Defend Public Healthcare

"We are going to have to take money out of the hospitals. It's not a small amount. We're talking about millions," Debbie Hammond, CEO of the government's Central East Local Health Integration Network told the Scarborough Mirror . One result is hospitals will specialize, focusing on what they do best, Rouge Hospital CEO John Wright said. "Not all hospitals will do all things. That is coming and that is exactly what the government wants."  Some services will move out of hospitals into the community, and hospitals will work with each other, "sorting out who does what," Wright added.  "There's no way to say, 'I want a full-service hospital in my backyard.' The hospital will go bankrupt and close." Centralizing hospital services across regions will make those services harder to access as families are forced to travel further to access services and visit loved ones.   Those without cars will be especially hard hit. Servi

Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia is reducing the laboratory tests it does for outpatients. The Observer reports that as of April 1, hospital lab services in Sarnia will only be available for outpatients that require testing for cancer care, dialysis, or an emergency.  Most will have to go to for-profit labs instead. Arlene Patterson, president of the Sarnia-Lambton Health Coalition, said the move is a budget-saving exercise and another step into the privatization of health care.