Healthcare professionals, policymakers and emergency services are gathering in Crystal Beach on Wednesday for the Fort Erie Healthcare Summit.
The summit is being organized by advocacy group Fort Erie Healthcare SOS, which works to highlight the needs of consistent access to healthcare in the community.
This meeting comes just a few months after the Niagara Healthcare Coalition joined Fort Erie Healthcare SOS and MPP Jeff Burch to deliver 3,200 signed letters, calling on Premier Doug Ford to reverse recent cuts Niagara Health has made to healthcare operations in the region.
Niagara Health cut back services in three locations, citing a shortage of staffing.
The cut backs left Port Colbourne and Fort Erie with no urgent care centres overnight, and Welland without emergency surgery.
READ MORE: Niagara Healthcare Coalition calls on province to reverse cuts to urgent care centres and surgeries
Advocates say the drive to an emergency room in another town could be a problem in bad weather or for an aging population.
Heather Kelley of Fort Erie Healthcare SOS previously said, “It’s about a need for people to have 24/7 care available to them in their own community.”
Another driving force behind Wednesday’s summit is the planned closure of Douglas Memorial Hospital in Fort Erie once the south Niagara hospital opens its doors in 2028.
In a statement from Niagara Health at the end of last year, the organization said it was building the new structure “to replace outdated, outgrown infrastructure.”
The main objective of Wednesday’s summit is to devise actionable strategies to enhance healthcare in the Niagara Region, and address the lack of services available in these communities.
READ MORE: Overnight closures of 2 Niagara Urgent Care Centres face backlash
