Change of heart

What a whirlwind the past two months have been. The region went from celebrating the announcement that work on North Haven Manor would be proceeding, to facing the elimination of X-ray services and now back to toasting the fact that lab and X-ray services will likely fit into the one-roof concept.

The removal of X-ray services prompted a fight in area residents that showed they meant business and they weren't going to back down until the decision was reversed, or at least until someone gave them good reason as to why the Laboratory and X-ray Clinic in Lewisporte should shut down.

No one in government seemed able to pinpoint a reasonable explanation for the removal of services from Lewisporte or Flowers Cove. When it was first announced the explanation was to streamline and provide better services to residents. That didn't fly with residents who knew that removing the lab and X-ray would accomplish just the opposite. Then it became about money and a potential savings of a whole $220,000 on the Lewisporte end of things. That $220,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the total spending for the provincial health budget. If all it took was a savings of $220,000 to make things right in terms of health spending things would be in great shape financially.

Government has admitted they didn't examine the full picture when it came to the actual cost the removal of lab and X-ray services from Lewisporte was going to result in. The Coalition of Concerned Citizens of Rural Newfoundland and Labrador knew the cost would be much more financially. They also knew it could be costly when it came to the health and well being of residents in the area.

While government came back and reversed the decision, one has to wonder if this would have been the case without the outcry from residents and the determined effort of the Coalition. The Coalition never gave up, even when it seemed that there was no chance that this decision would be reversed. They stood up for what they believe to be right and they won a resounding victory.

Everyone in the region should be thankful for the tireless efforts of the Coalition. They have made a difference in the lives of people who call Lewisporte and area home. They have made a difference in how health care services will be provided. They have made a difference in how government won't be able to take rural Newfoundland and Labrador for granted.

Karen Wells