West Grey are digging in their feet as council reiterated in a release that a state of emergency remains in effect regarding the Durham Hospital.
Mayor Kevin Eccles says the community and council are still very upset with the announcement of the removal of in-patient beds and changes to the emergency room operating that went into effect on June 3. Eccles says the state of emergency remains in effect to signal that their concerns aren't being considered by the province or Ministry of Health.
"I don't know whether they're not taking us seriously or they've realized that it is an emergency and it needs to be resolved and they haven't got any answers. So this is one of the ways we can keep the pressure on," Eccles stated.
Eccles adds that Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Rick Byers and Minister of Rural Affairs, Lisa Thompson, are taking the concerns seriously, but they aren't getting any answers either.
"They're in the same position, I believe, of not getting any response or a hesitation from anybody to speak out about what the solutions are or how we're gonna move this forward. They're at as much of a loss as we are, and we haven't received any positive comments whatsoever, as of yet," Eccles bemoaned.
The removal of in-patient beds and changes to the emergency room in Durham have been "devastating" to local residents, Eccles shared. He says he's frustrated to see new hospitals being announced in urban areas, but existing rural hospitals like theirs in West Grey continue to be ignored and stripped down.
"It disturbs me greatly how much rural Ontario is being sacrificed for our urban centres. We can't be left out," said Eccles. "We've got a staff shortage or a doctor shortage, and it feels like the solution is 'Lets close all the rural hospitals and just move everybody into and build a new hospital in an urban area.' That's how it seems like they wanna solve the problem. It's left us just high and dry and vacant."
When it comes to the community, Eccles points out that growth has been significant in recent years, but he fears that won't be the case if this trend continues, or if it ultimately leads to the total loss of the Durham Hospital altogether. He says people that move somewhere want to know that good healthcare is available.
"Number one or two question people will ask. What's the healthcare? What access do we have to healthcare? That's been critical in the growth and development in this area, and the security and the maintenance of health to our community here and how far out it stretches," noted Eccles. "By closing the hospital maybe, now you close the doctor's office, it's the ripple effect that it certainly has across the growth of our community. I don't wanna say it'll make it a ghost town, but it certainly does contribute."
Eccles says he wants all West Grey residents to know that there is no giving up on council's part, and staff and members of council remain committed to continue the fight to improve the situation at the Durham Hospital.
The official release from West Grey on July 23 notes that "The Municipality continues to reach out to government agencies, community partners and healthcare stakeholders to explore opportunities for a collaborative approach for securing the future of the Durham Hospital as the critical anchor for health care in West Grey and surrounding areas."