in Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, Southgate, West Grey
May 22, 2024
MPP Rick Byers addresses the crowd in front of the Durham Hospital.
BY SOUTHGREY.CA STAFF — More than 200 people crowded the College Street North entrance of the Durham Hospital on Tuesday night, May 21, to protest the South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) decision to move in-patient beds from Durham to Walkerton and Kincardine. The Save Our Hospital March began its gathering at the Durham Community Centre and walked participants the 1.3 km to their destination, wearing t-shirts and carrying placards pleading to Save Our Hospital.
Jesse Wade was one such participant. Still recovering from a serious bout of endocarditis, the Durham hospital out-patient was taking his chances walking the distance, but he felt it absolutely necessary to show his support for the doctors and nursing staff at the hospital. "They saved my life," he said, explaining that their diagnosis and quick-response made all the difference to his condition. Returning to the hospital every eight hours for antibiotic injections for a period of three weeks prior to the protest, he had just one week of treatments remaining. Should treatment have been unavailable at the Durham Hospital, travel time and costs to access care at a nearby hospital would have made such a recovery extremely difficult.
His was one of several other testimonials also conveyed during the hospital rally by people who had their own health care crises and credited countless saved lives to the staff at Durham Hospital. "People think I'm safe. It's not me," asserted Jana White, Co-Chair of the Save the Durham Hospital committee. "But we need our beds. We need our emergency room to be functioning fully."
A lifetime resident of Durham, White expressed her love for the community and its history. "My Mum and siblings were all born in the Durham Hospital," she noted. According to White, the SBGHC decision will have a devastating effect on what used to be a reliable health care system, citing lengthier wait times at nearby hospitals, exacerbated difficulties with physician recruitment/retainment and unaffordable taxi rides for seniors who don't drive.
On the way to the rally, White also expressed her frustration with a perceived lack of accountability shown by the SBGHC Board on their decision. "We requested a meeting with the leadership team but have had no response," she said. "We want to know what was the process?" describing the board's apparent lack of dialogue with stakeholders. When asked what else she desired from the Board, White said, "Give us consultation. Give us the summer to come up with possible solutions."
Effective June 3, 10 in-patient beds will relocate to the Walkerton and Kincardine sites. While time is running out on the community to turn around the decision, another rally at Queen's Park is planned for May 30, as well as a telephoning campaign to inundate the provincial government with messages denouncing the SBGHC move. "We're not going to stop," said White. "We want to keep our hospital!"
Throughout town, many homes displayed lawn signs expressing the Save Our Hospital sentiment, indicative of the growing support for the protesters' cause. Mayor Kevin Eccles and MPP Rick Byers added their voices to the public outcry. According to Eccles, a court action to stop the removal of beds will begin on Thursday, while Byers said, "I will do everything I can to return to service levels prior to the Fall of 2017." When asked if he had spoken with members of the SBGHC and if there was an opportunity for progress with regard to community concerns, Byer's responded positively, "Yes. I believe so."
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