In this file photo from August, Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, speaks during a media conference. – Hamilton Spectator file photo<\/em><\/h5>\nBefore last December, Suzanne Clancy never had reason to learn how to navigate the ins and outs of the local hospital system.<\/p>\n
But things changed quickly when her husband David was admitted to the Juravinski Hospital with what turned out to be a toxic reaction to medication. She later learned the now 78-year-old would not be able to return home.<\/p>\n
“Your life can be turned upside-down in a heartbeat.”<\/p>\n
Clancy was one of a dozen patients, workers and family members who shared their stories at a hearing Monday night hosted by the Ontario Health Coalition on how to improve hospitals.<\/p>\n
The coalition is touring the province to gather input ahead of the upcoming provincial election to help shape its platform.<\/p>\n
For Clancy, the added cost of her husband’s care surprised her: the $20 to park each visit; the food she’d bring him from the cafeteria so he had more variety; the reading materials she would buy him.<\/p>\n
But her biggest discovery was learning the right questions to ask to get the best care for her husband, Clancy said, stressing the need for patient advocates.<\/p>\n
“I cannot tell you the pressure they put on me to dump my bed-blocking husband into a totally inappropriate setting,” she said, noting he since made the transition to long-term care a couple of weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The coalition’s hearing in Hamilton came on the same day the province announced it is making more than 1,200 new hospital beds available across Ontario.<\/p>\n
Last month, the Ontario Hospital Association called for “rapid and aggressive” new investment in hospital services to avoid a possible “capacity crisis” this winter when flu season begins.<\/p>\n
Natalie Mehra, the coalition’s executive director, welcomed the announcement but said it doesn’t go far enough.<\/p>\n
“This is just a temporary Band-Aid,” she said, adding it will only partially alleviate the “crisis” in hospitals, instead of solving it.<\/p>\n
The hearings also come amid a rising frequency of instances when there are one or no ambulances left to respond to emergency calls in Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Known as a code zero, these events are related to off-load delays, when ambulances are stuck at hospitals while paramedics wait \u2014 sometimes hours \u2014 for emergency department staff to take over care of a patient.<\/p>\n
“When you drive by St. Joe’s here, you’ll see six ambulances lined up to off-load their patients,” Mehra said, noting the same situation is happening across the province.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Mehra said the coalition plans to hold a larger community meeting in Hamilton before Christmas to raise awareness about the situation in local hospitals.<\/p>\n
Following that, plans are underway for a day of action at Queen’s Park in February or March to sound the alarm about cuts to Hamilton hospitals, including the most recent ones amounting to $27 million, she said.<\/p>\n
“The cuts are completely unjustifiable here,” she said. “It’s reckless.”<\/p>\n
npaddon@thespec.com<\/p>\n
Click here for original article<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Posted: October 23, 2017 By: Natalie Paddon, The Spec In this file photo from August, Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, speaks during a media conference. – Hamilton Spectator file photo Before last December, Suzanne Clancy never had reason to learn how to navigate the ins and outs of the local hospital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ohc-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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