Stevenson Memorial Healthcare facility to get rid of additional than a dozen nurses amid funding cuts

As the healthcare system carries on to experience substantial wait moments and burnt-out team, a clinic in New Tecumseth is laying off far more than a dozen nurses at the stop of the thirty day period.

CTV Information has figured out that 13 nurses at Stevenson Memorial Clinic will be laid off at the close of the month. The positions are all registered nurses (RN). Eight whole-time, one particular portion-time and 4 informal jobs are impacted.

In accordance to the Ontario Nurses Affiliation (ONA), nursing team and the union have been 1st informed on Wednesday.

The clinic suggests the funding that is remaining pulled is associated to an eight-mattress overflow unit. A substantial acuity unit is likely to be integrated into the hospital’s medical/surgical unit.

“The funding referenced was aspect of short term, extraordinary actions funding supplied to hospitals for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic to reimburse them for the costs incurred as a result of patient surge because of to the international pandemic,” Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for the Minister of Overall health stated to CTV Information in a statement. “Hospitals across the province been given this momentary reimbursement funding. As this reimbursement funding, there should really be zero impacts to people or service.”

Having said that, the ONA claims it was beneath the perception the funding provided was aspect of a long-phrase investment decision in clinic care.

“We have been produced to have an understanding of that this was element of their extended-expression redevelopment prepare for many years ahead, so you really don’t just place one thing in position and hope that it can be going to be accomplished in a yr,” claims Angela Preocanin, the ONA’s First Vice-President. “So that’s incredibly relating to that they explained that this was not section of their staffing prepare. How do you open up beds and not team it?”

The clinic verified to CTV News that it experienced been obtaining added funding for the past two years for the 8 included beds and states it included team. Having said that, it notes it is going through economic struggles.

“The further capability that was bundled over the program of the pandemic to day will be lowered,” a spokesperson for Stevenson Memorial Hospital explained. “The hospital is going through a deficit for the 2022-23 fiscal 12 months, so to aid realign the organization’s funds, there will be some changes.”

The layoffs arrive for the duration of a time of ongoing pressure going through hospitals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and when the New Tecumseth location continues to develop. When Stevenson Memorial Medical center opened in 1964, it serviced about 7,000 people each year. Those numbers have now developed to 40,000 a 12 months.

“[The layoffs] is essentially anything that will make me quite offended to consider that in this working day and age when we have this kind of a shortage, we are laying off nurses. Considering this is a little group hospital, you do not have the vacancy charges that you would suspect we would have,” says Preocanin. “We also understand that in this circumstance with these beds that, when they are not staying utilized, those nurses are staying reassigned to other units, together with the crisis division and the health-related units, to help help, so they you should not have a ton of turnover in these spots.”

In accordance to the ONA, there are only four vacancies at the clinic, three are aspect-time positions, and the only total-time one particular is in the obstetric section.

CTV Information achieved out to Brian Saunderson, the MPP for Simcoe-Grey. He reported he spoke with the hospital’s CEO this morning just after staying built informed of the circumstance and is on the lookout into it.

The layoffs are established to choose influence on March 31. Even so, the nurses will continue to be paid out for the upcoming 4 months due to the fact of the collective arrangement.

The ONA hopes there will be ample outrage from the general public above the coming months that the conclusion will be reversed.

“It can be the craziest detail. It tends to make no feeling in any way,” suggests Preocanin. “This is just the begin, I’m confident of it. I would hope that it really is not, but my coronary heart tells me that it is the start out of something, truly, actually awful, and it just is the decimation of our publicly funded healthcare program.”

The medical center suggests it is working to decrease the affect on support amounts.

“We are working with our Human Means Office to make sure as many choices as achievable are presented to fill vacancies and lessen affect.”
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