The Strategic Plan for the SBGHC effective until 2025 asserts that the values of this corporation include teamwork, empathy, accountability, mutual respect, and safety. It sounds good but a review of board meeting minutes available on their website reveals their cynical interpretation of those values. Let’s review the concept of… Read More »SBGHC Board Meeting Minutes: Secret Decisions Erode Trust
Rick Byers attended the Save the Hospital Rally on May 7th in the town of Durham. The rally was called to offset the spin and talking points of the CEO and the Chair of the Board and to give members of that community an opportunity to hear details about the… Read More »How Much Did Rick Byers Know and When Did He Know It?
A press release, on Apr. 24, from the South Grey Bruce Health Centre, announced it was taking action to address urgent/emergent care needs. The announcement said that effective June 3rd, 2024, 10 inpatient beds from Durham will relocate to the Walkerton and Kincardine sites and urgent/emergent care would be available… Read More »Creating a Crisis and Government Privatization Policy Is the Context for Healthcare Cutbacks and Rural Hospital Closings
This is the 40th anniversary of the Canada Health Act. In 1984, building on the impressive work of Canadian icon Tommy Douglas, the federal government enacted this law. This legislation is about publicly funded health insurance, commonly called “Medicare”, and it established the primary objectives of Canadian healthcare policy. Everyone… Read More »Enforce the Canada Health Act Now to Protect Healthcare in Ontario
Trying to make sense of last week’s decision by the South Bruce Grey Hospital Board is a ponderous task. On Thursday afternoon, Board CEO Nancy Shaw released a statement advising that the 10 inpatient beds in the Durham hospital would be moved to the Kincardine and Walkerton hospitals and the… Read More »“Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark”… and the South Bruce Grey Hospital Board
About a year ago I made a presentation to Meaford Council about the government plan tofurther privatize our health services. The hospital in Minden had been closed a few monthsbefore and I asked the question, “ Which small rural hospital will be closed next with nocommunity consultation?” Well, we have… Read More »After Durham, Which Small Rural Hospital Will Be Next?
According to an article in The Trillium (Queen’s Park Newspaper) today, “As millions of Ontarians struggle to find family doctors, private-pay clinics are having somewhat of a heyday.” We can no long labour under the illusion that we don’t have two-tier health care in this province. “Executive Health” clinics charge patients… Read More »Ontario’s Haves and Have-Nots: Province’s Two Tier Health System Leaves Many in the Dust
The province announced a $110 million investment to create new and expanded inter professional primary care teams. Our MPP, Rick Byers, says our share is $1,695,000, which is less than 2% of the total. Mr. Byers said it will help connect, “approximately 4,000 unattached patients in Durham, Markdale, Meaford, Owen Sound,… Read More »Grey Bruce MPP Announces Investment in Primary Health Care Teams… Too Little, Too Late