AJAX -- Steady rain Saturday afternoon didn't keep Durham residents from protesting the plan to cut mental health beds from the Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital.
"It rained steady but we had around 1,000 people," said Friends of the Ajax Pickering Hospital co-chairman Bill Parish, adding he's sure even more would have attended had the weather been better.
Residents from Ajax, Pickering and other Durham municipalities met at the Ajax Town hall and marched down to the Ajax Community Centre to show their frustration - the second time a large number of people protested the plan to move 20 mental health beds from RVAP to Centenary hospital in Scarborough. The transfer and the plan to cut up to 220 jobs in the Rouge Valley Health System over three years are expected to help recoup its $78-million in long-term debt and capital deficiencies. The RVHS also claims it will enhance mental health care. The plan was approved in March by the Central East Local Health Integration Network, which requested a 30-day consultation period; it has now ended.
"We hope that maybe it will change some minds when they see the outcry in the community," Mr. Parish said.
Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan said the beds should stay in Ajax, and added Pickering council was against the marriage of the Ajax-Pickering hospital with Centenary in 1999.
"It was a shot-gun wedding," he said. "It hasn't worked. It has to be dissolved." He added people with mental health issues are real people, not statistics.
Ajax Mayor Steve Parish said the public consultation invoked by the CE LHIN was simply educating the public, not genuine consultation.
Patient representative Lynn-Marie Ramjass said "the issues that really need addressing are continuously ignored: the mentally ill," adding Ajax should get the nine beds that were announced for the unit in December.
Greg Hubka, vice president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said OPSEU doesn't agree care will be improved through the plan.
"We're committed to doing everything we can to bring awareness to the government to what our position is and the importance of keeping these services in Durham Region," he said.
OPSEU has filed an injunction with the Ontario Supreme Court with a hearing to take place May 16.
Master of ceremonies Wendy Holliday felt confident about the end result.
"We will win," she said. "I believe it. I have no doubts we're going to win this."
"It rained steady but we had around 1,000 people," said Friends of the Ajax Pickering Hospital co-chairman Bill Parish, adding he's sure even more would have attended had the weather been better.
Residents from Ajax, Pickering and other Durham municipalities met at the Ajax Town hall and marched down to the Ajax Community Centre to show their frustration - the second time a large number of people protested the plan to move 20 mental health beds from RVAP to Centenary hospital in Scarborough. The transfer and the plan to cut up to 220 jobs in the Rouge Valley Health System over three years are expected to help recoup its $78-million in long-term debt and capital deficiencies. The RVHS also claims it will enhance mental health care. The plan was approved in March by the Central East Local Health Integration Network, which requested a 30-day consultation period; it has now ended.
"We hope that maybe it will change some minds when they see the outcry in the community," Mr. Parish said.
Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan said the beds should stay in Ajax, and added Pickering council was against the marriage of the Ajax-Pickering hospital with Centenary in 1999.
"It was a shot-gun wedding," he said. "It hasn't worked. It has to be dissolved." He added people with mental health issues are real people, not statistics.
Ajax Mayor Steve Parish said the public consultation invoked by the CE LHIN was simply educating the public, not genuine consultation.
Patient representative Lynn-Marie Ramjass said "the issues that really need addressing are continuously ignored: the mentally ill," adding Ajax should get the nine beds that were announced for the unit in December.
Greg Hubka, vice president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said OPSEU doesn't agree care will be improved through the plan.
"We're committed to doing everything we can to bring awareness to the government to what our position is and the importance of keeping these services in Durham Region," he said.
OPSEU has filed an injunction with the Ontario Supreme Court with a hearing to take place May 16.
Master of ceremonies Wendy Holliday felt confident about the end result.
"We will win," she said. "I believe it. I have no doubts we're going to win this."
Related Stories
Ajax residents protest hospital cutbacks
Durham backs Ajax fight to keep hospital services
Don't make cuts to Ajax hospital: Elliot
Packed house challenges hospital changes
OPSEU threatening legal injunction over hospital cuts
No bailout for Ajax hospital facing cuts
Sixty jobs to be cut at Ajax hospital
Durham backs Ajax fight to keep hospital services
Don't make cuts to Ajax hospital: Elliot
Packed house challenges hospital changes
OPSEU threatening legal injunction over hospital cuts
No bailout for Ajax hospital facing cuts
Sixty jobs to be cut at Ajax hospital
No comments:
Post a Comment