>Jr. C Peach Kings take Game 1 of Niagara final, home Friday night, Pg. 4 >West Niagara’s best designs recognized Pg. 6 > Convos fundraiser nets $1,700 Pg. 7 > Region hires new E Dev director Pg. 8 Thursday, March 10, 2016 Vol. 4 Issue 40
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Packed house hears WLMH plan Frustration abounds about rebuild,
but optimism for proposed services
Hamilton Health Sciences president and CEO Rob MacIsaac presented HHS’s vision, then answered any and all questions. Williscraft - Photo By Mike Williscraft NewsNow On points with which Hamilton Health Sciences has control, president and CEO Rob MacIsaac was definitive last Thursday in laying out the future for West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. In the areas in which the HHS does not control its own destiny his answers heightened frustration. A packed Grimsby
Activity Centre, 250 seated and another 100-plus standing, hinged on every word as MacIsaac rolled through a detailed presentation: the results of its Our Healthy Future project. The goal of the project was to arrive and a locally driven plan to outline care mandates within the six-hospital HHS system. Keys to the HHS’s long-term plan for
WLMH include: • 24-hour emergency care • maternal and newborn program • community surgery program • Community Medicine, which includes integrated primary care, healthy aging and seniors care, specialty clinics, and advanced diagnostics. The latter would include installation of a CT scanner for local use, which drew a round of
applause from the crowd. MacIsaac even prefaced the entire night’s proceedings by offering a clear and unequivocal statement right off the top. “It is a priority for us to get the whole facility replaced. We are intending to rebuild the hospital,” said MacIsaac. As well, MacIsaac noted that residents in WLMH’s catchment area would
also have “access to (HHS’s) vast network of premium care at all of our sites.” EXTENDED Q&A At that point in the evening, the intention was to allow those in attendance to break into smaller groups and discuss with the many experts on hand for each of the main services to be maintained in Grimsby. Story boards and representatives for each specialty had
been assembled. But the massive turnout changed the agenda for the evening and MacIsaac thought it best to allow those in on hand to ask questions and voice concerns, while he would do his best to give detailed answers where possible. Michael Rozender was the first to speak. “I think I speak for everyone here when
See VISION, Page 3