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It's official, The Western Health Care Corporation has decided that people Southwest of Corner Brook no longer deserve health care coverage. They are about to turn the new Sir Thomas Roddick hospital in Stephenville into a local clinic. They are looking at two options, both with major downsizing and cutbacks. The following is an excerpt from the March 9-15, 2004 issue of the Georgian Newspaper:
The clinics in DeGrau and St. George's are definitely on the chopping block as they are included in both options presented to the provincial government.
Marina Simon, the newly-elected Mayor of Cape St. George, is also worried about the clinic in DeGrau being on the chopping block.
"The closure will affect our community a lot because we have a lot of seniors. A lot of people have minor ailments that you don't need to go to th'e hospital for, that your local doctor can handle right here. They can be handled in our community so that you don't have to travel over the roads. There's an added expense plus it takes a service out of our rural area," says Mayor Simon.
"We're against any idea of closing our clinics. It's a health link in our area especially in the winter time. If we lose our clinic, we lose our doctor, then we have to face long waits to see doctors in Stephenville. This is especially hard for people with disabilities. There's the issue of the added cost for people on fixed incomes and it's taking a big part out of our community."
The confidential report lists some positive but even more negative implications from the proposed closures.
The positive is that "clustering of physicians among the clinics should provide for more effective coverage of and equality of work life" and it should "improve chances for recruitment/retention of physicians."
The negatives are:
- Irrespective of which clinics may be close, this will be an unpopular decision with communities and patients, who will perceive this as a greater inconvenience to travel farther distances for care, and as a loss of service.
- Physician dissatisfaction in having to relocate
- May require enhanced transportation/ambulance services
- Possible increase in social assistance payments for travel to clinics
Regional Medical Advisory Committee (RMAC) has some concern with respect to the provision of Primary Health Care services to tourists in Woody Point area, if that area's clinic is closed. The section in the report on rural clinics concludes by stating that "either option is feasible, but the Corporation anticipates resistance from those communities that would no longer have their own clinics."
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