Public rally to be held tomorrow to protest closure of Minden emergency department

Ross Memorial Hospital expects to see more annual visits after closure

Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay is about to get busier than ever.

The decision by the Haliburton Highlands Health Service (HHHS) to close the Minden emergency department and to consolidate emergency services at the hospital in Haliburton has met with stiff resistance from both citizens of Haliburton County and Kawartha Lakes. A large gathering at the Minden Community Centre on April 25 was proof of this, as hundreds came to speak out against the plans.

Leisa Wren, from Rosedale, is one of a considerable number of Kawartha Lakes residents who considers Minden “her hospital.”

“This issue is dear to me,” Wren told the Advocate in a telephone interview. “We are only just surviving with the sketchy healthcare system we have. This closing is taking something away from us. I live in the grey zone between Minden and Lindsay, and could travel either direction, but because of (much shorter) wait times I prefer to go to Minden rather than Ross Memorial Hospital.”

“The hospital in Minden is safe, clean and respectful,” Wren said. “The closure of this emergency ward is our issue and we stand together with those who want to keep the emergency department open.”

Wren is clearly not the only Kawartha Lakes resident who has used Minden emergency department. According to Carolyn Plummer, president and chief executive officer of HHHS, 37 per cent of the patients seen at Minden’s emergency department have Kawartha Lakes postal codes.

Wren wonders where those patients are going to go if the emergency department is actually shuttered on June 1 as HHHS calls for.

“This closing is going to impact both Ross (Memorial Hospital) and Orillia Soldier’s (Memorial Hospital),” Wren said.

When asked why HHHS decided to close a busy and well-respected emergency department like Minden’s in favour of the hospital in Haliburton, Plummer said the following:

“This decision to consolidate emergency services at the Haliburton site was based on the fact that the Haliburton site currently has the only in-patient acute care beds in Haliburton. HHHS cannot separate those in-patient beds from an emergency department, because it would mean the in-patient unit would be without physician coverage in the case of an emergency, such as a cardiac arrest. The Minden site is not currently suitable for in-patient beds. Renovations to add such beds to the Minden site would cost more than a million dollars and would require a multi-year approval and building process, and even then, the site could only host 6-10 beds, while the Haliburton in-patient unit has 15 beds.”

Plummer added that the new site is preferred by the local paramedic service as being more central to Haliburton County as a whole. Plummer also said that the new site will facilitate easier access for primary care physicians based at the Haliburton Family Medical Centre located next to the hospital allowing these doctors to see their patients in both the emergency department and the in-patient unit when needed.

Wren asks if drawbacks like a lack of parking at the Haliburton site and a much more challenging drive using Highway 118, rather than Highway 35 to the hospital in Minden, were considered in deliberations by HHHS to move the emergency room in its entirety to Haliburton.

When asked directly if the move to Haliburton was an attempt to force Kawartha Lakes residents to travel to Ross Memorial Hospital rather than Haliburton County for their emergency services Plummer said no and said the factors that influenced their decision are itemized above.

“We want the emergency department closing put off for at least one year,” Wren said, “so there is time to reconsider the decision and look at other options.”

Plummer rejects any delays in the move outright.

“The staffing shortages that HHHS has been experiencing has reached a crisis point. These shortages have put an incredible burden on the shoulders of our staff who have made extraordinary efforts over the last 18 months to keep both of HHHS’s emergency departments operating, including through many personal and professional sacrifices. The organization simply could not go any longer and would not have made it through the summer under the current circumstances.”

Unlike almost all residents of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, officials at Ross Memorial Hospital knew the move was coming after having discussions with HHHS regarding the Minden emergency room closing prior to their official announcement on April 20.

“Ross Memorial expects that the Minden emergency room closure will result in more visits annually to our emergency department,” said hospital spokesperson Ryan Young. “Planning is well underway to meet any increased demand on our services.”

A public rally opposing the closing is planned for Minden on April 29.