Haliburton County council says it wants the area’s health services board to present its implementation plan following the recent announcement of the planned closure of the emergency department in Minden, Ont.
Last week, the Haliburton Highlands Health Services said the Minden ER would close June 1 and all services and staff would consolidate with the hospital in Haliburton, 30 kilometres northeast of Minden.
Officials say the decision was made by the health board, not the province — a claim Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones twice stated during Question Period sessions at Queen’s Park in Toronto this week.
READ MORE: Minden ER closure will keep Haliburton County health services ‘sustainable’, CEO says
The decision has sparked community outcry, including a rally of hundreds on Tuesday. A petition of 3,300 signatures asking for a year-long delay to the closure was presented at Queen’s Park on Thursday.
HHHS president and CEO Carolyn Plummer and board chair David O’Brien outlined the reasons for the decision during a meeting with Minden Township and Haliburton County councils on Thursday. Continued staffing shortages have been highlighted as the top reason for the closure.
Plummer said that in 2022 alone there were 20 incidents at the Haliburton site that nearly prompted a closure of the emergency department and said that the trend would likely continue at both sites this summer. In the long-term, she said the two-site model was not “sustainable” for HHHS to continue to provide effective health services.
However, Haliburton County council, which represents the townships of Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands, Highlands East and the Municipality of Dysart et al, says it remains “extremely concerned” and “dissatisfied” with the health board’s decision and also the timing of the closure with a six-week notice and the fact it will occur when an influx of thousands of cottagers and tourists visit the county.
“We also continue to be disappointed in the absence of communication between County council, the community and HHHS over the last number of months while this step was being considered,” the council issued in a statement on Friday.
“We will continue to advocate on behalf of our residents to ensure that HHHS responds to questions about reorganization and ongoing service delivery in the County, including identifying and attracting services to work out of the Minden site.”
Council is asking the health board to present their implementation plan for the consolidate emergency department model at a special meeting in May.
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“Council’s primary goal is to work collaboratively with the HHHS board of directors to ensure the highest quality of care possible in the County,” the statement reads. “Council has voiced a willingness to advocate with upper levels of government for improved financial resources to ease pressures and help with the implementation of improvements.”
County council will review how the closure may impact its emergency medical services and community paramedicine programs and how the programs can assist the new model.
READ MORE: Minden emergency department planned closure prompts petitions, community outcry
“HHHS have agreed to involve County council in the completion of their operational strategic plan as well as working on the capital master plan due to be finalized this fall,” the County stated.
“Council is committed to ensure that effective health care services continue to be provided to all residents of Haliburton County and the visitors we welcome.”
Federal support
In the House of Commons in Ottawa on Thursday, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Jamie Schmale also say the decision by the board is something he opposes.
“We have been told that this decision, which I have no doubt was very difficult to make, was not based on financial considerations but was solely due to inadequate staffing levels,” he stated on his Facebook page.
“As someone who grew up in Bobcaygeon and has used the Minden ER more than once, I join with residents and echo concern for their community hospital.”
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