| The Crystal Beach Strand page seven |
| R.I.P. Douglas Memorial? |
| THERE'S MORE TO A HOSPITAL THAN JUST AN "H" |
"Confirmed tonight by Emergency Medical Services at the Stevensville Hall NHS presentation that on the closure of our ER on Monday there will be NO AMBULANCES going to the DMH under any circumstances, This in spite of the fact that NHS has given assurances that all enablers will be in place before any closure would take place." Sue Saltzer |
| The Ontario Ambulance Act requires ambulances to by-pass urgent care centres and take all patients to a full service hospital. That position was reiterated at an information session in Stevensville on Thursday, September 24. According to an article in The Fort Erie Times on Saturday: “There is no agreement in place yet...there is still some work to be done on that,” said Kevin Smith, Niagara Emergency Medical Services (EMS) deputy chief. Transporting patients to urgent care centres in ambulances conflicts with the Ontario Ambulance Act. Smith said a proper plan needs to be implemented, and not one that is drawn together in a hurry just to meet the urgent care conversion. The concept will continue to be evaluated but a solution will likely not be reached by Monday, according to Smith. “The primary focus is to make sure we get this right for the best interest of the patients.” There are still many things to consider with the draft agreement between the Town of Fort Erie, the Niagara Health System (NHS) and Niagara EMS. Currently, paramedics are bound by law to only transport patients to fully-serviced emergency rooms. Therefore, a lengthy process will likely be needed to change policies and make revisions to the plan. It is also a large responsibility for paramedics to make impulsive decisions on whether patients should be transported to the urgent care centre or another hospital within the NHS such as the Greater Niagara General Hospital or Welland General Hospital. “It may seem like a simple process but there are a number of challenges in making that determination,” said Smith. |
| A last minute agreement that would allow ambulances to transport patients to Douglas Memorial's newly re-designated Urgent Care Centre is merely giving NON-EMERGENCY PATIENTS an alternative way to get to DMH Ambulances will not ferry patients to DMH if they are deemed EMERGENCY PATIENTS. Those ruled to be emergency patients will be carried to the nearest full service hospital. For many, it would be cheaper to call a taxi. Another Pyrrhic Victory for DMH supporters. |