Rallying for funding for NBRHC

A group of hospital unions say they want the province to properly fund the North Bay Regional Health Centre.

Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Ontario Nurses Association and Ontario Public Service Employees Union, along with the local chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition rallied outside the hospital late Wednesday morning.

Layoffs and other measures were announced by the health centre last month to achieve $5.6 million in budget savings.

“They need to fund this hospital appropriately to make sure you and your loved ones get the care that you deserve,” says Mike Turgeon, the president of CUPE 139 which represents nearly 1,000 workers at the hospital. “We need to keep the staff in this building instead of walking away from healthcare. We have an attrition rate of 7%. It’s higher than it’s ever been.”

Turgeon says 20 of their members and four vacant positions have been impacted by the cuts.

“We’ve lost four Registered Practical Nurses, a few Personal Support Workers, a lot of clerical positions specifically out of the Emergency Department,” he says. “The first person you see in emerge is a nurse followed up by the clerk to get you registered, so these are problems.”

Along with pointing to data about long wait times, the union is highlighting an analysis showing the hospital must add 120 staff annually to keep up with growing patient volumes.

“These cuts are going to hurt people. You’re going to burn staff out by dumping more responsibility on their shoulders when they are already struggling to keep up with workloads,” says Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of CUPE’s hospital division. “It’s going to mean longer wait-times and poorer service. It’s an unconscionable move and we are not going to accept this.”

The union says it will do everything it can to fight the cuts, by mobilizing rank and file workers and community members to defend the public hospital.

Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing released the following statement ahead of the rally:

“Our government understands how important local hospital services are to families and communities across Ontario. That is why hospitals are required to plan in a way that ensures patients continue to receive high-quality care today and for generations to come.

Since 2020, annual funding for the North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) has grown by $49.3 million — representing a nearly 20% increase. This funding is supported by our government’s $91 billion investment in health care across the province, including an additional $1 billion for hospital this year alone.

Thanks to these significant, patient-focused investments, the NBRHC has confirmed that its long-term planning changes will not affect patient care or access to services in North Bay.

We will continue to work with the NBRHC to ensure it has the resources it needs to continue to provide high-quality patient care.”

In response, Turgeon says with average waits over 17 hours in the ER, patients are being impacted, adding we’ve seen record inflation over the last few years so the provincial funding is not enough.

Richard Coffinhttps://www.mynorthbaynow.com/Richard Coffin has been a reporter and news anchor on the radio in North Bay for over 25 years.  From premiers to people in the neighbourhood, he enjoys connecting with newsmakers and writing stories that matter to area listeners on a variety of topics including healthcare, education, politics, sports and more.