(January 1, 2016)<\/p>\n
By: ONA FrontLines<\/p>\n
ONA members were among the hundreds of patients, seniors, veterans, health advocates and health care workers gathered at a rally in Trenton on November 13 to deliver a strong message to the region\u2019s Liberal MPP Lou Rinaldi: community hospitals across Ontario can\u2019t take any more cuts.<\/p>\n
The Take Back our Hospitals Rally, the first of many to come, was organized by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) and Our TMH (Trenton Memorial Hospital) in response to plans from the health planning body for Southeastern Ontario of a major restructuring of all hospitals in the region, which includes cutting services and centralizing them into fewer towns.<\/p>\n
TMH is threatened with the most devastating cuts, as it is slated to lose virtually all surgery and at least half of the remaining acute care beds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are sending a message that Premier Kathleen Wynne continues to ignore at her peril,\u201d OHC Provincial Director Natalie Mehra said at the rally, noting that this is the eighth year of budget cuts to Ontario\u2019s community hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese hospitals are the beating hearts of our towns, and the damage to them needs to stop. As we speak, the Ontario government is drafting next spring\u2019s budget. Now is our chance to impact their budget choices, including improving the funding levels for our community hospitals, which now rank at the bottom of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
To find out more, log onto www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.<\/p>\n