JASON SETNYK
Following the release of the Driven to the Brink report by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE), which warned of deep staffing and bed cuts across the province under the Ford government’s health care funding plan, Cornwall Community Hospital has responded to questions about the local impact.
CUPE’s report, presented at a January 29 press conference in Cornwall, projected that the city’s hospital could lose 17 beds and 63 staff positions by 2028 if provincial trends are applied locally. The report also criticized the province’s 2% annual funding increase directive and the practice of announcing final allocations late in the fiscal year.
Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) noted that the 2% figure is “for planning purposes only and not a firm funding allocation.” The hospital said it is incorporating this assumption alongside internal estimates for patient volumes, inflation, and labour adjustments in order to balance revenue and expenses.
In response to CUPE’s local projections, CCH stated, “We are not aware of the source of the figures being quoted or how these figures were calculated.” The hospital emphasized it is not currently facing staffing shortages or service reductions and that it does not anticipate cuts in the near term. CCH added that it recently filled over 150 positions and welcomed 41 new physicians.
As for year-end funding announcements, CCH acknowledged that early confirmation “makes sense” and credited its partnership with St. Lawrence College for helping avoid agency staff use.
L’article Hospital: No cuts foreseen in near future est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
