The Sydenham District Hospital is set to be discussed around the Chatham-Kent council horseshoe Monday evening (May 30.)
Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor is set to bring forward a notice of motion, where she is requesting hatham-Kent staff to investigate the economic impact to the community if the Wallaceburg ER were to close.
Here is McGregor’s full notice of motion:
McGregor told the Sydenham Current there is more than just the loss of an emergency ward at stake.
“There is a loss of future economic growth because people don’t move into a community without a hospital,” she said.
“Large factories with multiple employees don’t like to come to an area where they can’t have access to emergency services or a hospital close by.”
McGregor said of all the reports that are out there, and all the community meetings, what is being missed is what the actual effect of having the ‘H’ taken from our community is.
“It has a much larger impact and it doesn’t impact just Wallaceburg it impacts all of Chatham-Kent,” she said.
“If they put more ambulances on the road or they do some of these other services that they are putting out there in some of these reports right now, that just gets shifted over to the local taxpayer to pay. That is not just Wallaceburg taxpayers, that is all of Chatham-Kent. Not only are you getting increased wait times in your emergency department, there is just such a large fallout by losing a hospital in a community. It can be very devastating for a community.”
Comments are expected about the notice of motion by Chatham-Kent CAO Don Shropshire.
– Watch for more on this story
