Health Care Woes in Oxford County

Tuesday, 27 June 2017 at 13:48

Wait times, staffing shortages, and available beds were all key issues as Oxford County residents met to talk healthcare.

INGERSOLL - Fifteen people provided testimony during an examination of health care in Oxford County.

The Oxford Coalition for Social Justice and the Ontario Health Coalition invited people to bring their health care concerns to the table during a special panel discussion.

Chair of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice Bryan Smith heard a variety of issues from cleanliness to long wait times.

"Space is a huge issue - the available beds for certain kinds of services is unbelievably important. People being pushes out of hospital because there aren't enough beds available or a person in a mental health crisis being denied entry because there's not enough room at the inn so to speak. And the issue of cleanliness being complicated by the rooms being so busy and the turnover being so rapid. Staff are really very much a skeleton staff doing all these things and in many cases putting their health at risk by doing so."

Smith says a deeper dive into the data is needed to provide concrete conclusions, but on the surface the information painted a bleak picture.

"From a preliminary look it would appear that rural Ontario is hardest hit in terms of health cuts. The results are people in rural Ontario have what the government likes to call 'the poorest health outcomes.' And what that means is that people in rural Ontario suffer more, and not just patients but the people who care for them."

Smith notes that doctors and nurses were praised by those testifying for 'going above and beyond' but questions if that simply indicates standards are too low if the professionals feel they need to do more.

The meeting in Ingersoll was a pilot project - the hope is for more of these public consultations to pop up across the province to provide a look at both urban and rural health care. Eventually a report will be sent to the government to draw attention to these issues.

Anyone who was unable to attend the meeting can still send their written comments to Smith at bryasmit@oxford.net