T Derail NHS Review'

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'Don't derail NHS review'

MPP Kim Craitor urges city council to approach hospital action with caution

Posted 9 hours ago

The focus on saving the maternity ward at Greater Niagara General Hospital could be "throwing the baby out with the bath water," warned Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, who urged city council not to completely derail a much-needed review of the Niagara Health System.

Strengthening so-called "end of life care" for elderly patients in Niagara Falls might be more important than trying to preserve maternity and pediatric services at GNGH, Craitor told city council Monday.

"Frankly, the real problems for funding and services are when we approach the end of our lives," Craitor told Niagara

Falls city council Monday night.

The review now underway about

improving Niagara's

hospitals is necessary

because there's a "lack of confidence" in the Niagara Health System, the company that manages the region's eight hospitals.

"There's a real lack of confidence in the NHS. The status quo is not working. The status quo is not a solution," Craitor said.

The NHS published its hospital improvement plan in July after being ordered by the province to balance its budget. Craitor said he welcomes the review of the health system because it hasn't functioned well since it was created in 2000.

But city council has criticized the plan, seizing on the recommendation to close the maternity ward and concentrate that service at a "centre of excellence" for women in children to be built in St. Catharines. GNGH would become a centre of excellence for dental, orthopedic and plastic surgeries for all of Niagara, the plan suggests.

Councillors passed a resolution in July demanding the NHS remove its proposal to close the maternity ward.

City councillors have long suspected the NHS of wanting to regionalize services in a new hospital to be built in the west end of St. Catharines.

"Their own plan talks about the regionalization of services. It is what it is. It's a regional hospital," Ioannoni said.

Craitor said now is the time for Niagara Falls residents to voice "informed, constructive comments" to Dr. Jack Kitts, the Ottawa doctor reviewing the NHS proposal. He will make a recommendation in late October to the Local Health Integration Network, the provincial agency that oversees the management of hospitals on behalf of Ontario's Ministry of Health.

Mayor Ted Salci agreed with Craitor public input is the next step for Niagara Falls.

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/PrintArticle.aspx?e=1162355 8/19/2008 Niagara Falls Review Page 2 of 2

"The biggest issue now is communication and getting the chance to make our points to Dr. Kitts and the LHIN," the mayor said.

"Everyone agrees we need to change our health system to strengthen it. Not everyone agrees on how to best do that," Salci said.

After Craitor's presentation, Niagara Falls council formally created a committee to review the NHS hospital improvement plan. Politicians discussed it privately and in a flurry of e-mails since a July meeting. They're following in the footsteps of Fort Erie and Port Colborne councils. Those municipalities are fighting the closure of their full-time emergency wards.

Ioannoni, the chairwoman, said its first move will be to collect signatures on a petition that will be sent to Ontario Health Minister David Caplan.

Ioannoni and Coun. Jim Diodati said they hope to meet with Caplan during next week's Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.

The Niagara Health System declined an opportunity to comment Monday night about Craitor's presentation or the discussion at city hall.

"This is an important issue for the community ... We'd like to have the opportunity to get more information about (Monday's) proceedings," health system spokeswoman Christine Clark said.

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/PrintArticle.aspx?e=1162355 8/19/2008