'Enough is enough:' Local politicians decry Niagara Health's decision to reduce urgent care hours

Niagara Health's decision to reduce summer hours at its only two urgent care centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, Ont., has sparked outrage. 

Some local elected officials in Fort Erie are calling on the CEO to resign, the provincial government to intervene and an immediate reversal of the decision. 

Mayor Wayne Redekop told his council Monday evening that the people running the local hospital system "don't give a rats ass about Fort Erie." 

His perspective was echoed by other councillors, including Nick Dubanow. 

"I think we need to kick Niagara Health to the curb," he said. "I'm very angry. Enough is enough." 

Earlier that day, Niagara Health had announced that throughout July, August and early September, it will close the Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre on Fridays and the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre on Saturdays. Both centres will be closed on Canada Day, July 1, and the Labour Day long weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. 

Fort Erie's will also be closed on the Civic Holiday long weekend, Aug. 1 to 4. 

Normally they operate seven days a week. 

Fort Erie Coun. Tom Lewis advised council on Monday he will be putting forward two motions later this month. The first will call for the town to "immediately withhold" committed funding to Niagara Health's new hospital, although it's unclear the dollar amount. 

The second will call for the Niagara Health CEO Lynn Guerriero and members of the board to resign, and for the province to appoint a supervisor to oversee operations, Lewis said. 

"Niagara Health has broken our trust," he said. "We owe it to the people of Fort Erie to take a firm stance. And I believe this council will." 

Niagara Health said in a statement to CBC Hamilton local officials are oversimplifying the complexity of running a regional hospital system. 

"We are disappointed when misinformation is shared by elected local officials in their zeal to build support for their campaigns," said spokesperson Erica Bajer. 

Doctor shortage prompts closures

The closures are because the region faces a shortage of physicians qualified to work in emergency departments, Niagara Health said in a news release. The doctors who'd normally work in urgent care need to be deployed to hospitals and even still many shifts there remain unfilled.

"We know these closures are frustrating and concerning for the communities affected, said Dr. Kevin Chan, chief of staff, in the release. "They are not decisions we made lightly. This is the minimum level of closure required to maintain emergency care across the region." 

There are no hospitals or emergency rooms in Fort Erie or Port Colborne and thousands of people are without a family doctor. The closest hospital is in Welland — about a 12-kilometre drive from Port Colborne and 32-kilometre drive from Fort Erie. Niagara Health also runs a hospital in St. Catharines and another in Niagara Falls. 

Urgent care centres are supposed to be for people with health conditions who can't wait for a scheduled medical appointment but don't necessarily need emergency care, says Niagara Health's website. Those health conditions include nausea, vomiting, fevers, flu, minor cuts that may need stitches, sports injuries, ear, throat and eye problems and minor asthma flare-ups or allergic reactions. 

Niagara Health said the urgent care closures are despite "exhaustive efforts" to recruit physicians including financial incentives, direct outreach, targeted recruitment campaigns and flexible scheduling. 

"Further, Niagara Health is working tirelessly to recruit more physicians to the region and it's disingenuous to minimize the incredible challenge of physician recruitment in the face of a province-wide doctor shortage," said Bajer. 

In 2009, Niagara Health converted Fort Erie's Douglas Memorial Hospital's emergency department to an urgent care centre. In 2023, it reduced hours at both centres from operating overnight to closing in the evening. It's also planning to close them permanently in 2028 when a new hospital in Niagara Falls is supposed to open. 

'Treated as afterthoughts," mayor says

At a news conference Wednesday, Redekop and Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele said they don't believe Niagara Health had a plan to keep the urgent care centres running seven days a week despite thousands of tourists visiting throughout the summer. 

"I'm concerned we're being treated as afterthoughts and it's becoming normalized," Steele said. 

They mayors were also joined by local NDP MPP Wayne Gates. 

Steele and Redekop said they spoke with the Niagara Health CEO in May, where she gave them a heads up of staffing shortages that could impact urgent care. The mayors said they could help to recruit physicians and in a follow-up email requested to see the Niagara Health recruitment program, and the number of doctors needed, but never heard back. 

Then on Monday, they had a call with Chan, the chief of staff. He advised them of the reduced hours, which Niagara Health made public during their meeting, Redekop said. No heads up was given to the mayors or councillors. 

Redekop said at the meeting they also learned Niagara Health doesn't have a formal physician recruitment program or plan to develop a training program so family doctors can more easily become qualified to work in urgent care and emergency departments.

Niagara Health said it does "aggressive and ongoing recruitment efforts" that aren't limited to "a single campaign" and provided this "clarification" to the mayors on Monday. Bajer said Niagara Health sent information about its training process to them on Wednesday. 

But Niagara Health also didn't post its physician schedules for the urgent care centres two months in advance as it normally does to give doctors who want more hours the opportunity to take them, Redekop said. 

The hospital system said its process was delayed "as we worked to stabilize physician coverage across the entire hospital system, particularly in emergency departments, which are provincially mandated to remain operational." 

Ministry says up to Niagara Health to decide

Several Fort Erie councillors said they didn't believe Niagara Health tried to keep the urgent care centres open, even as it will force more people to go to already busy hospitals for health care. 

"The hospital system is effectively condemning its own emergency room," said Coun. Joan Christensen at Monday's council meeting, after having also joined the phone call with Niagara Health earlier in the day. 

"In my opinion, our battle should now be with the Government of Ontario. We can't negotiate with people who are consistently misrepresenting the truth." 

The Ministry of Health said in a statement it is up to Niagara Health's to decide how to deliver services. 

"While the Ministry of Health was not directly involved in this decision, we will continue to work closely with Niagara Health and other hospital partners ... to ensure they have the tools they need to deliver high-quality care close to home," said press secretary Ema Popovic. 

Redekop and Steele said Wednesday that they'll continue to push the province to provide more health-care services in their communities.