M.P.P. Sarah Campbell writes an open letter about covering ER costs in Baudette

OPEN LETTER TO HEALTH AND LONG-TERM CARE MINISTER DEB MATTHEWS

January 19, 2012

Hon. Deb Matthews
Minister of Health and
Long-Term Care
Hepburn Block, 10th Floor,
80 Grosvenor St.,
Toronto, ON M7A 2C4

Dear Minister:

As you are aware the Town of Rainy River is facing serious challenges keeping its emergency room open. This health centre provides 24 hour emergency room coverage and primary care to more than 2,700 residents in Rainy River and surrounding communities.
With your help, we were able to avoid short-term emergency room closures over the Christmas holiday, and more recently potential closures at the end of January.
While I appreciate your assistance, I am sure you would agree more needs to be done to ensure the facility remains open in the long-term. This has become even more urgent as it was just announced that the community’s one remaining doctor will be departing effective June of next year, leaving the community without any physicians if the current situation persists.

Rainy River is located more than an hour away from the closest Canadian based emergency room in Fort Frances, and the Ministry of Health has previously balked at arrangements to fill staffing gaps with assistance from the hospital in Baudette, MN, which is minutes away from the community.
Having held in-depth discussions with community leaders from Rainy River and across my riding, I am convinced that the current structure is failing northern communities. Different facility classifications and rates of pay are making it difficult for smaller health centres to attract physicians and the uncertainty and heavy workload that these doctors face make retention exceptionally difficult.
As the recent challenges in Ear Falls show, solutions can be found, but often it is the Ministry’s own rules that delay these solutions and cause undue delays and stress.
I believe long-term solutions are attainable, but they require a recognition that the structures that work in southern Ontario, may not be the best solutions for the Northwest. That is why I am asking you to make a personal visit to my riding where we can sit down with healthcare facility administrators and community leaders to develop a Northwestern Ontario Healthcare Strategy that ensures sustainable and viable health services in our communities.
I look forward to working with you to develop a solution. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Sarah Campbell, MPP
Kenora-Rainy River