Following a lot of back and forth between the provincial government, Horizon Health, and the Concerned Citizens of Charlotte County group, the local group of residents are taking things one step further.
The CCCC says the operating room at the Charlotte County Hospital will close if we keep the status quo.
It was stated at a Town Hall meeting on Saturday, in a presentation by President of the Charlotte County Hospital Foundation, Steve Backman, that three out of four operating room nurses in St. Stephen have either moved on, or are considering retirement in the near future.
Co-Chair of CCCC, John Gardner says enough is enough, and the group has now put a proposal on the table for government, asking the authorities to work with them to develop a plan for the hospital to move forward, “If the authorities are not willing to work with us, then we’re requesting the Premier to instruct Horizon Health to turn over the [Charlotte County] Hospital’s operating budget to the residents of Charlotte County. We want to go back to an independent board, who will operate the hospital, independent from Horizon Health.”
Gardner claims, if this goes through, it will be big for rural New Brunswick, calling us the “canary in the coalmine” as everyone is watching Charlotte County right now.
