Islanders say emergency hospital care still necessary after 7 p.m.

Will the ‘H’ which stands for help, health and hospital be removed from Matthews Memorial Hospital?

That is what some St. Joseph Island residents fear if the Northeast Local Health Integration Network approves a proposal to close the emergency department from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and turn it into a Urgent Care Unit.

About 50 residents and municipal leaders from the catchment area of St. Joseph Island gathered in front of Matthews Memorial Hospital on Thursday to learn more about the proposed cut in services to the Richards Landing-based hospital.

Several members of the Matthews Memorial Hospital Association were also present.

Those not present included Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha and Blind River District Health Centre catchment area representative Bruce Ibbitson, who is also a member of St. Joseph Township municipal council.

Considering the rally was only called at late Wednesday night, many were impressed with the numbers that turned out.

Shirley Abel is concerned what the proposal, which is one of three now in the hands of the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN), will mean to her continued care.

“I have chronic health problems and I am a regular patient at the hospital and that means emergency times for intravenous treatments on an emergency basis,” Abel said. “So, what if there was no evening shifts.”

During a recent visit to the hospital where Abel was not able to walk, Abel said a mother was at the hospital with her four-year-old son with health issues questioning what would she do with that child after 7 p.m.

“What would I do after 7 p.m.,” Abel said, adding her husband who has also suffered with health issues would not be with her if it wasn’t for Matthews Memorial Hospital. 

The Richards Landing resident would like to tell the BRDHC and the NE LHIN that Matthews is an essential service to the community.

“It doesn’t just serve St. Joseph Island, it serves a broader area as well,” she said. “They (BRDHC and NE LHIN) need to recognize that. It’s not just our local area. There is a huge number of people that depend on this hospital.” 

Donna Smith never figured she would be back standing in front of the hospital fighting to keep the hospital open.

“After the last time, after fighting so hard to get what we have and keep the hospital open, no, I never figured I’d be back here again,” Smith said. “But we have to fight. We have to keep our hospital.”

The Hilton Township resident also objected to the proposed evening closure.

“That’s when emergencies happen,” she said, adding her late husband suffered an evening emergency. “What would they have done?”

Meanwhile, St. Joseph Township passed a resolution at its Wednesday night meeting of council where it, "demands that the Blind River District Health Centre re-affirm its commitment to maintaining 24-hour emergency care at Matthews Memorial Hospital."

The resolution, handed out to those gathered Thursday, further requests that BRDHC begin a process to improve their understanding of the health care needs of central Algoma residents and work with the area communities to develop a comprehensive plan to better meet those needs. 

Matthews Memorial Hospital currently provides 24-hour emergency services to a catchment area from Echo Bay through to Bruce Mines including St. Joseph Island and receives emergency patients from the traveling public and residents across central Algoma, including Sault Ste. Marie.

The resolution also said Northeast Local Health Integration Network placed Matthews Memorial Hospital and Thessalon Hospitals under the umbrella of the BRDHC with the promise that Blind River would better understand and provide for the needs of the rural communities serviced by them. 

Mayor Jody Wildman and Councillor Lorraine Aelick were present Thursday to address the residents gathered.

Wildman said council has also asked area municipalities to pass a similar resolution.

Aelick told a number of people that in 2015, 133 ambulance calls were received after 7 p.m. from Matthews hospital where the ambulance is based. 

That information which she requested was provided, Aelick said by the Algoma District Services Administration Board.

What will those figures look like if the proposal goes ahead?

Wildman did tell the crowd how the process that led to the gathering came about, which included a conversation with Algoma Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha to the ultimate distribution of a press release.

“We’ll see what the response is,” Wildman said. “There is a bit of a response from Blind River but not a whole lot. They don’t think I know what I am talking about.”

Wildman said the community and BRDHC has had a good relationship up to this point.