News — 28 October 2011
While in the Miramichi to make an announcement regarding funding for regional economic development, Premier David Alward was greeted today by hospital workers who are concerned about changes at the hospital. They believe that the move to convert 35 acute care beds at the hospital to alternative care beds ( like nursing homes), will diminish the role of the hospital and jeopardize it’s status as a regional hospital. Similar moves are being made across the province.
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reader2
“Regional Status” is in some ways, just a title. If our hospital cannot provide full services to our community, what is the title “regional status” good for. Our hospital is being cut once again. Yes, those same beds with be filled with the same patients, but on paper, it looks like we lost a huge part of our services, which in turn mean less money for equipment, less staff for those units, and the list goes on. People are already waiting on stretchers for days at a time because of the lack of beds. and now they allot NO acute care beds for our hospital?? Not to mention the loss of nursing staff when designing these ALC units! Do not let the government fool us. And if Bathurst is awarded the Trauma Centre of the north,( They were already recommended for it) it will only become worse. Time to stand up Miramichi!
Sylvia
Does Alward think we are all stupid?? A regional hospital in name and a regional hospital with beds and all the services are two very different things. Alward announced we are losing 35 hospital beds and they are being turned into nursing home beds. Two floors at our hospital are being converted. We already have people laid out on stretchers in the emergency room and in the hallways. How is this going to help the situation? I was at the meeting today in newcastle and i am sick to think our local mla’s don’t get it? Robert Trevors laughed at us, the premier said we are fear mongering, serge and jake didn’t say anything. jake and robert said they would resign before they allowed cuts at our hospital. Will they honour their word? Will they stop the cuts? Will they resign? We need to ask them what they will do? We all need to call them and find out what thier intentions are. Will they vote against these cuts to our hospital in Fredericton? I spoke with Bill Fraser and I know he is with us. Same as he was in 2004 when the former Conservative government tried to close our hospital. He said he is going to fight this all the way but he is only one voice. We have 3 government MLA’s who can stop this. We need to call our mla’s and tell them how we feel. Here are their contact numbers / emails:
Robert.Trevors.mla@bellaliant.com phone: 624-2144
Jake.Stewart@gnb.ca Phone: 843-7729
Serge.j.robichaud@gnb.ca Phone: 776-4005
bill.fraser@gnb.ca Phone: 624-5516
bertrand.leblanc@gnb.ca Phone: 876-3592
heynow
I am getting sick & tired of hearing the promise of Regional Status to remain, while the Government sneaks in
The back door like thieves in the night and robs us of employees and services..pretty soon we will have an empty
Brick building and Robert & Jake will still call it Regional stating that they kept their promise !!
Robert I am not surprised…….but Jake You of all people not screaming and standing up for the people who elected you…….Shame Shame!!
concerned
Is this what this news reporter got from the visit, poor reporting, set up protest by Bill Fraser and this Liberal reporter
admin
I fail to see how this is biased. It states what happened, the video speaks for itself. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
We have another video going up today about the economic development fund (good news for sure).
Larry Lynch
MO)))
concerned
I really had hoped that this would be solid reporting for the Region , but what I see is any negative talks that will get peoples attention being printed. Has any Government stood up for the Miramichi in the last 20 years, not at all, if we had not of lost the base , we would not be in this mess. So colors aside , we are losing because bureaucrats in F’ton & Ottawa , somehow do not seem to care for our region. So getting back to my concern , print the good news first , give us something to feel good about ,if only for a few minutes. Please remember the Oppostion today was there last term and did no better, stop showing them as being the good guys !
admin
We just posted the video of the $50 M announcement. It wasn’t our intention to publish a negative story first, but there is more background info that should be added to the funding story we are working on it now. It’s much needed good news for the area.
It’s a fair observation that we have been publishing more news that is generated by the opposition, but that’s because the governing MLAs in the area have been silent. MO))) has given every elected official in the area access to our site as contributors (unrestricted, unedited access!!) and only one person has chosen to use it. So if it seems we favour one side over the other, that perception could easily be changed if Tory MLAs spoke up. MO))) would publish every word.
But we all know the message is tightly controlled, and once elected I’m guessing there is a fine line between representing your constituents and staying on the good side of your boss.
Of the other 2 guys who manage MO))), I couldn’t say for certain what their political stripes are, but I can tell you what mine are: I have been a supporter of the NDP my whole life. I wouldn’t vote Liberal or Conservative if my mother was running. If the government in NB changes, the guys in opposition now shouldn’t expect a free ride here. Ain’t gonna happen.
Larry Lynch
MO)))
crazyday
It is hilarious…the people who are going to be in these beds for long term care WERE ALREADY IN THE HOSPITAL SCATTERED AROUND ON DIFFERENT FLOORS…..SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YEARS…what’s the big deal if they are now all on one floor?????? They occupied these beds for years…..
crazyday
TO CONCERNED
You are absolutely correct…if you looked around…other than a handful of health workers…most of these protestors were the liberal assoc of Miramichi Bay du VIn…….with their chief fear mongerer Bill Fraser…whose margin of victory fell so drastically in the last election…but that riding always rewards him for fear mongering…..he was elected the first time on it and never fails to waste an opportunity….put some valuable alternatives forward Bill on how to clean up the mess you and Graham left for this government!!!!
reader2
The health care workers went to Bill to voice their concerns, since they seem to be getting no where with the other 2 that are currently in power. One of which has been telling people, “I don”t know why you are calling me, I am not your MLA”. Nice. They just want some support from their elected officials. And yes, these patients that will be part of the ALC unit, are currently in those beds, but by doing so, they have also cut another floor in our hospital, 1 st floor, rehab and restorative. 3 west floor could have been used to house these patients, but they decided to use an active floor . And I do not know how many people are aware, but they will be cutting RN positions on these floors to set up the ALC units. These nurses will then bump into other positions. There will be job loss. The new ALC units will be happening in other areas of the province, but in some of those areas, there are many other floors to take the acute care patients. The government has cut our hospital services in about half. I guess you have to work in the hospital to understand what is happening. But before people start to give employees a hard time, please educate yourselves. They are just trying to tell people the truth. And I cannot believe that it is this hard to get public support for healthcare in our area. And that is why we do not have anything here, and will not have anything here for years to come. Nobody will stick together. Do people actually believe that employees are making these things up? Not when their bosses, and management , and unions, are telling these employees the plans for our hospital. The employees are not telling lies or being pushed by fear. They are living in fear of their jobs, since the layoffs have already started, they fear of what will happen to healthcare here. They work in this environment everyday. They worry about what these changes will mean for healthcare for their families. Get your heads out of your arses people. And I don’t care what color you vote or who is in power. But whoever has the job, has got to start standing up for our area.
Fed Right Up
Very well said………..You can’t cry over spilled milk, now is the time to keep what we have !!!!!!!
Fed Right Up
I attended the announcement at the lions club yesterday and was VERY pleased to see healthcare workers there. I am fed right up with attitudes of some people who have thier heads in the sand. This government is finishing what the Lord government started. This is being done a little differently but the end result will be the same. It is time All Miramichiers stood together and showed this government we are not back-woods people that do not know any better. It will be too late when our services are lost and the whinning begins, now is the time !!!!.It does not take a genius to know that when you replace acute care beds with with long term patients that leaves patients with no place to go. The parking lot on a strecher may be the only alternative. Wake up Miramichi and fight to keep what we need and deserve!!!!!!!
heynow
Crazy Day you are doing a great job speaking the official line for Robert and Jake at least we know the true
Government line…..hope they are paying you….because we are paying Jake and Robert for doing absolutely
Nothing !
Fed Right Up
Thank You MO for all your coverage. This is the BEST site to visit if you are interested in our area. Keep up the good work !!!!!!
Bill Fraser
In 2004 the former Conservative government had a plan to strip our hospital of beds, services and Regional Status. At the time they were very up front about the plan for Miramichi and the several other areas of the Province (mostly rural) where they closed hospitals and gutted services. The community united and fought the cuts every step of the way. In 2006 when I was first elected to represent the riding of Miramichi Bay Du Vin one of my priorities was to ensure our health care facilities and health care workers would be protected. Many improvements / upgrades were seen at our Regional Hospital. We now have medical students training to be doctors at our hospital, we have twice as many dialysis stations, we have increased oncology services, we designated our ER as a level 3 trauma, we located the Horizon Head Office in Miramichi, and we had committed to and started the process to purchase a new MRI for our hospital. Could more have been done? Absolutely, but the point is we were not under the threat that we were in 2004 and again now. I find it insulting when the Premier, some members of his government and certain ‘anonymous’ posters accuse me and others of fear mongering. It is Alward and the Conservatives who stopped the purchase of the MRI, cancelled the legally awarded tender for the permanent HQ, announced cuts to our hospital, and commissioned a report to see what was needed to upgrade Bathurst to a permanent level 3 trauma for the North. These are FACTS and if you read between the lines it appears that the same plan the conservatives had in 2004 is being rejuvenated but in a different way. The reorganization of beds at our hospital to house the ALC patients in two separate wings is essentialy a loss of acute care beds. I do agree that by placing the ALC patients in a separate dedicated area they will be able to be provided with a different, more suitable, level of care. Those patients deserve the best care possible. But to do this within the existing bed structure is a mistake. We already have patients in the ER who cannot be admitted to a room because of a lack of acute care beds. To take up to 40 acute care beds out of our 150 acute care beds out of our facility is wrong. Don Peters, CEO of Horizon, has said he needed to cut 14.2 Million $ out of his budget by year end. This first wave of cuts only accounts for 4.2 Million…leaving an additional cut of 10 Million to come. What is next? Minister Dube already broke her trust with us when she told us there woud be no cuts at Miramichi Regional Hospital and then we find out there are job losses. How many RN’s , LPN’s and other staff will be lost at our hospital as a result of the loss of our acute care beds? Is the centralization of the Trauma in Bathurst part of the 10 Million cut that Don Peters will make by year end? It is not me who is creating ‘fear’ it is, in fact, Madelaine Dube, David Alward and the conservative government. David Alward can very easily and very quickly put all these fears to rest. All he needs to do is hold a press conference and assure the people of our community that:
1. Miramichi will not see a reduction of acute care beds.
2. Re-Instate Cathy Carnahan and Richard Breau to the Horizon Board. (They were fired by Alward and Dube and replaced by people from other area’s of the Province).
3. Miramichi’s Emergency Room will remain a Level 3 trauma center.
4. Order the MRI you said would be in place within 6 months of being sworn in.
5. Honor the tender for the permanent home for Horizon Head Quarters.
I want to assure the Premier, members of his government and the ‘anonymous’ on line posters that I will not be intimidated by your comments. Until these injustices to our front line health care workers and our community are fixed I will continue to fight this every step of the way. I hope others will join me. This is too important to the future and well-being of our community.
Bill Fraser, MLA – Miramichi Bay du Vin
Fed Right Up
Very well said Bill. Those who don’t believe the truth about our hospital will be the ones whinning when they or thier loved ones haven’t an acute care bed in this hospital. Keep up the fight Bill and the truth will prevail !!!!!!!!
crazyday
Thanks HeyNow
And the you would be carrying the fear-mongering lines of Fraser…which only serves to lower the moral everywhere on the river…and the businesses do not need that at this time of year…how about emphasizing the positive and find out the real facts before going off in all different directions..different story everyday..none of which are true…just more fear mongering…………..that’s why we get no where hear.
miramich spy
hey crazy day do you live with your head in the sand or you just wont let yourself see the truth… talk to the people at the hospital the front line workers and they will tell you whats going on or are you just too busy following around our miramichi mlas and letting yourself hear what they want you to hear come on get with it the miramichi is gonna lose again and some of you blue tories just dont care but i know some do and i am pround they are miramichers along with the rest of us.. we just voted the wrong guys in we wont be fooled again
Englishboy
I know our Tory MLAs will do nothing to keep that hospital in any way. However, I don’t see what the problem is in losing it. Half of the workers are useless and eveyone has a horror story regarding the quality of care at this place. It’s to the point that you have to know some one to get any kind of adequate care. The people of the River have to stop looking at government handouts as a means to ensure the viability of the area. Jake and Scotty have never worked a job that wasn’t handed to them…you get what you vote for!
reader2
Are you serious?
JrFan
Englishboy,
Alot of the stuff your saying on here reminds me of the foolishness that I read from Miramichi ExPat in the Moncton Times. Same person perhaps. I would like for you to explain how you know half the workers at the hospital well enough to say their useless. I guessing you don’t know any. Also when did you talk to EVERYONE about their horror stories. I for one have had great service anytime I have gone there. If we loose these services then people will see these same whiners, complaining because they will be sent to Bathurst for treatment.
If I remember correctly you had a chip on your shoulder for mill workers too…anyone who makes good money I guess.
Miramichers need to fight this and hound these MLAs every second, and hold them accountable.
heynow
crazy day….read Bill Fraser’s comments nuff said English boy…..What are you drinking or smoking?
Englishboy
While I don’t know who you are talking about (ie, ExPAt), but it sounds like someone agrees with me. I have had terrible service at that hospital before and so have quite a few people I know. Everything from missing broken bones to missing cancer. I couldn’t even get to see a doctor until they found out who my mother was then it was all rosie. Anytime I have been there for a visit there are half the nurses working their butts off while the other half hang around the desk. I don’t believe Bill or any of the other politicians here.