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Physiotherapy not part of new Family Health Team in Kincardine By Liz Dadson |
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 Natalie Mehra (R) presents the Daniel Benedict award to the Friends of the Kincardine Hospital, represented by Ian Mitchell (L) and Ken Goldspink | ||||
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Physiotherapy will not be offered at the Family Health Team in Kincardine. That's the word from Dr. Rejean Duwyn who spoke to about 50 people at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Kincardine Hospital Tuesday night (March 15) in the Kincardine Hall at the Davidson Centre. Duwyn said programs included in the Family Health Team are chiropody, chronic disease, mental health, pharmacy, diabetic care, hypertension management, and cardiac disease management. "We were told there was no room for physiotherapy (in the initial start-up of the team)," he said. "We have been assigned an advisor by the (Ontario) Ministry of Health and he told us that physiotherapy would not be presented to the ministry." He said the team should be up and running at the Kincardine Community Medical Clinic by the end of this year. Dr. Lisa Roth said the physicians group has not given up on physiotherapy. Dr. Art Wiebe is retiring in June but has agreed to support the Family Health Team work. Besides him and Duwyn, the physician leadership team includes Roth and Dr. Lisa Scott, along with administrative support from clinic office manager Stephanie Hartwick. Ken Goldspink, former co-chairman of the Friends of the Kincardine Hospital, outlined some of the highlights from the group's activities last year. A major one was the creation of the Schroeder Report which offered three recommendations to improve communication between the public and the South Bruce Grey Health Centre board. Among those were better public consultation and engagement; removing the voting rights of the chief executive officer (CEO); reducing the size of the board; and tightening up management structure and performance of the board. Goldspink said copies were sent to the board but, to date, there has been no meeting with the board and the municipal representatives from Kincardine and Huron-Kinloss, as was originally planned. The tripartite committee, with new municipal representatives since last fall's election, and the Friends, will be meeting soon, said Goldspink, to map out a strategy to meet with the board. Another major issue was the proposed "retherm" meals at the health centre's four sites: Kincardine, Walkerton, Durham and Chesley, said Goldspink. Using microwave ovens was a disaster and has now been replaced with convention ovens. However, the Goldspinkl said the Friends finally met with the Southwest Local Integration Health Network (LHIN) in October of last year. The Friends learned that the LHIN has no authority to intervene or override decisions made by the health centre CEO and board of directors. The only time the LHIN can intervene is if the CEO and board violate the conditions in the accountability agreement signed by both parties, said Goldspink. "We, therefore, have to continue to face the challenges of the current management decisions of the board and the CEO," said Goldspink. "In spite of the actions the Friends have taken to this point, it is still not working. Despite our ongoing community support of our hospital (fund-raising), we have no direct inpupt into the health centre board's decision-making process as it relates to our hospital." Ian Mitchell, acting chairman of the Friends, said the group managed to get some changes made to the health centre board, including the loss of the CEO's voting rights and reduction of the size of the board. He welcomed Natalie Mehra, director of the Ontario Health Coalition, to offer comments. She said the coalition has been working to stop the closure of hospitals in smaller centres. She said everyone should read the provincial government's report, "Rural and Northern Panel" which has some disturbing conclusions about what will happen to health care in the province.
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 Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Coalition Mehra said services are going to be
removed from rural, small hospitals and then the ministry will deem
them not viable and they will be closed. "There has been no consideration about the health care needs of the people," she said, "and no consideration for the geographic access to health care." She urged everyone to make this an election issue in the fall when the provincial electorate goes to the polls. The Ontario Health has forced a moratorium on the closure of small hospitals, she said, and forced the return of funding for services at some hospitals. She said, unfortuately, the myth persists with the health ministry that closing small-town hospitals saves money. "The LHINs allowed these cuts and closures and the province has not fired anybody there," she said. "More needs to happen." She noted that out-patient physiotherapy has been cut from all hospitals and Family Health Teams in Ontario. "It has been de-listed for some reason," she said. Dr. Gary Gurbin of the physicians group said that Dr. Lisa Roth has been reinstated as chief of the medical staff at the health centre, and is a full-fledged member of the board. Mehra presented the Daniel Benedict award to the Friends of the Kincardine Hospital in recognition of their exception spirit of community engagement and activism to protect and extend our universal public health system. The award contains the quote from Tommy Douglas, founder of Medicare in Canada: "Courage, my friend, for it's never too late to change the world." Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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