Daughter of man who died during Bonavista ER closure holds protest at Confederation Building
Charles Marsh died in an ambulance on the way to Clarenville in February
A man who died in an ambulance while the Bonavista emergency room was closed was the face of a protest held at the Confederation Building in St. John's on Thursday.
The Bonavista emergency room closed for just over 18 days in February — including on Feb. 20, when Shelley Gosselin's father, 78-year-old Charles Marsh, died.
"Not ever should the ER doors be locked," Gosselin said Thursday.
On Feb. 19, Marsh had an asthma attack, and his medication wasn't working. Gosselin said her father drove himself to the Bonavista emergency room for oxygen but it wasn't open.
Gosselin said her father's condition worsened overnight and he decided to call an ambulance the next morning. When the Bonavista emergency room is closed, anyone experiencing a medical emergency has to travel to the hospital in Clarenville — more than 100 kilometres away.
"He passed away on the ambulance en route to Clarenville," she said.
Gosselin, who lives in Ottawa, returned to Bonavista after her father died. She's been speaking out about service closures, including at a town hall meeting last week. Eliza Swyers and Gail Brown, two of the meeting's organizers, joined Gosselin at Confederation Building on Thursday.
"I just don't want my dad to have died in vain, that something good will come out of his death," said Gosselin.
The trio held a sign featuring a photo of Charles Marsh with a message declaring "No Locked ER Doors Ever!"
"We are not giving up until the doors are open 24/7, 365 days a year," Gosselin said.
According to Eastern Health, the Bonavista emergency department will have sufficient staff to open for 19 days this month. The Bonavista emergency room was open Thursday but was scheduled to close again Friday morning and remain closed through the weekend.
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