Matthews Memorial Hospital can breathe a little easier

Has the latest emergency fire been extinguished for Matthews Memorial Hospital? Confirmation is pending.

Gaston Levigne, CEO of the Blind River District Health Centre did not comment at this time when asked about a resolution passed at the Board of Trustees meeting last Tuesday evening.

At that meeting, Central Algoma Rural Health Care Steering Committee chair and St. Joseph Township Mayor, Jody Wildman, told the committee he had received a message from Board of Trustee representative, Bruce Ibbitson, following the Tuesday night meeting that Matthews Memorial Hospital was off the table and would not see cuts to its 24-hour Emergency Department this year.

Wildman said it was a relief to finally get a clear answer on whether there would be a recommendation to cut hours at Matthews Memorial Hospital.

No public document was provided nor sent to the committee or Matthews Memorial Hospital Association.

“I believe the public pressure had an effect on their final decision not to recommend a cut to our hours as part of their deficit cutting plan,” Wildman added. “The focus now should be on the Northeast Local Health Integration Network and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care where it should have been all along, practices our three area sites are run very efficiently and are being penalized by an inadequate funding model that has only seen a three percent increase over the past four years. This is not logical or sustainable.”

Levigne said he was not present when the resolution was passed.

“I am concerned by the reluctance of CEO Gaston Leveigne to confirm that the motion passed by the BRDHC Board of Trustees at last Tuesday’s meeting will ensure the ‘reengineering’ of service at MMH is off the table,” said Matthews Memorial Hospital Association chair, Sheila Campbell. “If it is off the table for the current year’s budget, it’s only a temporary reprieve until such time as rural health care is properly funded, services will remain under threat.”

The committee, comprised of representatives from MacDonald, Meredith and Aberdeen Township to Plummer Township including St. Joseph Island, met with representative from the Blind River District Health Centre (BRDHC).