Heath care closures across Ontario are getting worse at an unprecedented rate, and the Minden ER closure is just one example.
That’s according to a new report by the Ontario Health Coalition, which held a press conference at Queen’s Park this morning ahead of meetings with provincial officials.
The press conference featured residents, nurses, and a physician from towns and regions across Ontario, including Bonnie Roe who is representing Minden.
The report shares there have been nearly 1,200 temporary or permanent closures of facilities such as emergency rooms and urgent care centres since January, which they say represents more than thirty-thousand hours of lost care.
The coalition also criticized the province’s handling of the health care staffing crisis, calling out wage caps, a push towards private agencies, and ending emergency COVID funding.
**Written by Martin Halek and Rick Lowes