Letter to the Editor: Concerns Raised at South Bruce Grey Hospital Corporation AGMLetter to the Editor: Concerns Raised at South Bruce Grey Hospital Corporation AGM The recent AGM of the South Bruce Grey Hospital Corporation has raised concerns and questions about the organization’s transparency and decision-making process. Community members attended the meeting to express their frustrations with the hospital’s performance and to ask questions. However, it was noted that the board members themselves were the only ones eligible to vote on matters, leaving community members effectively silenced. The seating arrangement at the meeting, with board members facing away from the audience, was seen as symbolic of the disconnect between decision-makers and the community. The decision to hire two armed police officers for the meeting was perceived by some as an attempt to intimidate the public and suppress dissenting voices. Reports presented at the meeting were met with skepticism and laughter from the audience, who felt that the board was exaggerating its achievements and downplaying concerns. The Q&A session was severely limited, with only 15 minutes allocated for 75 people to ask questions. Questions were often met with evasive or incomplete answers, and the chairman’s behavior was deemed rude and disrespectful. Concerns were also raised about the hospital’s unbalanced healthcare services, particularly in Chesley and Durham, which have seen a reduction in beds and services. The letter-writer questions the fairness of the hospital’s operations and the transparency of its board. They call for equal recognition and treatment of all members of the community and demand an end to excuses and unequal access to healthcare. The cost of the police officers hired for the meeting is questioned, as it ultimately comes from taxpayer funds allocated to the hospital.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
There are those who may not know that the South Bruce Grey Hospital Corporation held its AGM last week at the Best Western Hotel in Walkerton. It was advertised, somewhat half-heartedly, but the word was out.
Seventy-four members of the public registered to hear updates and apologies for the poor performance of this administration, many bringing questions they hoped to ask.
Let us set the stage for this meeting. Over the past few years, the government has gradually and stealthily changed the nature of hospital boards, turning them into non-profit organizations and creating a disconnect between decision makers and the communities that depend on these hospital services.
In the past, community members elected the board and, if necessary, could remove board members who were not performing adequately and elect new ones. That is no longer the case.
Now the same board selects the new members itself, announces when board positions become vacant and removes anyone who does not fully cooperate with their ‘board speech’.
For the purpose of conducting business at this meeting and electing new directors, the only persons entitled to vote were the directors themselves. They are considered to be the only true members under the Corporations Act.
Community members who had bothered to come sat in silence as the board members patted themselves on the back and elected new members, who will likely fall in line with those in power and continue the pattern of mismanagement that has become the norm before this merger.
To set the scene, the arrangement of the room itself was a telling example. Chairs were placed in a very unusual way at the front of the room. The board and staff sat with their backs to the audience, figuratively demonstrating their true interest in everything the audience had to say.
And now the “piece de resistance.” Two armed police officers were in the room for the entire meeting at the request of the CEO, who claimed there were threats against her. Two armed police officers! At an annual general meeting of a health care institution in Canada!
In my opinion, this was nothing more than an attempt to intimidate the public. And that is how it was interpreted. There were five more plainclothes police officers at the front door of the hotel. A photographer from the Sun Times was not allowed to take pictures.
People, what are you hiding?
Reports were read to a silent audience. However, several times the audience burst out laughing at the outrageous statements of the board, which can probably say whatever it wants, since no one from any local community is a recognized member of the organization.
There were so many examples of exaggeration and outright untruth that it is difficult to list them all.
Shaw claimed that the company is particularly pleased to be able to provide excellent repatriation to patients returning to their home areas after surgery and/or medical procedures in other urban settings. People from Durham who were in the room saw the irony in this statement… How do you “repatriate” patients when you have removed all patient beds and put large ditches on most hospital grounds?
The Q&A was a sad joke. There were 15 minutes in total for 75 people to ask all their questions.
Pat answers did not address the actual questions. People had prepared their questions in advance, only to find that time was so limited that there was no meaningful answer. And Dean Dunn, currently the chairman, who was “elected” by the board, was downright rude. His treatment of Peter Fallis, who asked a question about the membership issue, was inexcusable. Some people in the room audibly gasped when they heard it.
The health care in this merged entity is disastrously out of balance, but the information in the meeting made it seem like all was well. And if only those pesky people in Chesley and Durham would stop expecting parity with the other “major” hospitals, all would be well!
Nancy Shaw, president and CEO of South Bruce Grey Health Centre, emphasizes at every meeting of this board that she works hard to maintain the excellent health care at all four hospitals. However, the facts do not support her position.
When can we expect fair treatment and equal recognition? When can we expect an end to excuses and equal access to health care for all members of this community?
Oh, and by the way, who’s going to foot the bill for all those police officers hired to intimidate the people attending the rally? There’s only one source of funding for this nonprofit… the taxpayer.
Honestly,
Brenda Scott
Co-Chair of the Grey Bruce Health Coalition
Co-Chair of the Chesley Hospital Action Committee
Chair of the Small, Rural and Local Hospital Committee for the Ontario Health Coalition
Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
