Chesley, Ont. residents take hospital fight to Queen’s Park

Residents of Chesley, Ont. took their fight to save their local hospital to Queen’s Park Thursday.

“I think it’s safe to say, lives are at stake when the Emergency Room (ER) is closed and not fully operational,” said Arran-Elderslie Deputy Mayor Jennifer Shaw.

Shaw joined members of the Chesley Hospital Community Support Group at Queen’s Park in Toronto as they fought to return their hospital to 24/7 care.

Since December, Chesley’s ER has only been open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

A lack of qualified nurses is being blamed for the ongoing closure.

“If you are having a stroke, or a heart attack, or had a fall, you don’t have time to drive down the highway,” said Chesley Hospital Community Support Group Co-Chair Brenda Scott.

That overnight and weekend closure is putting pressure on the next closest hospital in Hanover, Ont. It’s seen a 35 per cent increase in ER visits since 2019, when Chesley’s rolling ER closures began.

Brenda Scott, Jennifer Shaw, and Hazel Pratt took their fight to save the Chesley Hospital to Queen’s Park in Toronto on May 18, 2023. (Source: Queen’s Park Media Studio)

“With the hospital emergency room not open on weekends, evenings, or overnight, a large number of Chesley residents are overloading the nearby hospital. That causes a great concern,” said they group’s other Co-Chair Hazel Pratt.

Arran-Elderslie council asked for a meeting with the premier and/or health minister about their ER situation last fall, but not yet met with either.

“Our municipal government and elected officials have been ignored by Premier Ford and by the Minister of Health, and we’re not okay with that,” said Scott.

The Chesley group delivered a petition with 1,200 signatures to Queen’s Park Thursday, asking the government to investigate their hospital board’s governance, to pull their appeal of Bill 124 restricting nurse’s pay, and most importantly, to return their ER to 24/7 care.

“We are a great place to retire, and live, and raise a family, and primary health care should not be a right that’s denied [to] our residents, because we are in Rural Ontario,” said Shaw.

“We intend to keep this battle going. We’re absolutely committed to the hospital in Chesley,” said Scott.

Chesley isn’t alone, as Clinton, Ont.’s hospital hasn’t been open in the overnight hours since 2019, and Wingham, Ont.’s hospital will be closed from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Saturday until Tuesday this holiday weekend.