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Health minister hears from Pettapiece on Hillside Manor beds
October 2, 2017
(Queen’s Park) – Hillside Manor was again the topic of debate at Queen’s Park last week. For a second time, Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece raised it during question period with Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
“Investment [in long-term care] has dried up, even as the need keeps going up,” Pettapiece said.
“And the government is considering a proposal to transfer up to 50 of our beds out of Perth County, and into London. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. More long-term care homes are going to close when their licenses expire.”
“Will the government stop the bed transfer?”
In response, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care insisted that no decision has been made.
“We are… in the critical stage of getting that community consultation,” he said.
That consultation can lead the government to only one conclusion, Pettapiece stated after his question. “The response has been overwhelming. People are absolutely opposed to moving beds out of our area.”
“So the decision should be obvious,” he added.
In August, Pettapiece hand-delivered a stack of petitions directly to Hoskins’ office. They call on the government to reject the bed transfer and reinvest in long-term care.
Pettapiece is urging constituents to attend the second public meeting, which the government is holding on Wednesday, October 4, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Sebringville Community Centre.
“This is not over,” Pettapiece said. “We need to keep telling the government that long-term care bed cuts in Perth-Wellington are totally unacceptable.”
