(October 28, 2015)<\/p>\n
By Ernst Kuglin, The Intelligencer\/Trentonian<\/p>\n
BELLEVILLE\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>Hospital funding and local health care services will be front and centre Thursday during a special meeting organized by Hastings County for Quinte region mayors.
\nThe meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Belleville at the county offices on Pinnacle Street.
\nOur TMH chair John Smylie will also be at the meeting armed with a resolution the advocacy groups want distributed to, and voted on, by local municipal councils.
\nThe two-part resolution calls on the Ministry of Health to review the funding formula for rural multi-site hospitals like Quinte Health Care, and calls on the ministry to look at how the formula affects the sustainability of smaller hospitals like Trenton Memorial.
\nIn addition, regional municipalities will be asked to support a proposal for the development of a community run hospital and health centre at TMH as proposed by Our TMH and the Brighton-Quinte West Health Services Task Force.
\nSmylie said Wednesday Our TMH isn\u2019t backing down on its plans to convince the provincial government TMH should be de-amalgamated from QHC.
\n\u201cThe plan can work. Although it\u2019s difficult, it\u2019s been done before. It will not only be beneficial for TMH, but QHC as well because it eliminates one of the hospitals that make QHC so inefficient. De-amalgamating creates more efficiencies for TMH and QHC,\u201d said Smylie.
\nOur TMH is also in the hunt for a retired health care administrator\/director to help navigate through the process.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re hoping we can find an individual who will volunteer his\/her time,\u201d said Smylie.
\nThe advocacy group has formally requested financial information from QHC on the cost of running Trenton Memorial for the 2013\/2014 fiscal year.
\nMeanwhile, more than 2,000 people are expected to attend the Nov. 13 Ontario Health Coalition rally held at Trenton\u2019s Centennial Park. Our TMH is helping to organize the rally.
\nThe coalition has organized four days of action at locations across the province. The first is being held in Trenton.
\nThe rally will include busloads of people from across central and eastern Ontario and will include members of unions, advocacy groups and other health care related associations.
\n\u201cWe are urging residents to be at the meeting. It\u2019s extremely important,\u201d said Smylie.
\nThe rally \u2013 Friday, Nov. 13 – starts at noon and runs to 2 p.m.
\nernst.kuglin@sunmedia.ca<\/p>\n