Part 1 of 2
PETER CONRADI/Bullet News
Kevin Smith knows the easiest thing would have been to just give in.
Hospital rally in Welland on Saturday.
He knows throwing his hands in the air and surrendering would have save headache, angst, frustration and, maybe, some sleepless nights.
But he also knows it would have been wrong.
So while about 80 people were protesting in Welland the amalgamation of maternity and pediatric services in the region, the Niagara Health System supervisor continued to stick to his position – one that is shared by some of the world’s leading exerts – that Niagara’s moms and newborns will receive and best and safest care by moving everything to the new St. Catharine site in March.
“We knew this would be the most contentious issue, and that has certainly proven to be the case,” Smith said. “But I remind everyone that we have had dialogue on this for 12 years. We have examined this four times. We’ve had four different groups look at this, the latest being a group led by the academic chairs of pediatrics and obstetrics and the CEO of one the world’s most preeminent children’s hospitals (Sick Kids in Toronto), and they’ve given us their best advice which is consistent with the advice that others have given us.”
None of that seemed to matter on Saturday where Niagara Falls Coun. Wayne Gates led a rally inside a committee room at the Welland Arena, attempting to demonstrate unanimity between the two communities about to lose their birthing wards. Welland Mayor Barry Sharpe was there, along with Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and a roomful of people, many appearing to be well past the age of potential parenthood. There were a handful of placards in support of Putting Mothers and Children First, the name given to the gathering.
Gates told the audience that consolidating maternity services would put mothers and babies at risk. Diodati was much less alarmist. His presence at the rally was viewed with surprise by some at the Niagara Health System and, given the fact his city will be home to the new south Niagara hospital, he walked on eggshells during his few minutes at the microphone.
He said he didn’t understand the need to move maternity services to St. Catharines, then back to the proposed new south Niagara hospital – as Smith has promised will happen. But he stopped well short of criticizing the second hospital concept or suggesting anyone would be in peril with centralized maternity care in St. Catharines.
Diodati is, in fact, on the record calling the maternity centralization “short-term pain for long-term gain” and a booster of what Smith wants to do.
“Do you think if I thought this wouldn’t work or wouldn’t be safe that I would have recommended it?” Smith said. “I appreciate there are strong feelings about this and I know it’s hard to sometimes accept change. I came to this knowing the easy solution was to leave obstetrics where it was, and if that was a viable solution I was prepared to make it work. But as I began to explore this with expert after expert and look at it in terms of efficiency and safety and recruitment and retention of doctors, it became more and more obvious that it was not the way to go.
“I invite anyone to look at that facility,” he said. “We have spent so much taxpayer money building a modern, first-rate hospital that is the best place for babies and moms. We have had the word’s best experts look at our plan. We’ve examined at four times. Everyone is saying the same thing.”
Some 5,000 attended the first open house last weekend (a second is scheduled for next Saturday) and Smith said the praise was almost universal. He said he sympathizes with some of the anxieties out there, but insists they are not based in fact and calls it “scare-mongering” for anyone to suggest there will be a sudden rash of babies born in traffic.
“The reality is that very few people don’t make it to the hospital, and if there was a risk one would need simply to dial 911 to have very, very good paramedic help. That is really suggesting we should design a system for the most unlikely and remote occasions. What we are proposing is a less risky model than what we have today, and what is being suggested. What we have today is being held together by duct tape.”
Smith has said repeatedly Niagara Falls and Welland hospitals are too old to fix. And left as they are it will be impossible to recruit and retain doctors and other staff. He said he continues to be disappointed by “wrong and misleading” information that makes the rounds and is eventually accepted as the truth.
“The prenatal care, the postnatal care, the scans the office appointments – none of those things are moving.
The sooner we make this move, the sooner we get it done, the better it will be so people can experience that this is safe and high quality and efficient.
“One of the proposals out there is to close down Welland or Niagara Falls every other weekend, or when we cant staff it. So then we have mothers not knowing were to go. We’re more likely to have women at a site believing they can deliver and have no staff. This is not a safe model of care.
“You know, we have had so long to discuss this. I really think it would be inappropriate not to make use of (the new St. Catharines hospital). Obviously we will be evaluating this very, very carefully. And I believe there is a very low probability of this being anything but wildly successful.”
Part 2 Tuesday: Kevin Smith on the future of maternity care in Niagara
4 Comments on "Kevin Smith Part 1: Current maternity care in Niagara ‘held together by duct tape,’ says NHS supervisor"
Mr. Smith you do not get it and you will never get it. You are not from here and for you to compare our communities to the more dense Hamilton and Toronto areas is a failure in your hypothesis right from the start. You are launching a new hospital without a soft grand opening. When car companies launch a vehicle they at least run the palnt of slow speed and ramp up to full production. You believe that taking in all maternity will be efficient however it has never been tried at full capacity.Please do not worry Niagara we will work out the kinks (read crises) as we go. You did not put any provisions in for the most vulnerable those who do not have transportation and / or live in rural areas. You are still at least one year away from creating a transportation plan/exit/strategy to be implemented at Third Street. When you decided to build the St. Catharines hospital at what time did you change the plans for the large maternity ward? My guess it was before you came up with the recommendation to consolidarte the maternity services and that is just plain wrong. There is a 2006 study of Maternity Care which Sue Mathews was a part of that was free of what you call “politics free of your significant influence and it states among many other things not to centralize maternity services. THese were experts maybe not your hnd picked experts.
The Doctors told you they didn’t want it, the Nurses did not want it and the other hospital stafff did’t want it. The people of South Niagara did not want it and through your political spinning you were able to sway some politicians by the promise of a new South hospital. Even those politicans still now do not want Maternity services to move. The rally was extremely informative even at thjis stage and it is never to late to change your mind. Welland and Niagara Falls still have maternity wards and the wrecking ball is stil 10, 15 or 25 years away. I beg you on my children’s lives and my future children’s lives to reconsider.
Thank you.
In this article, ‘Dr’ Smith uses oblique ad hominem argument by characterizing his critics as both backward and fearful of change. He also tries to preempt criticism of his ‘business-savvy’ stance by implying he is a wise, modern – and neglected – Dr Semmelweis. The fact is that pseudo-Dr Smith is a business-trained captive of a business-oriented urban centralization movement that has very little if anything to do with high-quality, efficient or safe obstetrical care. In a decade or so there likely will be another fashionable reversal to place services where Niagara mothers and babies really are – out there in the neglected boondocks. In the meantime there will be some sad deaths in ambulances en route to a distant and misplaced monster-hospital.
Pat Scholfield
Are the people of St. Catharines aware that the Maternity/Pediatric departments in the new St. Catharines complex are only temporary? Dr. Smith has recommended a new hospital for south Niagara in south Niagara Falls and proposes that hospital will be built in four to six years. Then Mat/Child will be moved out of St. Catharines to the new hospital. Then all the people of St. Catharines will have to travel to south Niagara Falls for Mat/Child services.
How do the people of St. Catharines and area feel about this?
If you doubt the accuracy of my statement go to Smith’s video on the NHS website.
Pat Scholfield
Dr. Smith was not sent down to come up with a solution to our troubled NHS as many people think.
He was sent down to complete the implementation of the HIP (hospital improvement plan)….and that is exactly what he did. He tried to fool us by saying we should have a new south Niagara hospital….knowing full well that would stir up infighting. Once the fighting began, then he steathily made recommendations to move Mat/Child from Niagara Falls and Welland hospitals to the new complex in St. Catharines. He says, once the new hospital is built, in four to six years, Mat/Child will return.
Our local physicians have told us once Mat/Child leaves it will never come back and our hospitals will gradually deteriorate to where it will affect the viability of a 24/7 emergency department.
Has Smith told the people of St. Catharines Mat/Child at the new complex is only temporary and when the new south Niagara hospital is built, those services will move there and the people of St. Catharines will all have to travel there for Mat/Child.
How do they feel about that?