Times Advocate, 1996-12-18, Page 3Standing together
Dear Editor:
Exeter vs. Clinton or maybe Seaforth vs. St. Mar-
ys works well when you are reporting on hockey or
baseball. When it comes to hospital closings this at-
titude will be the demise of all concerned. Instead of
falling prey to the DHC's divisive tactics this area
needs to rally its forces or its 'pockets of rage' and
speak with one voice for every hospital. There are
alternatives to hospital closures and it is only when
people refuse to be pitted against each other will
these solutions be examined. It is easy to become in-
sular and speak for what is immediate and at hand
but before any hospital is closed this smaller com-
munity must realize that in the long run all of the
hospitals have a place. So, to those of us in the Ex-
eter catchment area consider the need for a hospital
in Clinton if your brother has a heart attack on the
Clinton Golf Course, consider a hospital in Seaforth
is your son is injured at a hockey game in that town,
consider a hospital in Goderich if a family member
is in a motor vehicle accident. Let's put our energies
together!
The attached letter was initially intended for Dr.
Duncan Sinclair of the Health Services Restructur-
ing Commission and the DHC Huron -Perth. I have
been encouraged - for what it is worth - to send it
further along. So, just one more letter to add to your
heap.
Respectfully,
Judy Simmons
Dear Dr. Sinclair:
It is 3 a.m. The urgent feeling surrounding the
proposed closing of South Huron Hospital in Exeter
transcends my need for an early night. While wres-
tling with both fact and emotion, I concede that
change is inevitable - a necessary component in ad-
justing the way, we as a society, do business. But
this government and the structure of the DHC suc-
ceeds in pitting its people against one another, rais-
ing emotions, leaving little room for common sense
and collaboration. Yes. South Huron Hospital
should be closed. Close it tomorrow, if you will, but
ensure a new and better hospital service will be im-
plemented - meeting the needs of Exeter and the
surrounding area.
Rather than touting "Save our Hospital" (a status
quo kind of plea) in every little community a uni-
fied voice must advocate for the things each hospi-
tal does best. If Clinton Public Hospital does well in
the area of cardiac care then let Clinton be the cardi-
ac centre. If Seaforth is strong in the area of emer-
gency air transport then so be it. Since Exeter's
forte lies in the area of emergency/trauma and labor-
atory testing let's work toward the continuation of
that vital contribution - not just for Clinton, not just
for Exeter or Seaforth but for the Huron -Perth/
Lambton/Middlesex community at large! A loud,
unrelenting and unified voice is essential if hospital
service is to remain 'accessible', 'affordable', 'equi-
table' and 'appropriate' in our area. Fill the busses
and make our way to Queen's Park if that is what it
takes!
The population of South Huron (Exeter, Town-
ships of Stephen, Usbome and Hay, Villages of
Hensall, Zurich) is 14,385 or 24.3 per cent of the
County total. These figures do not include the
Grand Bend area - a population of 8,000 rising to
roughly 30,000 in the summer months!
Exeter is the County's second largest town and
Stephen Township ranks as one of the highest densi-
ty townships. The population of the greater Grand
Bend area puts that community into the same classi-
fication as the towns of Huron -Perth. At 15.1 per
cent, Exeter's five-year growth rate is the highest in
Huron County, more than twice the rate of the next
fastest growing town.
In the South Huron Community $20,000-$35,000
is raised annually from Tag Day and Rummage
Sales alone! Millions of dollars have been raised by
service clubs.South Huron Hospital, as with all of
the others, was built on thousands of volunteer
hours.This community will not acquiesce to the loss
of South Huron Hospital. This community is being
broken into 'pockets of rage' but does this commu-
nity have the political will to collaborate, to speak
with one voice for the common cause?
Instead of considering only the 20 per cent reduc-
tion we cannot lose sight of the goals of the study
which include:
• the provision of accessible, affordable, appropri-
ate health services for all
• the improvement of effective service
• the maintenance of equity of access
Will health care service be accessible, affordable,
effective and equitable to:
• the heart attack victim in Crediton
• the near -drowning victim in Grand Bend
• the MVA victim on Highway 4
Each of these victims is as much as 40 minutes
(on dry roads) from primary care before the added
ambulance response time!
The economic repercussions of such a hospital
closing must be considered. Will Exeter be consid-
ered as a retirement option or a desirable place for
industry employees and their families? How will the
people in Grand Cove Estates in Grand Bend access
care? Will the south end of Huron County be attrac-
tive to new doctors (already reluctant to practise in
rural Ontario) as present MDs retire? What impact
does the elimination of these salaries have on a
struggling business community?
Similar arguments can be made for each and every
community hospital and some hard questions need
consideration. Can we centralize some services?
Does each hospital need an administrator? Does
each hospital need a Director of Nursing or Custodi-
al Head. Does Exeter need 30 beds? Would ten beds
serve the area? Can the 20 per cent reduction be
shared? How much will it cost to close South Huron
Hospital - considering severance packages, moth
balling buildings and equipment? How were the
members of the Task Force chosen. Why was the
south end of Huron, North Middlesex and Grand
Bend overlooked?
All of these questions, in one form or another, can
be asked in every hospital community. If there was
ever a time that people in this rural area needed to
speak with one voice now is the time. This govern-
ment will only 'divide and conquer' when we give it
room to do so.
And finally, from The Times OnLine from Times
of Minden, 13 March 1995,
"If the Burk's Falls experience is any kind of
model, the message should be loud and clear: no
one is going to stand up for the medical needs of a
community if it doesn't stand up for itself."
Yours truly,
Judy Simmons, Hensall
Public reaction
to Task Force
open house
•es Continued from page 2
' Norma Miller, Grand Bend.
"I can't make it from Grand Bend
to London in less than an hour...If
it's white -outs or anything, God
knows how long...They forgot to
even mention that. They're saying
30 minutes but it isn't for Grand
Bend people."
'Dean Smith, Exeter.
"We have so many older people
and a lot of them can't even drive
so I really feel quite strong that we
need our hospital and we need beds
in our hospital. I'm not for the
three options. I say no...I've lived
here and (was) born here. (I've)
never left Exeter and I've worked
in the hospital all my life."
•Cicley Warvham, Exeter.
"I've just got one thing to say and
that is just we're going to put on as
big a fight as we can to keep our
hospital. We need it so badly and
everything that was said out in the
other room is just right on as far as
the people are concerned. I don't
think (the task force) did any better
job than they did the last time."
•Cam Ivey, Grand Bend Mayor.
"We have 5,000 plus people
year-round. We rely on Exeter...We
have no other alternative to South
Huron Hospital...I really believe
that (the task :orce has) missed the
boat on this."
•Bruce Shaw, Exeter.
"I'll bet you dollars to donuts you
must be approaching 10,000 in
numbers protesting...We don't
have consultants at our disposal.
We don't have time."
' Rick Hundey, Chief Ad-
ministrative Officer, Town of Exet-
er.
"The task force seems to have fo-
cused on the health system where
ft should have focused on the needs
of the area's communities and de-
signed the system around those
needs. As it turned out, the task
Ti-Addocak, December 18, 1996
Page 3
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