Waiting and watching in 2010

Selecting the top news story The Pilot reported on in 2010 is one that won't come as a surprise to readers.

The decision to close the Lewisporte Laboratory and X-Ray Clinic was one that resonated not just in Lewisporte, but to the surrounding catchment area and indeed the province as communities held their breath waiting to see if their services would be cut.

The year started out with the Lewisporte and Area Economic Development Committee wondering aloud when tenders would be called for the proposed under one-roof health care facility.

When over $800 million in infrastructure investments from the Provincial Government were announced and the health care facility in Lewisporte was not included in that, the worry began. However, people were told not to worry, that the one-roof facility was still in the works, that the project was still working its way through Cabinet to address a higher than anticipated project cost of $38 million, rather than the original $29.5 budget estimate.

That was in February. Then in April came the 2009 Provincial Budget which allocated $5 million to complete the final design work, tender call, ground preparation and laying of the foundation to start the redevelopment of North Haven Manor and create the under one-roof facility. People started to think the project would become a reality.

As the wait continued the tender calls never materialized and doubts about the project proceeding resurfaced. In June the Town of Lewisporte, the Lewisporte and Area Chamber of Commerce and the Community Economic Development Committee and surrounding communities requested a meeting with then Health and Community Services minister Ross Wiseman.

The groups involved wanted to know what was involved in a change in the scope of the proposed project to only focus on the redevelopment of North Haven Manor and the fear that the associated medical facilities had been eliminated. The need for an all-under-one-roof health care facility had been identified for the past 13 years and now it looked like the commitment to build such a facility was not going to happen.

Then in August the tendering process began for the redevelopment of North Haven Manor, although what was being termed as under one-roof underwent some change.

A total of $5 million was allocated for site infrastructure including water, sewer and electrical, as well as for the construction of a service building. Another minister of Health and Community Services, Paul Oram, visited Lewisporte to sit down with community leaders from Lewisporte and the surrounding area to deliver the news of just what $30 million would translate into for this project.

The revised plan differed from the original to now include a 51-bed redeveloped North Haven Manor, 12-bed dementia bungalow, emergency services and Health and Community Services. It was reported that the physicians clinic and the lab and x-ray clinic would not be included in this project right at that time, but it was also noted that the clinic would remain open as is for the time being.

Everyone at the table seemed satisfied. It wasn't exactly what they were hoping for, but the need for compromise was recognized. While the changes to the original plan were accepted, that didn't mean that the lobby to have the lab and x-ray and doctor's offices included in the future would cease.

No one could have guessed after meeting with Mr. Oram earlier in the month that on Aug. 31 the rug would be pulled out from under their feet. It was announced that while blood collection would happen at North Haven Manor, the remaining lab and x-ray services would be done in Gander or Grand Falls-Windsor and the local clinic would close in the near future.

The outrage that ensued from not only those lobbying for the one-roof health care facility but the community, region and province was one that won't be forgotten by those who were part of or witnessed such a public outcry for change.

This region was a leader in fighting for a reversal to the decision to relocate services and from it the Concerned Citizen's Coalition of Rural Newfoundland and Labrador was formed. They put up a fight and their efforts paid off with the eventual reversal of the decision under yet another new Health and Community Services Minister, Jerome Kennedy.

News of the reversal came in late October, after almost two months of putting people in the region through the worry of losing the service that was so valuable to them. Just what the final concept will look like is still unknown; Minister Kennedy said lab and x-ray services and the After Hours Clinic would be located in one building. There will still be 51 long-term care beds and the 12-bed dementia bungalow. Community Health will remain in the community but not included in the actual facility, as is the case with doctors offices.

The hope in October was to get the tendering process to the point where work can proceed with construction beginning in the 2010 construction season. From there it could take two to four years to complete the project. The cost of the project was still expected to come in at around the $30 million mark.

Everyone seems satisfied for the time being and the Concerned Citizen's Coalition is still waiting in the wings, making sure this project becomes a reality. In 2010 this story will most likely make headlines again, but hopefully it will be because the project is moving ahead as planned.