Sault Ste Marie Health Coalition

April 22, 2009: Hospital Cuts Town Hall Meeting

2009-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday April 22nd, 7:00pm @ St Andrews United Church, 712 Wellingotn St.E

Sault Area Hospital is facing a significant deficit, and major hospital cuts including the closure of Matthews Memorial Hospital on St. Joseph Island

June 18th Meeting Sheds Light on Brampton Disaster

2007-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Click here for a list of locations where you can make your pledge today! Your pledge will make a difference!

Ed Shmeler of the Brampton Health Coalition Made a speech about the ongoing problems with the Brampton P3 Hospital deal.

The information he shared provides insight into the future of the Sault Ste Marie P3 Hospital deal if we continue down that route.

More detailed information can be found at SooToday.com and Soonews.ca

http://www.soonews.ca/viewarticle.php?id=12926

http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=25415

Campaign Kick Off Meeting a Huge Success!

2007-06-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Click here for a list of locations where you can make your pledge today! Your pledge will make a difference!

Last night's campaign kick off was a huge success, drawing attention from concerned citizens and news stations alike. Speeches were made by Dave Harasymiw, Natalie Mehr and Fogel Delavedova.

We will be holding another meeting featuring guest speaker Ed Shmeler of the Brampton Health Coalition

on Monday June 18th, 2007

at the Super 8 Motel Conference room, 184 Great Northern Rd

at 5:30 PM

All members of the public and members of the press are invited

For more information contact our office: 253-6441 ext. 165 or by email: ssmhealthcoalition@gmail.com

Pledge Locations! Click Here for Complete List

2007-06-13T05:30:00.002-07:00

Make your voice be heard today at any one of these locations. Your vote will make a difference! June 23rd will be the last day to go and vote.

West

Trading Post, Great Northern Rd.
Root River Golf Course, Hwy 17 N
IDA, Market Mall
Tony's Cakery, 177 Gore St
Ball Florist, 346 North
Paquette Confectionary, 383 Korah Rd.
Melli's Mini Mart, 245 Goulais Ave.
Uncle Gino's, 2nd Line West
Van Dale Nursing Home, 39 Van Dael Street
M&M Meats, 2nd Line West
RJ's Market, 238 Wellington St West
Hard Wok Cafe, 303 Cathcart street

Central / North

Tiny Bubbles Gift Shop, 246 Queen st
Royal Canadian Legion, 96 Great Northern Rd
Steamy Bean Coffee, 257 Great Northern Rd
Fratelli's Kitchen, 522 Great Northern Rd
Canadian Bushplane, Bay + Pim
Undercover Bureau, 491 Queen St
Joe's Sports and Surplus, 40 Queen St E
Canadian Tire, 200 McNabb St
Western Tire, 165 Queen Street
Cases Music, 173 Spring Street
Senior Citizens Building, Bay Street
Propane Depot, Great Northern Rd
Algonquin Hotel, 864 Queen St E
John Street Mini Mart, John Street
Windsor Park, Queen Street
Tazzi's Cafe, Queen Street
Blacks, Station Mall
Great Northern Retirement Home, Great Northern Rd
Kiddy Kobbler, Station Mall
Pita Pit, 536 Queen St E
Dan's Custom Repair, 860 Queen St
Dock's Riverfront Grill, 89 Foster Dr
Velorution, Old Goulais bay rd
Extendicare Tendercare
Kelly's Grocery, Station Mall
Shampoo Ally, 173 Spring Street
Krazy Ernie's,256 McNabb Street
Achieve Fitness, 219 Great Northern Rd
Uppercase Bookstore, 508 Queen Street E.
Goulais River Country Store, Hwy 17 N
Timberland, Hwy 17 N
Tony Martin's Office, 369 Queen street suite 100

East

Highway Variety, 883 Trunk Rd
Mio's Furniture Fashions, 261 Trunk
Ubriaco's, 357 Trunk Rd.
Sweet Greetings, 149 Trunk Rd.
East Side Confectionary, 67 Eastern Ave
Pathways
Hearth Pool and Patio, Mcnabb
Jonesy, Wellington Square Mall
Twist N Shout, 667 MacDonald Ave.
M&M Meats, 357 Trunk Rd.
The Rad Zone, 625 Trunk (Wellington Square)
Mr Sub, 255 Trunk Rd
Sandro's Restaurant, 265 Trunk Rd
Northern Jewlery and Craft, 357 Northern Ave
Pino's Get Fresh, 197 Trunk Rd
Dinelle's (Echo Bay), 21 Hwy 17 West

This list will be updated daily and we have over 60 different locations in the Sault and surrounding area.

Join the community campaign to stop the for-profit privatization of the Sault Area Hospitals

2007-06-13T05:30:00.001-07:00

Call, fax or email David Orazietti, MPP, (ph: 705-949-6959, fax: 705-946-6269 email: dorazietti.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org) and tell him to stop the privatization of our local hospital, and bring us in line with the rest of the province.

Call, fax or email the Premier: Dalton McGuinty - (ph: 416-325-1941, fax: 416-325-3745 email: dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org)

Copy this leaflet and pass it on - leave copies in the local store, library, seniors' centre, doctors' office, or anywhere else people might pick them up.

Call us if you can give a few hours help in the campaign.

Get in touch with your Ward's member of council (contact information here: http://www.city.sault-ste-marie.on.ca/Open_Page.aspx?ID=174&deptid=1).

Sault Ste. Marie Health Coalition

E-Mail: ssmhealthcoalition@gmail.com

Phone: 254-6441 ext. 165

The Sault Deserves A Better Deal

2007-06-13T05:29:00.000-07:00

The future of the Sault's hospital is a major issue in the upcoming provincial election on October 10th.

The McGuinty government recently revealed its plans to build our new hospital as a privatized for-profit scheme called a Private-Public-Partnership (P3) with among the worst levels of privatization of all the planned hospitals in Ontario. The evidence shows that privatized hospitals cost more, taking money from patients for banks and profits.

Don't Let Them Turn Our Care into Their Business

Until now, Ontario's hospitals were run for the public good by our local hospital boards. In Sault Area Hospitals' proposed for-profit redevelopment, a forprofit group of companies will build the new hospital. Then the hospital building, its maintenance, technology and other services will be privatized for 30 years. The privatized services will be run for profit for the duration of the deal.

It's like Highway 407

Highway 407 is one of these so-called "Private Public Partnership" (P3) schemes. The private sector runs the highway for its own profit. Tolls have gone up by over 350% since 1997 for off-peak hours, and up 50% in peak hours. Even though it took the private companies to court, the government hasn't been able to control the behaviour of the companies.

Profit-Taking Means Higher Costs and Less Patient Care

P3s cut patient care budgets to shift funds to the higher costs and profit taking of the corporations. In Britain, where the world's biggest experiment with privatized P3 hospitals has taken place, the exorbitant costs have forced cuts to the clinical budgets of hospitals. Doctors have been cut 11%, nurses cut 14% and support staff cut 38%.
In a privatized P3, every level of privatization means more costs. Extra costs for lawyers, consultants and middle-men. All of those funds could and should be used for health care.

Massive Cost Increase

The Ontario Liberals have signed only three P3 hospital deals to date. In each one, cost increases are dramatic.

In Brampton, the privatized P3 hospital costs increased from $350 million at the beginning of the negotiations with the for-profit companies to $550 million by the time the deal was signed. The number of beds has been reduced from 608 to 479. The bottom line? For almost twice the cost, Brampton has only 3/4 of the beds.

In Ottawa, the privatized P3 hospital costs increased from $100 to more than $140 million.

In North Bay, the privatized P3 hospital costs have jumped from $220 million to $550 million.
As Patients, families, nurses, doctors and careworkers we have an interest in ensuring that all Ontario hospitals should be devoted to care first and foremost... not to profit-taking.
There are over 80 hospital renovation projects underway across Ontario. All are public.
There are about a dozen hospital building projects underway across Ontario. Only three have long term privatization of hospital lands and services. The Sault's new hospital is one of the three planned for long-term privatization.

Already costs for the new Sault Area Hospitals are going up. Though they admit to cost increases, hospital and government officials are keeping the new projected costs for our hospital secret.

For detailed information on the privatized P3 hospital issue go to www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca or contact (416) 441-2502. For local information contact the Sault Ste. Marie Health Coalition at ssmhealthcoalition@gmail.com.