped hospital site will feature larger patient and treatment rooms, improved accessibility, updated infrastructure, and state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The documentary is available on YouTube and can be found by clicking here.
