TORONTO - The fate of 20 mental health
beds at the Ajax-Pickering Hospital will be decided July
11 after parties agreed to expedite a judicial review on
this issue.
The Ontario Public Service Employees
Union is challenging the decision made by the Central
East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) to approve
the closure of 20 acute care mental health beds at the
Ajax-Pickering Hospital. The union is arguing the LHIN
failed to fulfill the terms of its mandate by making the
decision before any disclosure or public consultation on
the cuts.
“This was a poor decision that will
adversely affect patients in West Durham Region,” said
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Had they taken
the time to consult with the community, the LHIN Board
would have likely come to a very different decision.”
Rouge Valley Health System has said
services would remain in place until the Judicial Review
takes place. OPSEU had sought such assurances before
withdrawing from a May 16 injunction hearing.
The hospital plans to move forward with
layoff notice to health care workers despite the health
minister’s assurances that Rouge Valley would downsize
its workforce through attrition. Should the court decide
in union’s favour, the layoffs could be rescinded before
the five-month notice period comes to an end.
The union is challenging hospital CEO
Rik Ganderton to reveal how cuts at Ajax-Pickering --
followed by the opening of the same number of mental
health beds in Scarborough -- will save the multi-site
hospital any money. The union is arguing the hospital
has not looked at the full costs of the move – including
severance, recruitment, and transportation of patients
and their families between the two sites.
“We said two years ago that the LHINs
would make people travel further to access health
services,” said Thomas. “At that time we were accused of
fear mongering. Today we are seeing the beginnings of it
played out across the province, including
Ajax-Pickering. This is an issue that should be
important to all Ontarians, not just those living in
West Durham.”
