Sydenham District Hospital (SDH) Chair Sheldon Parsons has announced that the planned meeting with Public General Hospital (PGH) and St. Joseph’s Hospital (SJH) Boards on Thursday, May 26 is being cancelled.
The meeting was called by the SDH Board, pursuant to its authority under the Alliance Agreement, the SDH board said in a press release.
“The purpose of the meeting was to conduct routine Alliance business, following two months of cancelled meetings and inactivity of the Tri Board,” the SDH board stated.
“Unfortunately, the boards of PGH and SJH refused to meet at that time, leaving the SDH Board with no choice but to cancel the meeting, since quorum would not be met.
While PGH and SJH had earlier given notice that they were, unilaterally, suspending Alliance Governance activity, Parsons says “there is no authority in the Alliance Agreement for such an action.”
The SDH board says in light of the unwillingness of PGH and SJH to meet in person, the SDH Board will do everything in its power to ensure that Alliance business is carried out by each member of the Tri Board meeting separately.
The SDH board assures the public: “There will be no impact on the services that are offered from either Hospital site as all three Boards have a collective responsibility to provide quality, timely, professional and effective healthcare services to the residents and to the patients of Chatham-Kent and Sydenham – Walpole – St Clair regions.”
The SDH board says they are proud of the physicians, nurses and staff at both sites who provide such an important service to the community.
“The dedication of our staff to the emergent and medical care needs of our communities is very much appreciated,” the SDH board stated.
The St Joseph and PGH boards need to be dissolved and new members voted in by the communities in Chatham Kent for which they serve. This is not professional its irresponsible and needs to end.