The Erie-St Clair Local Health Integration Network is our government's representative for our community. We have been writing to them for over six months to ask that they allow us to present our concerns to them at a Board meeting held in Windsor. They have a legal mandate to engage with the public, but they hold their monthly meetings in Chatham.
For a $2 billion healthcare decision that will affect our community for generations to come, we believe the LHIN is failing in its mandate.
The letters below are copies of our correspondence.
For a $2 billion healthcare decision that will affect our community for generations to come, we believe the LHIN is failing in its mandate.
The letters below are copies of our correspondence.
Sent Mary 18, 2016:
Dear Dr. Girash Thank you for your email this afternoon. I am glad that the time has been moved to 6pm as I requested. We already heard from a number of concerned residents who are simply not available before then. With just 6 days to go before the meeting, I hope this change in times won’t cause confusion. It is quite surprising to see you are limiting the number of open mic opportunities to just 3 speakers. When you held your meeting in Leamington in November 2014, you allowed a full hour for this purpose. I would like to note the difference of the financial impact of the decision facing us today in Windsor-Essex ($2 billion) compared to the Leamington issue ($2 million). More importantly, the general public has not been provided with a single opportunity to officially register its opinion on the location of the proposed new hospital, or its proposed satellite facilities. As I have mentioned in many prior emails to you, there have been public engagement opportunities, but every one of them excluded discussion of the County Road 42 hospital location, which was presented as a “done deal”. In any event, there were never any opportunities to register one’s opinion. This means, as far as I can tell, that the LHIN, and by extension, the MOHLTC, has no objective measurement of the public’s response. This is remarkably undemocratic, especially for a decision of this importance, and contrary to the MOHLTC’s mandate to Move Forward on Accountability and Transparency. The lack of public consultation was the subject of our meeting with Mr. Switzer on December 3, 2015. He indicated that he thought there was data to support the extent of public consultation at his office. He promised to get it to us. Half a year later, we are still waiting for this information. Frankly, your apparent concern that CAMPP would try to dominate the meeting by having multiple representatives speaking for the group is quite surprising. The rules outlined in your email seem to go to extraordinary lengths to prevent CAMPP from speaking more than once. Rest assured, I am the only person I am aware of who is planning to speak on our group’s behalf. I do know of a number of resident stakeholders who are hoping to have their say. I hope you will acknowledge this in view of the LHIN’s mandate to “engage the community of diverse persons and entities involved with the local health system about that system on an ongoing basis”. Because of this, I hope you will reconsider my request to make available your open mic process to more than three stakeholders. As there isn’t much time between now and May 24th, I respectfully ask that you confirm to me before the end of the day on Thursday, May 18th, 2016, whether this opportunity to speak will be made available to residents. Finally, I sent my application to speak to Ruth Augi on March 23 in my capacity as the spokesperson for Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process. She acknowledged this on May 4th. The title of my presentation will be: Concerns Regarding the Windsor-Essex Hospital Proposal. Sincerely Philippa von Ziegenweidt, Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process |
Received May 18, 2016:
This email is forwarded on behalf of Dr. Martin Girash, Board Chair, Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network Good afternoon; In preparation for the upcoming Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) off-site Open Board Meeting in Windsor on Tuesday, May 24th, 2016, please note the following details: · Location: Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Ave., Windsor · Room: Windsor Ballroom · Time: 6:00 pm Regular Board business will lead the agenda items listed on the Open Agenda, followed by Open Mic and then the scheduled delegation/presentations. The Open ESC LHIN Board Meeting will adjourn immediately following the delegation/presentations. Please note that estimated start time for the CAMPP presentation is ~ 7:00 pm. Please provide us with the following information: · Title of CAMPP presentation · Name and Title of presenter To confirm, please note the following parameters for your presentation to the Board: · Only one (1) presenter/speaker may speak · The presenter/speaker will be allotted twenty (20) minutes to speak to the LHIN Board ü ESC LHIN Board Vice-Chair, Michael Hoare will act as a “time-keeper” and signal to the presenter/speaker when their time is nearing completion · The presenter/speaker will be allotted an additional ten (10) minutes to respond to question from the LHIN Board ü At no time will questions, dialogue or inter-action be entered into between the audience and/or the Board or presenter/speaker · If you wish to distribute hard copies of any materials to the LHIN Board, please provide electronic copies of the materials (via email) by end of day, Thursday, May 19th, 2016 · A PowerPoint presentation is welcomed, however, please note the display of slides is included in the twenty (20) minute presentation timeframe ü If speaking to a PowerPoint slide deck, please provide an electronic copy (via email) by end of day, Friday, May 20th, 2016 Please also note the following Open Mic structure: o Open Mic – Agenda Item #10 will start at ~ 6:40 pm o As is our current protocol, total Open Mic registrants will be capped at three (3) with a maximum of five (5) minutes each. o Open Mic registration will ensure that “a voice without an otherwise opportunity to be heard at this meeting, will be the voice heard at Open Mic”. o Individuals will be asked at the time of Open Mic registration whether they “are members of, or affiliated with, any of the delegations/presentations speaking tonight”. If they are, they will be politely advised that as the delegation/presentations already scheduled have an opportunity to speak to our Board, the Open Mic spots are only available to individuals not otherwise represented. o Once introduced by the ESC LHIN Board Chair, the Open Mic speaker, will again be asked if they are a member of, or affiliated with, any of the upcoming delegation/presentations and if so, the Open Mic speaker will be politely advised of the Open Mic purpose and structure and denied speaking time. o Doing their address to the Board, should the Open Mic speaker turn out to be a representative of any of the scheduled delegation/presentations, the ESC LHIN Board Chair will stop the speaker. o The ESC LHIN Board Vice-Chair, Michael Hoare will be the Open Mic “timekeeper” and provide a 1 minute signal to the Open Mic speaker. Please confirm your understanding of these details along with the title of CAMPP’s presentation and name & title of the presenter. Don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. Many thanks, Ruth M. Augi Corporate Coordinator, Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) |
Sent May 4th, to Ruth Augi, Corporate Coordinator, LHIN:
Dear Ruth,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I see you have corrected the inconsistency on your website too.
I would like to point out that when the LHIN met in Leamington on November 12, 2014, the community stakeholder presentations began at 5.15 pm. For the May 5, 2015 meeting, the public meeting began at 6 pm.
Yet the information you sent suggests you are asking Windsor stakeholders to meet at 4 pm. As I mentioned before, this is an inconvenient time for those with day jobs. As our supporters have been quick to point out, it's also an inconvenient time for those with small children.
As Mr. Musyj stated on CBC on May 27, 2014, when the process had barely started, this was to be “The most inclusive, transparent, fullsome process that will result in the best decision for the location of the new hospital. What we have been told is that we have put together such a process up this point by trying to get the community involved."
While I appreciate that there will never be a time that is convenient to everybody, it does appear that the Erie St. Clair LHIN has gone to extraordinary lengths to make it harder to engage with Windsor stakeholders on the matter of the proposed new hospital, thus contradicting Mr. Musyj's optimistic public statement.
As I wrote in my email to Gary Switzer this afternoon, our group fails to understand why the LHIN is so reluctant to engage with Windsor area residents who are concerned about the details of this $2 billion healthcare proposal. It goes against your organization's mandate to engage with the public, and also reinforces our assertion that no real public consultation has taken place during this process.
I would be grateful if you would reconsider the starting time for this meeting, so as to provide more residents with an opportunity to attend. As I mentioned this afternoon, a starting time of 6.30 pm would be ideal.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, CAMPP
Dear Ruth,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I see you have corrected the inconsistency on your website too.
I would like to point out that when the LHIN met in Leamington on November 12, 2014, the community stakeholder presentations began at 5.15 pm. For the May 5, 2015 meeting, the public meeting began at 6 pm.
Yet the information you sent suggests you are asking Windsor stakeholders to meet at 4 pm. As I mentioned before, this is an inconvenient time for those with day jobs. As our supporters have been quick to point out, it's also an inconvenient time for those with small children.
As Mr. Musyj stated on CBC on May 27, 2014, when the process had barely started, this was to be “The most inclusive, transparent, fullsome process that will result in the best decision for the location of the new hospital. What we have been told is that we have put together such a process up this point by trying to get the community involved."
While I appreciate that there will never be a time that is convenient to everybody, it does appear that the Erie St. Clair LHIN has gone to extraordinary lengths to make it harder to engage with Windsor stakeholders on the matter of the proposed new hospital, thus contradicting Mr. Musyj's optimistic public statement.
As I wrote in my email to Gary Switzer this afternoon, our group fails to understand why the LHIN is so reluctant to engage with Windsor area residents who are concerned about the details of this $2 billion healthcare proposal. It goes against your organization's mandate to engage with the public, and also reinforces our assertion that no real public consultation has taken place during this process.
I would be grateful if you would reconsider the starting time for this meeting, so as to provide more residents with an opportunity to attend. As I mentioned this afternoon, a starting time of 6.30 pm would be ideal.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, CAMPP
Hello Ms. Von Ziegenweidt:
The Erie St. Clair (ESC) LHIN will be holding their May Open Board Meeting off-site, in Windsor, at the Caboto Club on Tuesday, May 24th, 2016. This is in keeping with our Board’s efforts to provide an opportunity for local residents and health service providers of Erie St. Clair to attend one of our regular Board Meetings.
Presentations are an important component of our Open Board Meeting, offering our Board Members an appreciation of the issues and views of patients, families and providers in our LHIN.
We are in receipt of your application to speak at our Open Board Meeting and we accept your request to present to our Board.
The draft agenda for the “off-site” ESC LHIN Open Board Meeting continues to be developed and as we will be devoting a significant portion of our Open Board Meeting to presentations/speakers, please note the following details and parameters regarding presentations for this meeting:
· Only one (1) presenter/speaker per presentation
· Each presenter/speaker will be allotted twenty (20) minutes to speak to the LHIN Board
o a LHIN Board Member will act as a “time-keeper” and signal to the presenter/speaker when their time is nearing completion
· Each presenter/speaker will be allotted an additional ten (10) minutes to respond to question from the LHIN Board
o At no time will questions, dialogue or inter-action be entered into between the audience and/or the Board or presenter/speaker
· If you wish to distribute hard copies of any materials to the LHIN Board, please provide electronic copies of the materials (via email) by end of day, Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
· A PowerPoint presentation is welcomed – please note the display of slides is included in the twenty (20) minute presentation timeframe
o If speaking to a PowerPoint slide deck, please provide an electronic copy (via email) by end of day, Friday, May 20th, 2016
Again please note that the day/date/location/time for the ESC LHIN Open Board Meeting is:
· DAY: Tuesday
· DATE: May 24th, 2016
· LOCATION: Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Ave., Windsor, ON
· TIME: 4:00 pm
Please don’t hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions or require any further information.
Thank you.
Ruth M. Augi
Corporate Coordinator,
Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN)
The Erie St. Clair (ESC) LHIN will be holding their May Open Board Meeting off-site, in Windsor, at the Caboto Club on Tuesday, May 24th, 2016. This is in keeping with our Board’s efforts to provide an opportunity for local residents and health service providers of Erie St. Clair to attend one of our regular Board Meetings.
Presentations are an important component of our Open Board Meeting, offering our Board Members an appreciation of the issues and views of patients, families and providers in our LHIN.
We are in receipt of your application to speak at our Open Board Meeting and we accept your request to present to our Board.
The draft agenda for the “off-site” ESC LHIN Open Board Meeting continues to be developed and as we will be devoting a significant portion of our Open Board Meeting to presentations/speakers, please note the following details and parameters regarding presentations for this meeting:
· Only one (1) presenter/speaker per presentation
· Each presenter/speaker will be allotted twenty (20) minutes to speak to the LHIN Board
o a LHIN Board Member will act as a “time-keeper” and signal to the presenter/speaker when their time is nearing completion
· Each presenter/speaker will be allotted an additional ten (10) minutes to respond to question from the LHIN Board
o At no time will questions, dialogue or inter-action be entered into between the audience and/or the Board or presenter/speaker
· If you wish to distribute hard copies of any materials to the LHIN Board, please provide electronic copies of the materials (via email) by end of day, Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
· A PowerPoint presentation is welcomed – please note the display of slides is included in the twenty (20) minute presentation timeframe
o If speaking to a PowerPoint slide deck, please provide an electronic copy (via email) by end of day, Friday, May 20th, 2016
Again please note that the day/date/location/time for the ESC LHIN Open Board Meeting is:
· DAY: Tuesday
· DATE: May 24th, 2016
· LOCATION: Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Ave., Windsor, ON
· TIME: 4:00 pm
Please don’t hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions or require any further information.
Thank you.
Ruth M. Augi
Corporate Coordinator,
Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN)
May 4, 2016
February 10, 2016
Dear Dr. Girash, Mr Switzer:
Eight days ago I emailed you to remind you that according to your January 13th email to us, "The Committee will be making recommendations to our Board in regards to these off-site meetings and they will be discussed at an upcoming Open Board Meeting. Once the locations are determined, they will be posted on our website."
It is now nearly a month since we last heard from you and there are no changes to the locations on your website.
In the meanwhile, last week, former Toronto mayor John Sewell drew a crowd of over 200 (city and county residents - you may be surprised to learn that many county residents support our position too) concerned about the changes to our hospital healthcare in Windsor Essex. We're very sorry you weren't able to join us, though we heard later that two others who didn't attend, David Musyj and Dave Cooke, listened in on the radio instead. Perhaps you did too.
Mr. Musyj and Mr. Cooke have been actively villifying our efforts to point out that a greenfield hospital location on County Road 42 is at total odds with Provincial Planning Policy, Windsor's Official Plan, as well as the Wynne Government's goal of developing smart, sustainable cities, and protecting Ontario's natural resource, its productive farm land.
We see it as our civic responsibility to hold our elected and non-elected decision-makers to account, but this is being portrayed very negatively to the public.
For example, at last week's meeting at Life After Fifty, David Musyj said, "Some people are wanting to create chaos and don't want the project to move ahead". Reading his quote, I realize it sounds more benign than the threatening tone he used while saying it. It was part of a concerted effort to stifle all dissent. When I asked my question about nursing layoffs and how the servicing of Ontario's debt might affect our ability to adequately service a new hospital, for example, the members of the Board, who were also present at the meeting, loudly applauded the responses from the "two Daves".
What really saddens me is that this event, which drew an audience of 30 (including members of the hospital Board and the site selection committee) will no doubt be chalked up as "public consultation".
I would like to remind you of your organization's own Spectrum of Engagement. In my honest opinion, the process has not even met the criteria of the very first, most basic step, "Inform - provide balanced information - assist the public to understand the problem & available options & solutions".
In closing, I would like to ask you again what decisions were made at your January 26th meeting to move at least some of your Board meetings to Windsor, to enable Windsor residents to share their hospital healthcare concerns with you in person. Finally, I would like to re-emphasize that, like those you held in Leamington, an evening meeting would be much more convenient for residents with day-jobs to attend.
Dear Dr. Girash, Mr Switzer:
Eight days ago I emailed you to remind you that according to your January 13th email to us, "The Committee will be making recommendations to our Board in regards to these off-site meetings and they will be discussed at an upcoming Open Board Meeting. Once the locations are determined, they will be posted on our website."
It is now nearly a month since we last heard from you and there are no changes to the locations on your website.
In the meanwhile, last week, former Toronto mayor John Sewell drew a crowd of over 200 (city and county residents - you may be surprised to learn that many county residents support our position too) concerned about the changes to our hospital healthcare in Windsor Essex. We're very sorry you weren't able to join us, though we heard later that two others who didn't attend, David Musyj and Dave Cooke, listened in on the radio instead. Perhaps you did too.
Mr. Musyj and Mr. Cooke have been actively villifying our efforts to point out that a greenfield hospital location on County Road 42 is at total odds with Provincial Planning Policy, Windsor's Official Plan, as well as the Wynne Government's goal of developing smart, sustainable cities, and protecting Ontario's natural resource, its productive farm land.
We see it as our civic responsibility to hold our elected and non-elected decision-makers to account, but this is being portrayed very negatively to the public.
For example, at last week's meeting at Life After Fifty, David Musyj said, "Some people are wanting to create chaos and don't want the project to move ahead". Reading his quote, I realize it sounds more benign than the threatening tone he used while saying it. It was part of a concerted effort to stifle all dissent. When I asked my question about nursing layoffs and how the servicing of Ontario's debt might affect our ability to adequately service a new hospital, for example, the members of the Board, who were also present at the meeting, loudly applauded the responses from the "two Daves".
What really saddens me is that this event, which drew an audience of 30 (including members of the hospital Board and the site selection committee) will no doubt be chalked up as "public consultation".
I would like to remind you of your organization's own Spectrum of Engagement. In my honest opinion, the process has not even met the criteria of the very first, most basic step, "Inform - provide balanced information - assist the public to understand the problem & available options & solutions".
In closing, I would like to ask you again what decisions were made at your January 26th meeting to move at least some of your Board meetings to Windsor, to enable Windsor residents to share their hospital healthcare concerns with you in person. Finally, I would like to re-emphasize that, like those you held in Leamington, an evening meeting would be much more convenient for residents with day-jobs to attend.
February 2, 2016
Dear Dr. Girash, Mr Switzer:
In your January 13th email to us, we noted that "The Committee will be making recommendations to our Board in regards to these off-site meetings and they will be discussed at an upcoming Open Board Meeting. Once the locations are determined, they will be posted on our website."
Your website is still showing that all future Board meetings will be held in Chatham.
We are therefore writing to ask what decisions if any were made at your January 26th meeting to move at least some of these Board meetings to Windsor, to enable Windsor residents to share their hospital healthcare concerns with you in person.
I would like to reiterate that the potential size of the healthcare investment in our community is significantly larger than any other we are likely to see in our lifetimes.
It is therefore difficult for us to understand the rationale behind the ESC LHIN's reluctance to engage with residents through its Board meetings.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
Dear Dr. Girash, Mr Switzer:
In your January 13th email to us, we noted that "The Committee will be making recommendations to our Board in regards to these off-site meetings and they will be discussed at an upcoming Open Board Meeting. Once the locations are determined, they will be posted on our website."
Your website is still showing that all future Board meetings will be held in Chatham.
We are therefore writing to ask what decisions if any were made at your January 26th meeting to move at least some of these Board meetings to Windsor, to enable Windsor residents to share their hospital healthcare concerns with you in person.
I would like to reiterate that the potential size of the healthcare investment in our community is significantly larger than any other we are likely to see in our lifetimes.
It is therefore difficult for us to understand the rationale behind the ESC LHIN's reluctance to engage with residents through its Board meetings.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
January 23, 2016
Via Email in response to this letter from Dr. Girash (CEO of the Erie St. Clair LHIN). Dear Dr. Girash, Re: Opportunity to Present to ESC LHIN Board Thank you for your invitation to participate with your Board via the Ontario Telemedicine Network. We have been advised by several of our group’s physician members, who have used the system for their hospital meetings, that this technology is extremely impersonal. We also feel a teleconference is not commensurate with the gravity of our concerns and the $2 billion healthcare investment that our community faces. As we’ve been reminded many times, this is a once-in-a-lifetime investment in our region. The last time the Erie St Clair LHIN held a Board meeting in Windsor was in May 2014. Since then, you held two meetings in Leamington (one in November 2014 and another in May 2015), to address a $1 million community healthcare problem. I would like to add that both Leamington meetings were held in the evening, which is definitely more conducive to community participation. We feel your mandate to engage with our community will not be adequately achieved if we take you up on your offer. For these reasons, we thank you for your offer, but prefer to ask that you schedule the location of a future Board meeting so it can be held in Windsor, preferably outside of typical working hours. When we spoke with Gary Switzer on December 3rd, 2015, he said he thought a Windsor meeting would be a possibility after discussing the matter with you. Sincerely Philippa von Ziegenweidt Spokesperson, CAMPP |
|
January 17, 2016
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Mr. Switzer,
Thank you. We will wait for your Board's decision on whether you will be holding any upcoming meetings in Windsor. Once we hear back from you when you might be doing this, we would like to apply as a delegation to present our concerns regarding the location of the new hospital and the process used to select it.
Thank you for the offer of transportation. While I appreciate the gesture, it is really a matter of the time and distance required to get to Chatham and back.
Just to be clear, we have summarized our concerns as follows, though I do want to emphasize that we don't like to consider any one of them as more important than the other:
Access to acute healthcare services, particularly for low income residents, seniors and people who don't drive
Cost to the taxpayer of additional infrastructure needed to build and service an ex-urban hospital location
Environmental concerns regarding use of farmland and additional auto emissions, since the aggregate distance is further than currently when the combined W-E population is taken into account
Urban vitality that is lost by moving two century-old anchor institutions out of the core of the city
Our concerns with regard to the process involve what we feel to be insufficient public engagement, and a lack of objective measurement of the public's opinion. This, we classify as Transparency.
You might be interested to know that put together and rearranged, these concerns form the acronym ACUTE, which we find quite fitting under the circumstances.
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Mr. Switzer,
Thank you. We will wait for your Board's decision on whether you will be holding any upcoming meetings in Windsor. Once we hear back from you when you might be doing this, we would like to apply as a delegation to present our concerns regarding the location of the new hospital and the process used to select it.
Thank you for the offer of transportation. While I appreciate the gesture, it is really a matter of the time and distance required to get to Chatham and back.
Just to be clear, we have summarized our concerns as follows, though I do want to emphasize that we don't like to consider any one of them as more important than the other:
Access to acute healthcare services, particularly for low income residents, seniors and people who don't drive
Cost to the taxpayer of additional infrastructure needed to build and service an ex-urban hospital location
Environmental concerns regarding use of farmland and additional auto emissions, since the aggregate distance is further than currently when the combined W-E population is taken into account
Urban vitality that is lost by moving two century-old anchor institutions out of the core of the city
Our concerns with regard to the process involve what we feel to be insufficient public engagement, and a lack of objective measurement of the public's opinion. This, we classify as Transparency.
You might be interested to know that put together and rearranged, these concerns form the acronym ACUTE, which we find quite fitting under the circumstances.
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process
Letter from LHIN to CAMPP promising to raise the issue of Board meeting locations at the upcoming Board meeting and offering transportation to Chatham.
January 9, 2016
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Mr. Switzer,
I am writing to you in response to your email of January 8, which is attached. As I wrote to you on December 24, 2015, I am asking for:
• An opportunity to address your Board, and
• At least one, preferably more, of your board meetings to be held in Windsor.
As I mentioned before, our group spoke with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in September 2015 about our concerns surrounding the consultation process for the $2 billion provincial investment in a new hospital for Windsor-Essex. Dr. Bell’s Ministry staff insisted that we take it up with you.
There’s no point in filling out the form to apply to address your Board, unless I know I will be able to do so in Windsor. I am simply not in a position to drive to Chatham to a meeting that starts at 1 pm on a Tuesday afternoon.
If I’m not mistaken, we are the largest community in the ESC jurisdiction, so it’s a very reasonable request to hold at least several of your Board meetings in Windsor each year. After all, isn’t the goal of holding open meetings to promote transparency and public engagement?
In 2015, you met in Grand Bend and Leamington, but you expect the people you represent in Windsor to travel more than an hour to Chatham, and an hour back again. As a matter of interest, do you ever see any residents making this trip in order to attend your meetings?
Dr. Girash, in his letter to me dated October 13, 2015, pointed out that: “The LHIN’s authority … was to ensure that a robust process was used and implemented ... The Erie St. Clair LHIN was satisfied that such a robust process was established and implemented.“
According to your website, “Community Engagement is both a legislated responsibility and a core function”.
Since it is proving so difficult for members of the public to point out deficits in the process Dr. Girash referred to, it’s not surprising to me that he, and presumably, the rest of the Board, are sleeping secure in the belief that all is well.
To be honest, I’d rather stop this email back and forth with you because it’s clear we aren’t getting anywhere. I’m sure you are getting just as annoyed as I am at this stage. If the staff at the Ministry would confirm that we have a problem that isn’t getting resolved, and that I might as well give up trying, it will save both of us a lot of effort.
But until they do so, I feel obliged to continue to ask you for an opportunity to address your Board at a meeting held in Windsor.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
Addendum
1. The following are the main points we hope to bring to the Board’s attention relating to the consultation process – it is immediately obvious that this can’t be communicated in a 5 minute open-mic session:
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Mr. Switzer,
I am writing to you in response to your email of January 8, which is attached. As I wrote to you on December 24, 2015, I am asking for:
• An opportunity to address your Board, and
• At least one, preferably more, of your board meetings to be held in Windsor.
As I mentioned before, our group spoke with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in September 2015 about our concerns surrounding the consultation process for the $2 billion provincial investment in a new hospital for Windsor-Essex. Dr. Bell’s Ministry staff insisted that we take it up with you.
There’s no point in filling out the form to apply to address your Board, unless I know I will be able to do so in Windsor. I am simply not in a position to drive to Chatham to a meeting that starts at 1 pm on a Tuesday afternoon.
If I’m not mistaken, we are the largest community in the ESC jurisdiction, so it’s a very reasonable request to hold at least several of your Board meetings in Windsor each year. After all, isn’t the goal of holding open meetings to promote transparency and public engagement?
In 2015, you met in Grand Bend and Leamington, but you expect the people you represent in Windsor to travel more than an hour to Chatham, and an hour back again. As a matter of interest, do you ever see any residents making this trip in order to attend your meetings?
Dr. Girash, in his letter to me dated October 13, 2015, pointed out that: “The LHIN’s authority … was to ensure that a robust process was used and implemented ... The Erie St. Clair LHIN was satisfied that such a robust process was established and implemented.“
According to your website, “Community Engagement is both a legislated responsibility and a core function”.
Since it is proving so difficult for members of the public to point out deficits in the process Dr. Girash referred to, it’s not surprising to me that he, and presumably, the rest of the Board, are sleeping secure in the belief that all is well.
To be honest, I’d rather stop this email back and forth with you because it’s clear we aren’t getting anywhere. I’m sure you are getting just as annoyed as I am at this stage. If the staff at the Ministry would confirm that we have a problem that isn’t getting resolved, and that I might as well give up trying, it will save both of us a lot of effort.
But until they do so, I feel obliged to continue to ask you for an opportunity to address your Board at a meeting held in Windsor.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
Addendum
1. The following are the main points we hope to bring to the Board’s attention relating to the consultation process – it is immediately obvious that this can’t be communicated in a 5 minute open-mic session:
- CAMPP’s frequently stated concerns regarding the importance of sound urban planning principles were completely ignored in the site selection criteria. Specifically, we talked about the need to follow municipal and provincial planning policy dealing with intensification and brownfield redevelopment, and the protection of productive farmland in the face of stagnant population growth. (Mr Musyj's response was that the Steering Committee’s responsibility did not extend beyond the provision of healthcare)
- Only one public town hall meeting was ever held in Windsor. This was before the preferred site was announced. Other presentations were made at organizations which one generally had to be a member of to attend. Except for a presentation at the AGM of Life After Fifty, I don't remember a single one that was publicly announced, so it was difficult for non-members to know about them.
- There was only one survey (ranking of site selection criteria) to collect the public’s opinion. It was available for input for just 2 weeks.
- The criteria the public were asked to rank did not include references to a preference for urban vs. rural site, protection of farmland, environmental stewardship, urban densification or brownfield redevelopment.
- The comments to this survey showed that of 364 comments received, 154 correspondents preferred an urban site, and 103 preferred a site outside the urban core. There were also 18 complaints about the survey itself.
- There has not been a single further opportunity for the public to submit their opinion in a manner that was objectively measured by the Steering Committee.
- The Steering Committee has not hosted any public community consultations since the announcement of the preferred hospital site. There have been phone-in shows on a commercial radio station (AM800-CKLW).
- When we contacted community groups supporting people living in poverty and with disabilities, we discovered they were unaware of the planned changes to the healthcare landscape in W-E. Not only had they not been reached through the Steering Committee’s engagement process, but they had also missed the window of opportunity to communicate their insights.
- Several physicians who voiced their opposition to the process as they saw it unfolding were asked to cease and desist. This is causing some consternation among physicians and nurses who are members of CAMPP and who feel they cannot comment publicly.
- CAMPP has heard from several people working for prominent community organizations that they are personally strongly opposed to the proposed location. For professional reasons, they are not in a position comment publicly. We have seen the term “train-wreck” used more than once in relation to their opinion of the site on County Road 42.
- The Steering Committee has referred to our group to the media on several occasions as people who are “unhappy” with the location, describing our analysis as lacking in credibility and integrity, though without substantiating its claims. The process of marginalizing our work highlights the biased nature of the public engagement process.
Via email
January 8, 2016
Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Windsor CAMPP
[email protected]
Windsor, Ontario
Dear Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt:
Re: Letter – Response to letter from December 24, 2015
Thank you for your letter dated December 24, 2015. I wish again to reiterate that the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process, including site selection and community engagement process. Rather this is the role of the Capital Planning Steering Committee and the Site Selection Subcommittee; a subcommittee which includes members of the public. That being said, we appreciate your concerns and the passion you have for health care. The ESC LHIN continues to conduct itself with transparency and values the input of the community; we hope this is evident through our numerous interactions with you and your organization since March 2014. In follow up to your December 24, 2015 letter, please see our statement as sent to you December 21, 2015 below:
For clarity, the Capital Planning Process in which the acute care hospital is subject to is comprised of a five stage process. At the beginning of the process, a Capital Planning Steering Committee (Steering Committee) was established. The Steering Committee later formed an 11 member Site Selection Subcommittee (Subcommittee). The Subcommittee is composed of volunteer members from Windsor/Essex, and was tasked with reviewing proposals and making a recommendation for the location of the new hospital. Together, the Steering Committee and the Subcommittee are working through the five stage process.
Each stage of the five stage process requires approvals prior to proceeding to the next stage. According to the Steering Committee’s website, during what is referred to as Stage 1B of the Capital Planning Process, the Steering Committee undertook different types of community engagement in determining more specific details about plans for a site, services, and finances.
The types of community engagement included hosting Town Hall radio broadcasts, online consultations and holding more than 25 presentations with different community groups.
Under the Capital Planning Process, the LHIN is not required to endorse the Stage 1B proposal. Following the Steering Committee’s announcement in July of its plans and location for the new acute care hospital, the Stage 1B proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for review and approval. In order for the proposal to proceed to Stage 2, it requires the Ministry’s approval.
Again, I invite you to attend one of our upcoming Open Board Meetings where you may provide
our Board with a 5-minute presentation during the Open Mic session:
- Tuesday, January 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, February 23, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, March 22, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, April 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
Please note, to register for one of the three Open Mic times available at each meeting, please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. For further information, please visit our website. In addition, you may also submit a request to make a formal presentation to our Board by using our Delegation Application Form, which is found on our website and is also attached to this letter, along with our Delegation Guidelines. Once received, the Board will consider your request for a formal presentation.
Please note that due to time constraints, not all Open Board Meetings have a presentation component, however, they do all have an Open Mic session component. As was noted in the letter on December 21, 2015, the Erie St. Clair LHIN is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process or the site selection; this is the work of the Capital Planning Steering Committee and the Site Selection Subcommittee. Questions regarding location should be directed to Capital Planning Steering Committee, who may be reached by contacting:
David Musyj
President and Chief Executive Officer
Windsor Regional Hospital
[email protected]
Office: 519-254-5577
Cell: 519-995-2966
For further information regarding the Capital Planning Process, please go to:
http://www.wrh.on.ca/Site_Published/AcuteCare/RichText.aspx?Body.QueryId.Id=67805&LeftN
av.QueryId.Categories=774
You may also contact Windsor Regional Hospital and the Capital Planning Steering Committee
for details on any upcoming meetings they may be holding.
I hope that this letter provides additional clarity on the ESC LHIN‘s role, and details the information
we have available regarding the Capital Planning Process. If you are looking for more information
regarding the Capital Planning Process, I recommend contacting the Capital Planning Steering
Committee.
Sincerely,
Gary Switzer
Chief Executive Officer
January 8, 2016
Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Windsor CAMPP
[email protected]
Windsor, Ontario
Dear Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt:
Re: Letter – Response to letter from December 24, 2015
Thank you for your letter dated December 24, 2015. I wish again to reiterate that the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process, including site selection and community engagement process. Rather this is the role of the Capital Planning Steering Committee and the Site Selection Subcommittee; a subcommittee which includes members of the public. That being said, we appreciate your concerns and the passion you have for health care. The ESC LHIN continues to conduct itself with transparency and values the input of the community; we hope this is evident through our numerous interactions with you and your organization since March 2014. In follow up to your December 24, 2015 letter, please see our statement as sent to you December 21, 2015 below:
For clarity, the Capital Planning Process in which the acute care hospital is subject to is comprised of a five stage process. At the beginning of the process, a Capital Planning Steering Committee (Steering Committee) was established. The Steering Committee later formed an 11 member Site Selection Subcommittee (Subcommittee). The Subcommittee is composed of volunteer members from Windsor/Essex, and was tasked with reviewing proposals and making a recommendation for the location of the new hospital. Together, the Steering Committee and the Subcommittee are working through the five stage process.
Each stage of the five stage process requires approvals prior to proceeding to the next stage. According to the Steering Committee’s website, during what is referred to as Stage 1B of the Capital Planning Process, the Steering Committee undertook different types of community engagement in determining more specific details about plans for a site, services, and finances.
The types of community engagement included hosting Town Hall radio broadcasts, online consultations and holding more than 25 presentations with different community groups.
Under the Capital Planning Process, the LHIN is not required to endorse the Stage 1B proposal. Following the Steering Committee’s announcement in July of its plans and location for the new acute care hospital, the Stage 1B proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for review and approval. In order for the proposal to proceed to Stage 2, it requires the Ministry’s approval.
Again, I invite you to attend one of our upcoming Open Board Meetings where you may provide
our Board with a 5-minute presentation during the Open Mic session:
- Tuesday, January 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, February 23, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, March 22, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
- Tuesday, April 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the Erie St. Clair LHIN
Please note, to register for one of the three Open Mic times available at each meeting, please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. For further information, please visit our website. In addition, you may also submit a request to make a formal presentation to our Board by using our Delegation Application Form, which is found on our website and is also attached to this letter, along with our Delegation Guidelines. Once received, the Board will consider your request for a formal presentation.
Please note that due to time constraints, not all Open Board Meetings have a presentation component, however, they do all have an Open Mic session component. As was noted in the letter on December 21, 2015, the Erie St. Clair LHIN is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process or the site selection; this is the work of the Capital Planning Steering Committee and the Site Selection Subcommittee. Questions regarding location should be directed to Capital Planning Steering Committee, who may be reached by contacting:
David Musyj
President and Chief Executive Officer
Windsor Regional Hospital
[email protected]
Office: 519-254-5577
Cell: 519-995-2966
For further information regarding the Capital Planning Process, please go to:
http://www.wrh.on.ca/Site_Published/AcuteCare/RichText.aspx?Body.QueryId.Id=67805&LeftN
av.QueryId.Categories=774
You may also contact Windsor Regional Hospital and the Capital Planning Steering Committee
for details on any upcoming meetings they may be holding.
I hope that this letter provides additional clarity on the ESC LHIN‘s role, and details the information
we have available regarding the Capital Planning Process. If you are looking for more information
regarding the Capital Planning Process, I recommend contacting the Capital Planning Steering
Committee.
Sincerely,
Gary Switzer
Chief Executive Officer
December 24, 2015
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Gary,
I am writing to you in response to your email of December 21, which is attached.
I seldom express myself dramatically, but an alarming problem isn’t getting the attention it deserves. To state it another way, we’re getting the proverbial run-around.
While it is true that several emails have gone back and forth between us and your organization, the majority were reminders from our side that we had not received a promised response, and confirmations from your side that a response would be coming.
Thank you for referring me to your website and to the outline of the capital planning process, both of which our group is already familiar with. Your website states: “the purpose of community engagement is to inform, educate, consult, involve, and empower stakeholders in both health care or health service planning and decision-making processes to improve the health care system.” This is in fact at the heart of the problem our group is trying to communicate to you.
I also thank you for referring me to the WRH Steering Committee. When we approached the MOHLTC on August 17, 2015, Dr. Bell’s staff referred us to the LHIN. The WRH Steering Committee Chairs, one of whom is the former Chair of the LHIN Board, have made it crystal clear that, as far as they are concerned, they will never be persuaded to change the location chosen for the new hospital. So sure are they of this position, that Mr. Cooke found the time to publicly denounce our group’s analysis as lacking in credibility and integrity, and claiming that our “arguments are weak” (see addendum).
Given his position as a representative of the Steering Committee, frankly, I find his attitude to be no credit to the LHIN’s role in the community.
The following comments from my December 4th email to you (in italics), are still not addressed:
Presentation to Board
We discussed the fact that the LHIN calendar shows no Windsor board meetings in 2016. None were held here in 2015, in spite of the importance of the proposed hospital changes facing our community.
We asked that we be given an opportunity to give a group presentation at an upcoming meeting in Windsor. You mentioned that the January meeting might be used for bringing this to the Board members’ attention, and that you would look into the possibility of us presenting as soon as February. We mentioned that time is of the essence because the approval process is moving along.
I have been writing to you and the Chair of the Board of the Erie-St. Clair LHIN since September to ask for:
Since this is the largest single healthcare investment in our region in any of our lifetimes, it’s a perfectly reasonable request. No board meetings were held in Windsor during the entire year 2015, and your website shows none planned for all of 2016.
The LHIN has a formal process for stakeholders to address your Board for up to 30 minutes, not including time for questions.
This is what we asked for in our meeting with you on December 3rd. It is what we have consistently been asking you for in our communications. Given the significance of the proposed hospital plan, a five minute open mic opportunity is not an appropriate way to convey our concerns to your Board.
When you have decided when you will be scheduling your next meeting in Windsor, our group would be grateful for an opportunity to be added as a delegation.
I should point out that January 26 is the same date that WRH is hosting a presentation on Humber River Hospital. It will be the only public presentation hosted by them since the site location announcement on July 16th, 2015. Under the circumstances, it would be best for CAMPP to attend that presentation and not the Board meeting.
Objective Measurement of Feedback
You did say the LHIN has data to support its position, and we are interested in seeing this. We also believe it will be an important demonstration of transparency to the community to make these results public.
You have not indicated what data you have to support your organization’s position. I find it particularly disturbing that Mr. Cooke has made several public statements, most recently, at this week’s City Council meeting, about the response to the presented plan being “overwhelmingly” positive. Mr. Musyj concedes that “a few” people aren’t “happy”, implying that this is a triviality. This is completely different than our perception. You have most likely noticed the same, in social media, media reports and comments, which are for the most part well-reasoned and articulate. Our group has noticed a groundswell of opposition to the proposed hospital location as more residents are discovering the shortcomings of the plan as presented. The frustration from the community is building, and it isn’t at all helpful to ignore it.
A process that objectively collects feedback from the community would soon clear up where the balance of the community’s opinion lies. However, there still has not been any public consultation whatsoever since the announcement on July 16, 2015. The local medical profession has also been uniformly silent on the proposed plan.
I would like to refer you to the following diagram in the LHIN’s Community Engagement Plan:
Via Email
Mr. Gary Switzer, CEO
Erie St. Clair LHIN
Dear Gary,
I am writing to you in response to your email of December 21, which is attached.
I seldom express myself dramatically, but an alarming problem isn’t getting the attention it deserves. To state it another way, we’re getting the proverbial run-around.
While it is true that several emails have gone back and forth between us and your organization, the majority were reminders from our side that we had not received a promised response, and confirmations from your side that a response would be coming.
Thank you for referring me to your website and to the outline of the capital planning process, both of which our group is already familiar with. Your website states: “the purpose of community engagement is to inform, educate, consult, involve, and empower stakeholders in both health care or health service planning and decision-making processes to improve the health care system.” This is in fact at the heart of the problem our group is trying to communicate to you.
I also thank you for referring me to the WRH Steering Committee. When we approached the MOHLTC on August 17, 2015, Dr. Bell’s staff referred us to the LHIN. The WRH Steering Committee Chairs, one of whom is the former Chair of the LHIN Board, have made it crystal clear that, as far as they are concerned, they will never be persuaded to change the location chosen for the new hospital. So sure are they of this position, that Mr. Cooke found the time to publicly denounce our group’s analysis as lacking in credibility and integrity, and claiming that our “arguments are weak” (see addendum).
Given his position as a representative of the Steering Committee, frankly, I find his attitude to be no credit to the LHIN’s role in the community.
The following comments from my December 4th email to you (in italics), are still not addressed:
Presentation to Board
We discussed the fact that the LHIN calendar shows no Windsor board meetings in 2016. None were held here in 2015, in spite of the importance of the proposed hospital changes facing our community.
We asked that we be given an opportunity to give a group presentation at an upcoming meeting in Windsor. You mentioned that the January meeting might be used for bringing this to the Board members’ attention, and that you would look into the possibility of us presenting as soon as February. We mentioned that time is of the essence because the approval process is moving along.
I have been writing to you and the Chair of the Board of the Erie-St. Clair LHIN since September to ask for:
- An opportunity to address your Board, and
- At least one, preferably more, of your board meetings to be held in Windsor.
Since this is the largest single healthcare investment in our region in any of our lifetimes, it’s a perfectly reasonable request. No board meetings were held in Windsor during the entire year 2015, and your website shows none planned for all of 2016.
The LHIN has a formal process for stakeholders to address your Board for up to 30 minutes, not including time for questions.
This is what we asked for in our meeting with you on December 3rd. It is what we have consistently been asking you for in our communications. Given the significance of the proposed hospital plan, a five minute open mic opportunity is not an appropriate way to convey our concerns to your Board.
When you have decided when you will be scheduling your next meeting in Windsor, our group would be grateful for an opportunity to be added as a delegation.
I should point out that January 26 is the same date that WRH is hosting a presentation on Humber River Hospital. It will be the only public presentation hosted by them since the site location announcement on July 16th, 2015. Under the circumstances, it would be best for CAMPP to attend that presentation and not the Board meeting.
Objective Measurement of Feedback
You did say the LHIN has data to support its position, and we are interested in seeing this. We also believe it will be an important demonstration of transparency to the community to make these results public.
You have not indicated what data you have to support your organization’s position. I find it particularly disturbing that Mr. Cooke has made several public statements, most recently, at this week’s City Council meeting, about the response to the presented plan being “overwhelmingly” positive. Mr. Musyj concedes that “a few” people aren’t “happy”, implying that this is a triviality. This is completely different than our perception. You have most likely noticed the same, in social media, media reports and comments, which are for the most part well-reasoned and articulate. Our group has noticed a groundswell of opposition to the proposed hospital location as more residents are discovering the shortcomings of the plan as presented. The frustration from the community is building, and it isn’t at all helpful to ignore it.
A process that objectively collects feedback from the community would soon clear up where the balance of the community’s opinion lies. However, there still has not been any public consultation whatsoever since the announcement on July 16, 2015. The local medical profession has also been uniformly silent on the proposed plan.
I would like to refer you to the following diagram in the LHIN’s Community Engagement Plan:
It is true that there were presentations before the hospital location announcement. However, none were designed to objectively measure public feedback. There were radio shows and presentations at a number of clubs and social service organizations telling the public what was being planned, with opportunities for questions from the audience. There was only ever one public town hall meeting in Windsor – it was held at the University of Windsor. Far more could, and should, have been done to engage members of the public living in poverty, and especially those living in wards in the core that will be most affected by the proposed changes to their healthcare services.
It is also true that there was a survey to rank the site selection priorities: of 364 comments submitted, 154 asked for an urban, and 103 for a rural site. There were also 18 complaints about the survey itself.
On your own organization’s spectrum of community engagement above, there is nothing to indicate that the process ever moved beyond the “Inform” stage.
Other
You told us day surgeries may be performed at the UCC and that some surgeons have said they will work out of the UCC. We feel this is a material change to what has been presented and needs to be explained. What specialties will be represented at the Grace Site, and will they be working out of both locations or will they be able to establish their hospital practice at one or the other, given the 15km travel distance between the two locations?
Our group questioned why an urban hospital cannot serve the region, and why the model can’t be flipped i.e. placement of the UCC closer to the county and the hospital in the core. You didn’t have a clear response to this.
Finally, you mentioned your understanding that WRH is coordinating a public meeting in conjunction with the City to talk about the anticipated costs. Since we have been asking for clarity on the costs that will be downloaded to the taxpayers, this should be a good first step. As soon as you hear further about where and when this meeting will be held, we would be grateful if you would pass this information on to us.
Your letter did not address any of these questions.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
Cc: Hon. Kathleen Wynne—Premier of Ontario
Hon. Eric Hoskins—Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
Dr Bob Bell—Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
Dr. Martin Girash—Chair LHIN Erie St. Clair
Ms. Lisa Gretzky—MPP Windsor-West
Mr. Percy Hatfield—MPP Windsor-Tecumseh
Mr. Taras Natyshak—MPP Essex
Mr. James Stewart—Director, Health Capital Investment Branch
Ms. Emily Wong—Ombudsman
Mr. Jeff Yurek—Health Critic
Addendum
Below are several recent tweets illustrating Mr. Cooke’s personal style of public engagement:
It is also true that there was a survey to rank the site selection priorities: of 364 comments submitted, 154 asked for an urban, and 103 for a rural site. There were also 18 complaints about the survey itself.
On your own organization’s spectrum of community engagement above, there is nothing to indicate that the process ever moved beyond the “Inform” stage.
Other
You told us day surgeries may be performed at the UCC and that some surgeons have said they will work out of the UCC. We feel this is a material change to what has been presented and needs to be explained. What specialties will be represented at the Grace Site, and will they be working out of both locations or will they be able to establish their hospital practice at one or the other, given the 15km travel distance between the two locations?
Our group questioned why an urban hospital cannot serve the region, and why the model can’t be flipped i.e. placement of the UCC closer to the county and the hospital in the core. You didn’t have a clear response to this.
Finally, you mentioned your understanding that WRH is coordinating a public meeting in conjunction with the City to talk about the anticipated costs. Since we have been asking for clarity on the costs that will be downloaded to the taxpayers, this should be a good first step. As soon as you hear further about where and when this meeting will be held, we would be grateful if you would pass this information on to us.
Your letter did not address any of these questions.
Sincerely,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Spokesperson, Citizens for an Accountable Mega-hospital Planning Process
Cc: Hon. Kathleen Wynne—Premier of Ontario
Hon. Eric Hoskins—Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
Dr Bob Bell—Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
Dr. Martin Girash—Chair LHIN Erie St. Clair
Ms. Lisa Gretzky—MPP Windsor-West
Mr. Percy Hatfield—MPP Windsor-Tecumseh
Mr. Taras Natyshak—MPP Essex
Mr. James Stewart—Director, Health Capital Investment Branch
Ms. Emily Wong—Ombudsman
Mr. Jeff Yurek—Health Critic
Addendum
Below are several recent tweets illustrating Mr. Cooke’s personal style of public engagement:
Monday, December 21, 2015
Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Windsor CAMPP
[email protected]
Windsor, Ontario
Dear Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt:
Re: Email regarding location of new hospital
In follow up to our meeting on December 3, 2015, as well as to your email from December 4, 2015, please find the following information regarding the site selection process.
The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) has received your inquiries regarding its role in the Capital Planning Process and the site selection process of the new Windsor/Essex acute care hospital.
For clarity, the Capital Planning Process in which the acute care hospital is subject to is comprised of a five stage process.
At the beginning of the process, a Capital Planning Steering Committee (Steering Committee) was established. The Steering Committee later formed an 11 member Site Selection Subcommittee (Subcommittee). The Subcommittee is composed of volunteer members from Windsor/Essex, and was tasked with reviewing proposals and making a recommendation for the location of the new hospital. Together, the Steering Committee and the Subcommittee are working through the five stage process.
Each stage of the five stage process requires approvals prior to proceeding to the next stage. According to the Steering Committee’s website, during what is referred to as Stage 1B of the Capital Planning Process, the Steering Committee undertook different types of community engagement in determining more specific details about plans for a site, services, and finances.
The types of community engagement included hosting Town Hall radio broadcasts, online consultations and holding more than 25 presentations with different community groups.
Under the Capital Planning Process, the LHIN is not required to endorse the Stage 1B proposal. Following the Steering Committee’s announcement in July of its plans and location for the new acute care hospital, the Stage 1B proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for review and approval. In order for the proposal to proceed to Stage 2, it requires the Ministry’s approval.
I understand that in an effort to address your concerns, Erie St. Clair LHIN staff have communicated with you and CAMPP since March, 2014, by e-mail, telephone, and at in-person meetings. I hope our communications have helped resolve some of your concerns and have clarified that the ESC LHIN is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process.
As we have discussed with you, our Board hosts Open Board Meetings on the fourth Tuesday of most months at our office in Chatham, and also in different communities across our region. I have brought your request to our Board Chair, Martin Girash, to host a meeting this year in Windsor and the request is being considered. I invite you to attend one of our upcoming Open Board Meetings where you can provide our Board with a 5-minute presentation during the Open Mic session:
You can find more information about the meeting dates and locations on our website:
http://www.eriestclairlhin.on.ca/Board%20and%20Governance/Board%20Meetings.aspx
Given your ongoing interest in the acute care hospital proposal, I would recommend that you or a member of CAMPP contact the Steering Committee and request a meeting where you may present your concerns directly to them. The Steering Committee may be reached by contacting:
David Musyj
Chief Executive Officer
Windsor Regional Hospital
[email protected]
Office: 519-254-5577
Cell: 519-995-2966
For further information, please go to:
http://www.wrh.on.ca/Site_Published/AcuteCare/RichText.aspx?Body.QueryId.Id=67805&LeftNav.QueryId.Categories=774
Sincerely,
Let’s Make It Happen !
Signature
Gary Switzer
Chief Executive Officer
GS/at
cc: David Musyj, Chief Executive Officer, Windsor Regional Hospital
Martin Girash, Board Chair, Erie St. Clair LHIN
James Stewart, Director, Health Capital Investment Branch
Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Windsor CAMPP
[email protected]
Windsor, Ontario
Dear Ms. Philippa von Ziegenweidt:
Re: Email regarding location of new hospital
In follow up to our meeting on December 3, 2015, as well as to your email from December 4, 2015, please find the following information regarding the site selection process.
The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) has received your inquiries regarding its role in the Capital Planning Process and the site selection process of the new Windsor/Essex acute care hospital.
For clarity, the Capital Planning Process in which the acute care hospital is subject to is comprised of a five stage process.
At the beginning of the process, a Capital Planning Steering Committee (Steering Committee) was established. The Steering Committee later formed an 11 member Site Selection Subcommittee (Subcommittee). The Subcommittee is composed of volunteer members from Windsor/Essex, and was tasked with reviewing proposals and making a recommendation for the location of the new hospital. Together, the Steering Committee and the Subcommittee are working through the five stage process.
Each stage of the five stage process requires approvals prior to proceeding to the next stage. According to the Steering Committee’s website, during what is referred to as Stage 1B of the Capital Planning Process, the Steering Committee undertook different types of community engagement in determining more specific details about plans for a site, services, and finances.
The types of community engagement included hosting Town Hall radio broadcasts, online consultations and holding more than 25 presentations with different community groups.
Under the Capital Planning Process, the LHIN is not required to endorse the Stage 1B proposal. Following the Steering Committee’s announcement in July of its plans and location for the new acute care hospital, the Stage 1B proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for review and approval. In order for the proposal to proceed to Stage 2, it requires the Ministry’s approval.
I understand that in an effort to address your concerns, Erie St. Clair LHIN staff have communicated with you and CAMPP since March, 2014, by e-mail, telephone, and at in-person meetings. I hope our communications have helped resolve some of your concerns and have clarified that the ESC LHIN is not responsible for the Capital Planning Process.
As we have discussed with you, our Board hosts Open Board Meetings on the fourth Tuesday of most months at our office in Chatham, and also in different communities across our region. I have brought your request to our Board Chair, Martin Girash, to host a meeting this year in Windsor and the request is being considered. I invite you to attend one of our upcoming Open Board Meetings where you can provide our Board with a 5-minute presentation during the Open Mic session:
- January 26, 2016
- February 23, 2016
- March 22, 2016
You can find more information about the meeting dates and locations on our website:
http://www.eriestclairlhin.on.ca/Board%20and%20Governance/Board%20Meetings.aspx
Given your ongoing interest in the acute care hospital proposal, I would recommend that you or a member of CAMPP contact the Steering Committee and request a meeting where you may present your concerns directly to them. The Steering Committee may be reached by contacting:
David Musyj
Chief Executive Officer
Windsor Regional Hospital
[email protected]
Office: 519-254-5577
Cell: 519-995-2966
For further information, please go to:
http://www.wrh.on.ca/Site_Published/AcuteCare/RichText.aspx?Body.QueryId.Id=67805&LeftNav.QueryId.Categories=774
Sincerely,
Let’s Make It Happen !
Signature
Gary Switzer
Chief Executive Officer
GS/at
cc: David Musyj, Chief Executive Officer, Windsor Regional Hospital
Martin Girash, Board Chair, Erie St. Clair LHIN
James Stewart, Director, Health Capital Investment Branch
December 17, 2015
Yes next Monday
Gary Switzer
CEO ESC LHIN
Sent from my iPhone
----
December 17, 2015
Hi Gary, next Monday is the 21st of December, not the 18th - is that what you meant?
Philippa
----
December 17, 2015
Hi Philippa,
We have discussed this internally with our Chair and will be sending you a response and our next steps on Monday, December 18th.
In the interim, please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Let's Make It Happen !
Gary Switzer
----
December 16, 2015
Dear Gary,
I'm writing to follow up on our meeting from December 3rd. Yesterday marked the fifth month since the announcement of the new hospital location and there still hasn't been a single public consultation. Can you let us know what planning is in the works to inform and consult with residents, especially those in the neighbourhoods that will be most affected by the proposed changes?
Following your discussion with Dr. Girash, we would also like to know when our group can present its concerns to the LHIN Board and whether you were able to reschedule some of your monthly meetings so Windsor residents can have an opportunity to express their concerns.
Regards,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
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December 7, 2015
Hi Philippa,
Thank you for documenting our discussion. I will review our meeting with our Board Chair and respond to you within the week.
Gary Switzer
Yes next Monday
Gary Switzer
CEO ESC LHIN
Sent from my iPhone
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December 17, 2015
Hi Gary, next Monday is the 21st of December, not the 18th - is that what you meant?
Philippa
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December 17, 2015
Hi Philippa,
We have discussed this internally with our Chair and will be sending you a response and our next steps on Monday, December 18th.
In the interim, please have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Let's Make It Happen !
Gary Switzer
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December 16, 2015
Dear Gary,
I'm writing to follow up on our meeting from December 3rd. Yesterday marked the fifth month since the announcement of the new hospital location and there still hasn't been a single public consultation. Can you let us know what planning is in the works to inform and consult with residents, especially those in the neighbourhoods that will be most affected by the proposed changes?
Following your discussion with Dr. Girash, we would also like to know when our group can present its concerns to the LHIN Board and whether you were able to reschedule some of your monthly meetings so Windsor residents can have an opportunity to express their concerns.
Regards,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
----
December 7, 2015
Hi Philippa,
Thank you for documenting our discussion. I will review our meeting with our Board Chair and respond to you within the week.
Gary Switzer
December 4, 2015
Dear Gary,
Thank you for last night’s meeting with CAMPP. The representatives of our group who were present were Rebecca and Emmanuel Blaevoet, Lori Hill, Shane Mitchell and myself.
We know you are aware of our group’s concerns regarding the proposed location of the new hospital, and while we would have liked to have discussed these with you, we felt it would be more productive to focus closely on what we see as some significant gaps in the process, and how we feel these need to be addressed.
Also, we do have a good understanding of the entire plan that has been proposed. Our concerns relate mainly to the proposed location of the acute care hospital, and limitations in the ability of the proposed satellite sites to mitigate those concerns.
1. Inclusivity
You mentioned that stakeholders including politicians, EMS and physicians were consulted at the beginning of the process and that the LHIN felt it was well-handled. I can’t speak for politicians and EMS personnel, but I do know that physicians have not been invited individually to weigh in on their response to the hospital location. It is curious that the community has not heard a response from this important stakeholder group.
We are aware that many presentations were given in the community before the site was selected. However of these, there were only four public town halls (the other events being accessible only to members), and of these, only one was held in Windsor (at the University). The format was always a presentation, followed by a limited public Q&A session. While they engaged the public that were able to attend, these meetings were not consultations.
We pointed out that there are segments of the population, especially in our lowest income neighbourhoods, who are still unaware of the proposed changes to their healthcare today. You said you would discuss this with Dr. Girash.
May I suggest that you also follow this question up with Adam Vasey, who is the director of Pathway to Potential. His email address is [email protected]. Two specific grassroots community organizations I was thinking of that could be approached to help coordinate such public meetings are the Ford City Neighbourhood Renewal and Our West End groups. In addition, we would strongly encourage you to contact the city’s Business Improvement Associations (BIAs), Residents’ Associations, as well as our Planning Department.
CAMPP would also be happy to help you coordinate and advertise such meetings.
2. Objective Measurement of Feedback
Dave Cooke has repeated publicly on several occasions that there is “overwhelming” community support for the proposed hospital location. You mentioned, as did Dr. Girash in his emails to me, that the LHIN considers the consultation process to have been robust.
We find this hard to believe, because since the announcement in July, we are not aware of a single opportunity for residents to communicate their response in a way that could be objectively measured.
The public meeting in November organized by the DWBIA was the only public forum for the public to communicate their opinion about the proposed location, but as you yourself pointed out last night, open mic events are not a good way to obtain and measure feedback from the entire audience.
You did say the LHIN has data to support its position, and we are interested in seeing this. We also believe it will be an important demonstration of transparency to the community to make these results public.
3. Record of our 2014 Meeting
You confirmed that what our group discussed with you during our meeting in 2014 was not communicated to the Board and did not make it into your CEO report.
You agreed that you would discuss last night’s meeting with Dr. Girash during your meeting with him on Tuesday of next week. In addition, we would like your assurance that the concerns we discussed last night will be brought to the attention of the other Board Members.
4. Presentation to Board
We discussed the fact that the LHIN calendar shows no Windsor board meetings in 2016. None were held here in 2015, in spite of the importance of the proposed hospital changes facing our community.
We asked that we be given an opportunity to give a group presentation at an upcoming meeting in Windsor. You mentioned that the January meeting might be used for bringing this to the Board members’ attention, and that you would look into the possibility of us presenting as soon as February. We mentioned that time is of the essence because the approval process is moving along.
5. Other
We were surprised to hear from you that the LHIN has no environmental mandate. This statement is concerning, as environmental concerns are widely considered to be everyone's concern. Just as the public expects the private business sector to act in an environmentally responsible manner, so must public sector institutions, even though the environment isn't their primary mandate.
You told us day surgeries may be performed at the UCC and that some surgeons have said they will work out of the UCC. We feel this is a material change to what has been presented and needs to be explained. What specialties will be represented at the Grace Site, and will they be working out of both locations or will they be able to establish their hospital practice at one or the other, given the 15km travel distance between the two locations?
Our group questioned why an urban hospital cannot serve the region, and why the model can’t be flipped i.e. placement of the UCC closer to the county and the hospital in the core. You didn’t have a clear response to this.
Finally, you mentioned your understanding that WRH is coordinating a public meeting in conjunction with the City to talk about the anticipated costs. Since we have been asking for clarity on the costs that will be downloaded to the taxpayers, this should be a good first step. As soon as you hear further about where and when this meeting will be held, we would be grateful if you would pass this information on to us.
Regards,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Dear Gary,
Thank you for last night’s meeting with CAMPP. The representatives of our group who were present were Rebecca and Emmanuel Blaevoet, Lori Hill, Shane Mitchell and myself.
We know you are aware of our group’s concerns regarding the proposed location of the new hospital, and while we would have liked to have discussed these with you, we felt it would be more productive to focus closely on what we see as some significant gaps in the process, and how we feel these need to be addressed.
Also, we do have a good understanding of the entire plan that has been proposed. Our concerns relate mainly to the proposed location of the acute care hospital, and limitations in the ability of the proposed satellite sites to mitigate those concerns.
1. Inclusivity
You mentioned that stakeholders including politicians, EMS and physicians were consulted at the beginning of the process and that the LHIN felt it was well-handled. I can’t speak for politicians and EMS personnel, but I do know that physicians have not been invited individually to weigh in on their response to the hospital location. It is curious that the community has not heard a response from this important stakeholder group.
We are aware that many presentations were given in the community before the site was selected. However of these, there were only four public town halls (the other events being accessible only to members), and of these, only one was held in Windsor (at the University). The format was always a presentation, followed by a limited public Q&A session. While they engaged the public that were able to attend, these meetings were not consultations.
We pointed out that there are segments of the population, especially in our lowest income neighbourhoods, who are still unaware of the proposed changes to their healthcare today. You said you would discuss this with Dr. Girash.
May I suggest that you also follow this question up with Adam Vasey, who is the director of Pathway to Potential. His email address is [email protected]. Two specific grassroots community organizations I was thinking of that could be approached to help coordinate such public meetings are the Ford City Neighbourhood Renewal and Our West End groups. In addition, we would strongly encourage you to contact the city’s Business Improvement Associations (BIAs), Residents’ Associations, as well as our Planning Department.
CAMPP would also be happy to help you coordinate and advertise such meetings.
2. Objective Measurement of Feedback
Dave Cooke has repeated publicly on several occasions that there is “overwhelming” community support for the proposed hospital location. You mentioned, as did Dr. Girash in his emails to me, that the LHIN considers the consultation process to have been robust.
We find this hard to believe, because since the announcement in July, we are not aware of a single opportunity for residents to communicate their response in a way that could be objectively measured.
The public meeting in November organized by the DWBIA was the only public forum for the public to communicate their opinion about the proposed location, but as you yourself pointed out last night, open mic events are not a good way to obtain and measure feedback from the entire audience.
You did say the LHIN has data to support its position, and we are interested in seeing this. We also believe it will be an important demonstration of transparency to the community to make these results public.
3. Record of our 2014 Meeting
You confirmed that what our group discussed with you during our meeting in 2014 was not communicated to the Board and did not make it into your CEO report.
You agreed that you would discuss last night’s meeting with Dr. Girash during your meeting with him on Tuesday of next week. In addition, we would like your assurance that the concerns we discussed last night will be brought to the attention of the other Board Members.
4. Presentation to Board
We discussed the fact that the LHIN calendar shows no Windsor board meetings in 2016. None were held here in 2015, in spite of the importance of the proposed hospital changes facing our community.
We asked that we be given an opportunity to give a group presentation at an upcoming meeting in Windsor. You mentioned that the January meeting might be used for bringing this to the Board members’ attention, and that you would look into the possibility of us presenting as soon as February. We mentioned that time is of the essence because the approval process is moving along.
5. Other
We were surprised to hear from you that the LHIN has no environmental mandate. This statement is concerning, as environmental concerns are widely considered to be everyone's concern. Just as the public expects the private business sector to act in an environmentally responsible manner, so must public sector institutions, even though the environment isn't their primary mandate.
You told us day surgeries may be performed at the UCC and that some surgeons have said they will work out of the UCC. We feel this is a material change to what has been presented and needs to be explained. What specialties will be represented at the Grace Site, and will they be working out of both locations or will they be able to establish their hospital practice at one or the other, given the 15km travel distance between the two locations?
Our group questioned why an urban hospital cannot serve the region, and why the model can’t be flipped i.e. placement of the UCC closer to the county and the hospital in the core. You didn’t have a clear response to this.
Finally, you mentioned your understanding that WRH is coordinating a public meeting in conjunction with the City to talk about the anticipated costs. Since we have been asking for clarity on the costs that will be downloaded to the taxpayers, this should be a good first step. As soon as you hear further about where and when this meeting will be held, we would be grateful if you would pass this information on to us.
Regards,
Philippa von Ziegenweidt