Lewisporte -
After a visit with the province's new health minister, people in Lewisporte have a little more hope than they had before.
Jerome Kennedy visited the town Wednesday to discuss his government's hotly contested decision to cut lab and X-ray services in the community as a money-saving measure. While Kennedy didn't exactly come out and reinstate services, he implied there might be a little wiggle room. That was good news for Lewisporte Mayor Brian Peckford. " This morning, lab and X-ray was gone. A few hours later there is a chance to save lab and X-ray," he said. "So if there's a chance that we may save and get it back under one roof, that's certainly positive from my point of view, and from the point of view of the Town of Lewisporte." Kennedy's visit had been keenly anticipated. The decision to cut services had been announced by former health minister Paul Oram Aug. 31, and since then doctors and community leaders have been clamoring to discuss the issue with the provincial government. On Wednesday, Kennedy met with representatives of municipal government, members of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens of Rural Newfoundland and Labrador and local physicians.
" The meeting was very positive," Kennedy said afterwards. " The people had the opportunity to express their frustration with the process as it has unfolded to date. " There was a spirit of co-operation, and essentially I delivered a message saying that same message I delivered to the community leaders in Flower's Cove - that we are willing to look at maintaining lab and X-ray services if we could find a way to save some money on capital expenditures." The capital expenditure in question is the redevelopment of the long-term health-care facility, North Haven Manor, which will cost $32 million. " We have two doctors in the room today telling us that acute care and the necessity of lab and X-ray services is the No. 1 priority," Kennedy said. "So I say to the people in the room, is there a way that we can adjust the capital cost? Can we work together to try and save some money on the capital side to maintain the lab and X-ray? The community leaders have indicated they are willing to do that and we are willing to discuss it." Peckford had mixed feelings about the possibility of North Haven Manor being affected. "Central Health say they did an operational review last year of the building and they basically told us that the building you are getting is the building that is needed - even after their operational review and the project came in over budget. It is a little disappointing to give something up, but the No. 1 priority is lab and X-ray." Coalition chairman Rev. Arthur Elliott, who has been vocal in his opposition to the healthcare-cuts, came away from the meeting feeling things are looking up. " We are feeling more optimistic than we have felt for a long, long time," he said. " The fact of the matter is that government has said quite clearly and quite specifically - rather than not continuing the non-dialogue - they have said we are going to talk to you about the health-care situation in this community and throughout this region, and out of that we are quite happy that something positive is certainly going to come out of this new relationship with government." In light of that warmer relationship, the coalition has put off a conference to discuss the issue and has put its anti-cuts advertising campaign on hold. Kennedy promised he would return to discuss the matter again. "I committed to the people during this meeting … to look further at this to see whether or not we can reduce the capital expenditures and essentially bring the budget ( for North Haven Manor redevelopment) under $30 million for the project. If we can do that, then we can certainly discuss the lab and X-ray services," he said. Kennedy said he would meet with engineers for Transportation and Works today to discuss the matter. "I indicated to the people that I could be ready to return to Lewisporte as early as next Friday to have further discussions with them," he said.
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