Access for All
Some County residents believe that because "their tax dollars" are helping to pay for the hospital, it should be located close to where they live.
It may therefore seem counterintuitive to argue for a regional hospital in Windsor.
Our goal is to advocate for a hospital that does not create more sprawl or destroy one of the region's greatest assets, our agricultural land.
Our new hospital needs to be close to the greatest concentration of people requiring medical care, as well as the greatest concentration of physicians treating the patients.
It is upside-down logic to think it is feasible for the people from the greatest population density to trek to a location that is more geographically central. This will not help ambulance response times, efficient access for those who don't drive, or convenient access for physicians on call.
The location must enable the best accessibility we can hope for, for all users of the healthcare system, wherever they live.
The location must also enable the speedy emergency ambulance transfers to Detroit area hospitals to continue. It would be foolish to turn our backs on the benefits of living in a border city with access to major world class medical facilities that are unavailable in Windsor.
Road infrastructure needs to be upgraded where necessary or fast public transit options provided to ensure County residents can efficiently access the medical services they need.
Anything less than this will fail to appeal to the "top talent" the region aims to attract.
A hospital built on greenfield land outside Windsor, while initially appearing cheaper, will in the longer term be more costly to all of us living in Essex County.
It may therefore seem counterintuitive to argue for a regional hospital in Windsor.
Our goal is to advocate for a hospital that does not create more sprawl or destroy one of the region's greatest assets, our agricultural land.
Our new hospital needs to be close to the greatest concentration of people requiring medical care, as well as the greatest concentration of physicians treating the patients.
It is upside-down logic to think it is feasible for the people from the greatest population density to trek to a location that is more geographically central. This will not help ambulance response times, efficient access for those who don't drive, or convenient access for physicians on call.
The location must enable the best accessibility we can hope for, for all users of the healthcare system, wherever they live.
The location must also enable the speedy emergency ambulance transfers to Detroit area hospitals to continue. It would be foolish to turn our backs on the benefits of living in a border city with access to major world class medical facilities that are unavailable in Windsor.
Road infrastructure needs to be upgraded where necessary or fast public transit options provided to ensure County residents can efficiently access the medical services they need.
Anything less than this will fail to appeal to the "top talent" the region aims to attract.
A hospital built on greenfield land outside Windsor, while initially appearing cheaper, will in the longer term be more costly to all of us living in Essex County.