Keasha Maile, FEO, December 5, 2024, VOL. 6 ISSUE 7
On November 30th, community members gathered for a Fort Erie Healthcare SOS public discussion. The event emphasized giving the community a platform to voice concerns about healthcare access and services, especially regarding Douglas Memorial Hospital.
Heather Kelly, one of the founders of Fort Erie Healthcare SOS, opened the discussion by thanking attendees for their participation. She explained the importance of the meeting, contrasting it with a prior, private meeting held in October with business leaders, healthcare professionals, elected officials, and community advocates. From that meeting, a report was compiled under the Fort Erie Healthcare SOS banner. However, this event was designed to be different.
“This is your chance to say what it is that you have to say in regards to healthcare in Fort Erie, in regards to Douglas Memorial Hospital,” said Heather.
The evening’s first speaker, Joy Russell, shared her personal experience navigating the healthcare system. After a recent fall that resulted in a fractured wrist and a suspected hip injury, she recounted waiting nearly 30 minutes for an ambulance and over two hours in the ambulance bay at Niagara Falls Hospital.
“There was no dignity,” she said, describing the crowded conditions and lack of privacy in the hospital’s hallways. She acknowledged the dedication of the hospital staff but expressed concern about the facility’s cleanliness and the emotional toll on her family, particularly her daughter. “It’s a crime. Our healthcare is a crime, and it’s something we all have to fight for.”
Another speaker, Dana Harvey, also shared a troubling experience with long ambulance wait times and overburdened hospital staff. Dana emphasized that, while the hospital staff were doing their best under difficult circumstances, the system itself was failing.
“The staff was wonderful, but they couldn’t do any more than they did,” she said. She also highlighted the lack of nutritious food provided during her hospital stay, a concern echoed by other attendees.
Russ, a long-time community member, addressed systemic issues affecting healthcare in the region. He criticized the lack of investment in local services and expressed frustration at what he saw as inadequate representation at the municipal and provincial levels.
“We are all underserved with bad representatives,” Russ stated, urging the community to advocate for better healthcare services and to hold elected officials accountable.
MPP Wayne Gates attended the discussion and provided a broader context for the challenges facing Ontario’s healthcare system. He pointed to the privatization of long-term care as a contributing factor to the current crisis, citing the thousands of seniors who died during the COVID-19 pandemic in for-profit long-term care homes.
“This government is creating a crisis in healthcare,” said MPP Gates, attributing issues like staffing shortages and inadequate hospital resources to systemic underfunding and the push toward privatization.
Wayne also highlighted the historical decline in healthcare infrastructure within the Niagara region. “In 1999, we had multiple hospitals in Niagara. Now, with over 500,000 residents, we’re expected to manage with just three hospitals,” he said, calling for a return to a publicly funded and publicly delivered healthcare system.
The public discussion revealed a deep sense of frustration and concern among attendees about the current state of healthcare in Fort Erie and the broader Niagara region. Stories shared by community members painted a picture of an overstretched system struggling to meet basic needs, with long wait times, insufficient resources, and a lack of local services.
Throughout the evening, there was a recurring theme of appreciation for healthcare workers, who many attendees acknowledged were doing their best under challenging circumstances. However, there was also a clear call to action for systemic changes.
As Heather emphasized in her opening remarks, “This is your chance to have your say.” The voices raised at the meeting underscored the urgency of addressing the gaps in Fort Erie’s healthcare system and the determination of the community to demand better.
