Redekop: Douglas Memorial is Fort Erie’s ‘safety net’

Niagara Health’s Douglas Memorial site, an urgent care centre that used to offer a full-service emergency department, is a “safety net” for Fort Erie residents.

This was the description given to Fort Erie Radio on Thursday by Mayor Wayne Redekop when discussing a presentation he gave to Niagara Health’s board of directors on Tuesday.

Niagara Health issued a news release also describing the dialogue, saying the presentation focused on ensuring Fort Erie residents retain access to services such as diagnostics imaging and primary care at the existing UCC site.

But Redekop said the town wants more than that.

Palliative care, diagnostics and chronic care beds are also needed.

And the local community deserves continued access to the site.

“We’re asking them to not leave Fort Erie,” said Redekop, noting that resolution passed by council last year is pushing the provincial government to continue funding Niagara Health to remain a part of Fort Erie.

“We’re not asking them to take any money out of their budget,” Redekop said about Niagara Health, adding it is hoped that the government can fund Niagara Health to not close the site and “make them whole.”

It would cost less than $11 million annually to maintain current services at Douglas Memorial, which is about two per cent of Niagara Health’s budget, said Redekop.

Residents need the Fort Erie site to avoid long wait times at hospitals in Niagara Falls, Welland, and St. Catharines.

Douglas Memorial is slated to close when a new hospital in south Niagara Falls opens in 2028.

The town, and the rest of Niagara, are growing quickly, which Redekop says also gives reason to believe the new hospital won’t be able to handle the amount of growth.

“These are the things we’re trying to impress on them,” he said.

He called the meeting on Tuesday “cordial” and that it wasn’t his intention to “attack or insult” Niagara Health.

The town requested to speak at a board meeting in September after Niagara Health backed out of the municipality’s health care services committee.

“We always appreciate the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about Fort Erie’s healthcare future,” said Niagara Health in its news release following Redekop’s presentation.

“The future of healthcare in Fort Erie lies in building the new, state-of-the-art South Niagara Hospital and in strengthening primary care, which means timely access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner and their teams,” said Lynn Guerriero, president and CEO of Niagara Health.

“Evidence shows team-based primary care is the most effective and comprehensive model for managing health,” she added in the release.

Strong primary care and access to a family doctor is the “foundation of a healthy community, providing preventive care, chronic disease management and reducing the need for episodic treatment at walk-in clinics or emergency department,” said the health system’s news release.

Niagara Health also said in its release that 12,000 Fort Erie residents do not have family doctors, but Redekop told Fort Erie Radio that number is closer to 7,000.

When the South Niagara Hospital opens in 2028, Fort Erie residents will be just 25 minutes away from a state-of-the-art $3.6-billion facility offering top-tier emergency and acute care services.

This is much closer than the current, nearest hospital, said the news release.

“Our goal is to work collaboratively with the Town of Fort Erie to strengthen access to family physicians, nurse practitioners and team-based services to ensure a smooth transition for the community, prior to the new South Niagara Hospital opening,” Guerriero said.

“We remain committed to open and transparent dialogue as we build a healthcare system that prioritizes access, quality and sustainability.”

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