The Concerned Citizens of Charlotte County are still trying to figure out what the new clinic for the Charlotte County Hospital is all about.
Co-chair John Gardner points to the Choices Document and Engage New Brunswick Tour from January 2015, and says even if New brunswickers didn’t choose certain points in the document, the government is still applying them.
“One of the things that worries me most, we’ve already seen Visitor Information Centres close, we’ve seen consolidation of services, taxes have been increased, we’ve seen all that happening in the province, but what he haven’t seen yet is what they are doing with healthcare.”
Gardner says the Choices document also included the downsizing of hospitals into community health centres. He wonders if the new clinic slated to be open by the end of this year, is actually the start of downsizing the Charlotte County Hospital, “They were talking about downsizing hospitals, some would close, and some would be going to a community health model. Is this clinic in Charlotte County Hospital the start of that very project? To downsize and move to a community health centre. We don’t know enough about what is going on and government doesn’t seem to have the answers.”
The C4 group is asking for clarification and transparency from the province on what they are planning for the new primary care clinic. Health Minister Victor Boudreau has said the clinic was slated to open on the upper floor of the hospital by the end of this year.
