May 25th, 2023
May 25th, 2023
QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, will visit Minden today to meet with community members and advocates to talk about strategies and solutions to save their Emergency Room (ER) and protect local ERs across Ontario.
“I am incredibly inspired by the people of Minden – but they shouldn’t have to fight for basic medical services in their community,” said Stiles. “It’s not normal for local ERs to close and leave rural communities without timely access to care. The Ontario NDP are standing beside the Minden community at every step of the way as we work together to save this ER.”
MPP France Gélinas (Nickel Belt), NDP Health critic held a press conference with the Ontario Health Coalition to discuss the controversial closure of the Minden Emergency Room and the groundswell of support from community members who have rallied to save it.
“The residents of Minden have made their voices heard loud and clear”, said Gélinas. “They have organized and come together with one resounding, united voice to keep this life-saving emergency room in their community. I am calling on Ford and Jones to listen to them and place a one-year moratorium on this closure – or better yet – cancel this decision altogether.”
The Emergency Department in Minden is set to close on June 1. The community has had to resort to raising money in an effort to mount a legal challenge that could prevent this from happening.
Quotes:
Natalie Mehra, Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition
"The Ford government has the power to stop the closure of the Minden hospital's emergency department. It is clearly, fully in the power of the Minister of Health to do so. She cannot hide behind the excuse that this is a local decision. It matters for Minden and it also has implications for communities whose emergency departments are at risk across the province."