At least Lou showed up
To face his critics and to defend his tenuous position. As the protest, organised by the Northumberland Health Coalition, paraded in front of MPP Lou Rinaldi's office in Cobourg with signs calling upon him to stand up to the local hospital, started guess who appeared from his office? Lou Rinaldi that's who. In an unusual move the MPP who has a habit of not being in his office when demonstrators turn up, decided to emerge and adress his critics. After giving us all the usual guff about health care costs and how they have to be contained he then told the crowd that he's working on a solution but the Board is resistant to the idea of putting money into reinstating the cut services in the Diabetes Clinic and Outpatient Rehab. "I am committed to finding a solution." So there you have it folks, Lou says that more money may be available but the Board has set priorities. 
It seems that since Mr Biron hung Lou out to dry last week by saying that the problem is a political one - talk to your MPP, the MPP is saying that the money is there but the Board and Mr Biron is being uncooperative. And meanwhile nobody is getting Rehab services.As Lou left the crowd the mike was given to Michael Herley, the CUPE Director for Health Care Unions. He proceeded to tell the crowd that other Liberal MPPs had squeezed money for their hospitals and condemned Lou for not doing the same. "He must be as active as other MPPs!" meanwhile the BurdReport has heard of a conversation between local "liberal with his ear to the ground" John Wright and Lou, a couple of F-bombs didn't manage to convince Lou that he's in electoral trouble. But as we know he is!
15 comments:
Ah healthcare - the third rail of Canadian politics. If Loo had any common sense he would have come out strong at the outset against the cuts (then again if we the voters had common sense we wouldn't have elected this moron). Is this guy still holding out that one day he might be a McGuinty Minister or something? Hence the lack of desire to fight for anything that isn't in lock-step with the leader?
As if not supporting the opposition to these cuts wasn't bad enough, Spinmeister Loo now goes further and blames the NHH board, who blames the mpp, with the ceo of the hospital in the middle - how typically dysfunctional for our local cast of misfits.
Good job Loo - start by not agreeing that cutting healthcare is a bad thing, then blame the community members rather than your own government who are responsible for paying for healthcare in the first place... big vote getter there.
I see from the photo that Loo only needed two of his office staff to back him up with the fierce looking crowd in front of his office.... or perhaps they weren't backing him up, just babysitting him for Dalton to make sure he didn't step out of line.
While on the topic of backup - where is our other local Liberal on this matter - Ms. Rudd, champion of recruiting new doctors etc to the area as head of the physician recruitment committee. She seems awfully quiet on this whole matter. Does she agree with her Lib Cousins that it is the Board (aka the community members) fault or does she think the Daltonator and Loo the Lemming should be stepping up to pay the tab?
I can hear the initial answer (scripted by Wright himself) "healthcare is provincial", just look at how little of the federal budget goes over to Ontario in HEALTH transfer payments.
Since an election is in the air, would be good to know if Ms. Rudd has an opinion on the cuts to local services, or if she wants to be a Liberal Lemming as well...
What will also be interesting to see if Wright, who has led the troops for both Loo and Rudd decides to throw Loo under the bus to get Rudd in, or tries an interesting balancing act of attempting to restore the Liberal dynasty in Northumberland.
But the real problem is Biron. He has been told lots of ways he could reinstate the Diabetes Clinic and Outpatient Rehab, and why this is important, but he he person who continually says "I have not heard anything to change my mind".
Biron seems to have the NHH board in his pocket, or they are afraid of him for unknown reasons. As long as Biron won't consider alternatives nothing will happen.
It reminds me of a novel by Anthony Trollope titled "He knew he was right". It is also on DVD, but it's a bit horrifying to see how people who know they are right can leave a trail of disaster in their wake.
I do not follow why Biron has such sway. He is a CEO appointed by the Board, he answers to the Board and his role is to carry out the direction of the Board. He is a staff functionary, not an individual of consequence or power. Does he fund the hospital? Does he have regulatory or budgetary authority on a grand scale? Hardly. Why are we treating him as if he possesses either? The Board and the CEO are both answerable to the Ministry / LHIN and ultimately to the government where the funds are allocated.
The only service the LHIN is providing is to add a layer of bureaucracy so that the likes of the Liberal's such as McGuinty and Loo do not have to take political responsibility for this mess.
Ultimately, the government has the power to restore these cuts. It seems that among the key players in this matter they are all simply passing the buck to each other and no one is taking responsibility to develop an appropriate solution.
I also find it interesting that the Lib's who frequent this blog are so quiet on this issue. Your silence is speaking volumes in my opinion.
The root of this problem flows from Queen's Park. That is where the funds are allocated from, where the decisions are reached in one way or another regarding policy, and frankly, where the pressure should be placed to restore these cuts. The longer we allow the myth of the LHIN and the power of Biron to hang in the air as impediments the longer it will take to achieve any sort of meaningful resolution to this matter. The LHIN and Biron are carrying out the wishes of their respective masters.
Time to go after the masters and get the results we deserve as a community.
Censorship? On the Burd Report? Shame!
It seems evident that the best way to save money is to avoid duplication of services. If the Port Hope Community Health Centre can provide care for diabetics, why do we need the hospital to provide the same service.
Same goes for long term beds. Is the point not to have these people in nursing homes, thus easing the financial burden on the hospital? We can't have it all ways.
Censorship? On the Burd Report? Shame!
please explain this
I am not sure whether ArmchairQB is being ironic about the power of Mr. Biron?
Sure, we know that administrative theory says that the government has ultimate power, and the board is in charge of the CEO, but in this case it ain't necessarily so. There are lots of ways that the CEO could have balanced the budget without savage and pointless cutbacks, but he chose not to, and continues to preach his virtue. We are told that the the 18 board members unanimously support these actions, so ether the board members are puppets, or are not particularly motivated by the public interest.
The title ArmchairQB is presumably chosen to imply some sort of thoughtful consideration based on a close study of the facts, but I have not seen any yet. Couch Potato or Red Herring might be more suitable.
Thank you "No Armchair" for your insightful comments.
If you would be so kind as to take a moment and refer to my previous postings on this topic you would understand that I have done my research and contemplation prior to commenting. Referring to documents such as the strategic plan, adopted and approved by the Board, which goes in the opposite direction to these cuts that the CEO / Board have approved would be one component that I draw your attention to.
Those that approved said strategic plan would be the same Board that chose Mr. Biron as CEO. It would seem to me, based on your comments that the Board does not seem to be fulfilling its responsibility.
Correct me if I am wrong (pls jump in No Armchair!) but in most public organizations in Ontario these strategic plans must be submitted to the funding Ministry in question, as part of the overall adherence and planning mechanisms. If the Board approved this and the Ministry approved the plan, then why are we changing direction in such a significant manner?
No Armchair, you reference that in this case the norms of proper governance do not apply. I have backed up my statements with research, coupled with information about operating norms, which are common knowledge. Your statement that in this case it "it ain't necessarily so" (such eloquence) - for what reason do you believe that in this case these operating norms and funding realities are not part of the equation? Why should we believe that Mr. Biron has such authority? He answers to the Board, the Board is elected, the NHH is accountable to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry (run by the government Minister appointed by the Premier all of whom elected by the voters) are the funders. How is my approach that this is a Liberal problem in Queen's Park as the funds sit there not a solution?
Help me understand why this is a different situation No Armchair?
Perhaps you could now dazzle me with a defense of Dalton and Libby Loo - why should we not be blaming them for this - they are the ones not allocating sufficient funds to efficient operate what is supposedly one of Ontario's leanest hospitals.
Waiting patiently on my couch for your titillating reply.
Gotta agree with Armchair QB.
Without a doubt this buck stops with the Province. They created the LHINs to do their dirty work for them in cutting health care.
The fact that the LHINs, and the hospital boards, fall into line like the brainless lemmings they are, does not change the fact these are liberal decisions made with full awareness of the consequences to citizens.
There appear to be three separate issues here:
1. The province is providing less than adequate money to compensate for increased operating costs.
To resolve this:
GO AFTER THE PROVINCE FOR GLOBAL FUNDING THAT KEEPS UP WITH COST INCREASES.
2. The NHH decided to cut rehab and diabetes care without making adequate provision for continued patient care. This was a locally made decision as the province is not going to micro-manage down to laying-off individual nurses. The CEO has a certain amount of decision making ability and could solve this within the existing NHH budget. Conversely even if the province gave extra money he could still refuse to resolve the rehab and diabetes care problems.
To resolve this:
GO AFTER THE CEO TO RESOLVE THE REHAB AND DIABETES CARE WITHIN THE NHH BUDGET.
3. The board has been completely silent about
both the overall funding levels and resolving rehab and diabetes care issues.
To resolve this:
GO AFTER THE BOARD TO BE MORE ACTIVE AND RESONSIBLE and
ELECT SOME MORE BOARD MEMBERS WHO UNDERSTAND THE PUBLIC INTEREST
From Greg H: "The NHH decided to cut rehab and diabetes care without making adequate provision for continued patient care."
Rehab: yes. Local provisions must be made to ensure these services are available to everyone that needs them no matter their financial wellbeing or insurance status, or ensure that the province will cover services at private clinics.
Diabetes: these services are available in Port Hope. Providing them at the hospital as well is redundant.
Pragmatist:
There are certain types of more complicated diabetes that the Port Clinic cannot currently treat. It seems to me that the complicated cases are the ones that need the help the most.
Therefore the "adequate provision" that the NHH should make is to ensure that the Port Hope clinic receives the necessary upgrading in terms of staff, equipment and funding in order that it can do a complete job. When the NHH has done this they can then close down their own services and everybody will be able to get the required help in Port Hope.
Agreed that would be the ideal solution, Greg H. My understanding is that the Port Hope clinic can assist with every type of diabetes except gestational (during pregnancy) and cannot deal with insulin pumps.
We have a family member who was diagnosed with diabetes while pregnant, and she said she could not have managed without the help of the diabetes clinic staff at the hospital. She was scared, needed support, and it was there.
We have another family member, diabetic since a child, who is insulin dependent and whose sugar can jump around dangerously. She needs the hospital services too.
The Port Hope clinic is not presently able to treat either type of situation, and until they are trained to do so, people like these examples have nowhere to go locally.
Not good enough! It's not like we live in some remote Northern community far removed from hospital care. For god's sake we are in the most heavily populated area of the continent. Diabetes services are hardly a frill, they are necessary everywhere.
Very good to point that out with examples Deb.
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