Comments on The Burd Report: Now for the sparks

Yep, I read the report as suggested by Deb. There ...

2010-06-15T11:00:34.184-04:00

Yep, I read the report as suggested by Deb. There is nothing in it that would suggest, even remotely, that NHH will ever stop delivering babies. It's a crock.

So who is making up stories here?

Deb has done fine work on behalf of the people concerning the hospital. What a pity that a loose lipped exaggeration discredits that work.

OK for all of you too lazy to read the report, I w...

2010-06-14T11:39:42.434-04:00

OK for all of you too lazy to read the report, I will try to use simple words here.

I never said Cobourg hospital WILL stop delivering babies, I used that as an example of what COULD happen if hospitals are directed by the LHINs to specialize.

If my post was read properly that would be obvious. It was quite clearly stated.

That is all I am going to say on this or any topic for awhile. I am drowning in stupidity and ill will from fools.

Deb can dish it, but she sure can't take it. ...

2010-06-14T11:15:57.330-04:00

Deb can dish it, but she sure can't take it.

Direct answer to Wally's question would be nice -

"Really? Your research has found that our local hospital is going to close down the maternity ward and not deiver babies?

Or is that just one of your malicious exaggerations?"

I don't know why I bother to reply to such an ...

2010-06-14T10:46:55.091-04:00

I don't know why I bother to reply to such an unfair slander as that, but I would hate for anybody else to think I made stuff up. That's Wally's job.

For anyone who would like to check it out, they can go to the hospital website and find the report of their citizens' advisory committee, which was produced in early spring sometime.

That's where I found it and read it. What a concept eh, taking the time to be properly informed on an issue. Wally should try it sometime.

That report will most certainly confirm every single thing I have said here.

"NHH could, under this proposal, become th...

2010-06-14T09:59:54.698-04:00
"NHH could, under this proposal, become the new go-to place for cosmetic surgery but not deliver babies anymore."

Really? Your research has found that our local hospital is going to close down the maternity ward and not deiver babies?

Or is that just one of your malicious exaggerations?

Wally, had you bothered to do your research you...

2010-06-13T15:49:18.391-04:00
Wally, had you bothered to do your research you'd know that in the report prepared by the hospital board following their bogus consultation process, they recommended increasing the volume of procedures like nuclear medicine and cosmetic surgery because these procedures netted them more cash.

Further, one of the directions the LHINs are moving into is the specialization of hospitals, so each one would do their specialty and not provide a core of general services that people need.

NHH could, under this proposal, become the new go-to place for cosmetic surgery but not deliver babies anymore. At least that's one scenario just as an example.

Do we want to allow LHINs to decide what services our hospitals in Ontario provide according to their own non local analysis? I don't think so, and many agree.

It pains me to admit it, but on this one I'm 100% behind Hudak and the tories who want to eliminate the LHINs altogether.

"to provide frills like cosmetic surgery j...

2010-06-13T13:01:56.956-04:00
"to provide frills like cosmetic surgery just because the latter makes them money, is wrong."

It's the first time I have heard that 'cosmetic surgery' is being practiced at NHH. As I understand it, 'cosmetic surgery' is not covered by the state, but paid for by the individual requesting the service. Perhaps, Deb, you are in need of some polemic surgery.

I don't understand the constant referral to th...

2010-06-11T20:26:19.764-04:00
I don't understand the constant referral to the NHH process being undemocratic. Is not the NHH a corporation under the Corporations Act? I don't see other businesses being run that way and in fact would be rightly criticized for doing so.

Nope - you wrote "Hope he will consider the p...

2010-06-11T18:27:22.522-04:00
Nope - you wrote "Hope he will consider the points I made." I'm assuming you mean the points on which you did not agree. You hope he'll consider your points of view on those, so have you considered his points of view on those, to the same depth you expect of him? Rhat was your conclusion after such considerations, and did you see any of it his way? Do you expect him to change his position in those instances, and why?

To answer the question posed by one of our Anonymo...

2010-06-11T18:09:37.433-04:00
To answer the question posed by one of our Anonymouses, my conversation with the stranger was friendly and polite.

When he asked me if I thought the hospital should provide every type of treatment available at a big city hospital, I said no, but should provide the essential health care services our local community needs. We agreed on that.

Those services certainly include re-hab and the diabetes clinic, which we discussed in detail since I have experience with diabetic family members affected by the closure.

We agreed that moving away from needed services to provide frills like cosmetic surgery just because the latter makes them money, is wrong.

So we agreed on some of the issues and not on others. Sounds normal to me, and like I said, even if I don't agree with a point someone makes, I acknowledge their right to make it, and prefer a disagreement with a thinking person to inanities with an uninformed one.

Hope I have answered your question.

For Deb O, did your visitor make any points of his...

2010-06-11T14:34:44.914-04:00
For Deb O, did your visitor make any points of his own, and if so, have you given them the same level of consideration that you expect for yours?

The conflict of interest angle is so true. Two of ...

2010-06-11T12:31:09.163-04:00
The conflict of interest angle is so true. Two of the main faces are union leaders from the hospital. How can they be impartial in any of this? The NHH board should have had the stones to chop the palliative care beds and left physio and diabetes alone. That alone would probably have saved the money.

I'm getting the impression that this fight has...

2010-06-11T11:19:03.884-04:00
I'm getting the impression that this fight has morphed into a battle about control rather than about the methodology of how to achieve a balanced budget. This is where one group, the one representing the save our jobs contingent, has a clear conflict of interest as long as they pretend that their beef is just about quality of health care.

Congrats to all the people who have worked hard to...

2010-06-11T11:16:52.842-04:00
Congrats to all the people who have worked hard to pull this together so quickly, let's hope the outcome brings some stability to this mess.

On a related note, last evening a stranger started banging on my side door and said he wanted to ask me what the sign meant on my lawn. It's the one that demands Rinaldi stick up for our hospital.

Answering his question, I explained that as our elected MPP, his job is to make our hospital's case to his caucus and secure the funding required to keep it running with services intact.

It became clear that he was hoping to somehow lure me into a tax argument. His position was that the poor taxpayer can't afford to fund health care costs that keep rising, and besides, he didn't really beleive there were people too poor or disabled to get to fee based treatment in another town.

When I told him there most certainly were plenty of folks in that sad category, he tried to convince me that while regretable, they would just have to do without their treatment.

Not a good position to take with me, especially on my own turf. When I said I didn't think some people were less deserving of health care than others, he backed off and went back to his bogus tax argument.

That was a no-go with me too as I pointed out that by cancelling the big corporate tax cut coming next month, they'd have more than a few extra dollars in the kitty for health care, and it all boiled down to how the resources are allocated.

He went away, a little taken aback at the resistance he got. All perfectly polite, and it demonstrated to me that people are paying attention, and that's what we need. I don't mind someone disagreeing with me, at least it's better than people without a clue about what's going on around them.

Hope he will consider the points I made.