Mental health beds being moved to Scarborough
May 03, 2008 - 10:30 PM
Jackson Hayes, Torstar News Services
AJAX -- About 700 concerned Ajax residents marched Saturday to protest service cuts to their local hospital.
Carrying signs and chanting, they gathered at the town hall in response to the Rouge Valley Health System's decision to cut hospital services and transfer 20 acute mental health beds to Scarborough Centenary from the Ajax and Pickering Hospital.
Wendy Holliday of Friends of Ajax said the province's Central East Local Health Integration Network agreed to fund nine additional in-patient mental health beds at the site in February.
But then it quietly backtracked on that decision in March, saying it would transfer all the beds to Centenary.
The Rouge Valley Health System runs both the Ajax-Pickering and Scarborough sites, but critics argue that moving the beds 23 kilometres away would leave Lakeridge Health Oshawa as the only choice for in-patient mental health care in Durham Region.
Friends of Ajax organized yesterday's rally in conjunction with the Ontario Health Coalition to keep the services at the current location.
Also ahead in the next three years is the planned layoff of 220 hospital positions and reductions in the number of beds in the cardiology, surgery and rehabilitation departments.
Greg Hubka, vice-president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said the cuts are part of the Rouge Valley Health System's way of dealing with its $78 million deficit but they come at the cost of Ajax residents.
"The hospital says it's going to be more efficient with better service but we don't concur," said Mr. Hubka.
OPSEU filed an injunction in Ontario Superior Court at the end of April challenging the decision to axe the in-patient mental health beds.
A ruling is expected on May 16.
This is the second rally held in response to the proposed cuts. Last week, more than 1,100 people gathered to protest the move.
"We're committed to doing everything we can to bring awareness to the government to what our position is and the importance of keeping these services in Durham Region," Mr. Hubka said.
Recommend :