Citizens protest OBS closure

CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE March 1, 2020
On Sunday afternoon, more than 200 people turned out for a protest of the temporary closure of the Pontiac Community Hospital’s obstetrics unit. They circled the vehicles parked at the main entrance, holding hand-made signs and, for a short time, chanting slogans. TV crews from CBC and CTV were on hand in addition to local media.
The protest was organized by the citizens group Pontiac Voice, which was formed in 2017 in response to the imposition of paid parking at the hospital and other health care facilities. Spokesperson Josey Bouchard said that the goal of the event was to show support for the workers at the hospital and project the community’s frustration to the provincial government.
“We’ve called a support rally for the hospital, we’ve been sort of bashed around for a little bit and we’ve lost our obstetrics unit for the next six months, so we want to show the government that we will not take this lying down and that our services offered close to our homes are essential ,” she said. “We want to make sure CISSSO does what it has to do to make sure that it re-opens in six months.”
She was pleased with the turnout for the event, which was precluded by a hastily organized protest at the Hull Hospital on Feb. 24, after the obstetrics break was announced on Feb. 21.
“I’m really proud of the Pontiac people that came out to show support for the hospital, it’s really nice,” she said.
Bouchard spoke to the assembled crowd before they took off on their circuit. Clarendon Mayor John Armstrong took a short break from marching to speak with THE EQUITY and said that he was perturbed by the announcement of the closure.
“It was really frustrating to hear,” he said. “As long as I can remember, the hospital has always been open for babies being born.”
He noted that he and the other mayors of the MRC met with representatives from the local health authority, CISSSO, at a special council meeting on Feb. 26 and formed a working group to closely monitor the recruitment efforts in the coming months. He added that they were also looking at easing some language requirements for staff, which is another factor, along with wages, that causes nurses to cross the border to Ontario.
“That’s something we’re hoping and praying for, that it does happen, because it’s easy to say things when it’s six months away, but in the meantime, you think of a young person here that’s going to have a child,” he said. “That’s going to be frustrating for a new mom that’s going to be having a baby.”
Shawville councillor Bill McCleary, in an interview with CBC, echoed the same sentiment.
“The next thing we have to do is keep the minister accountable,” he said. “They said six months, let’s make sure it’s six months.”
“Our roads aren’t great … do you want to be a pregnant lady bouncing around in the back of an ambulance if it was an emergency?” he added.
Quyon residents Brenda Clarke and Laura Stewart took part in the protest and voiced their frustration over the situation.
“I wasn’t happy because my grandchild is going to be born within the next six months, and I would rather come to Shawville than go down to the city,” Clarke said, noting that the extra time to the hospital isn’t just an inconvenience to her family, but a very pressing concern.
“You can’t just say, ‘Oh I’m just not going to have a baby,’ you know?” she said. “We have no choice, it’s a necessity. You have to make the best of it.”
Stewart was worried that the break in obstetrics would soon spill over to other departments at the hospital.
“In the tone of what’s going on with women in general recently, [I] shouldn’t be shy to say, an attack on women’s health care is heard loud and clear,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about obstetrics anymore but it doesn’t mean it’s going to stop at obstetrics.”
Bristol resident Amanda Frobel, who had her three kids, aged 10, 13 and 16 in Shawville, praised the staff for the environment they provide to newborns and their families.
“It’s the best service offered for maternity,” she said. “There’s comfort, the nurses are there for you, it’s private, it’s loving. In the city, where I had to go to see my friends have babies, it’s just like an emergency room, you’re in, you’re out, you’re pushed and gone.”
She said she was frustrated that expectant mothers in the region wouldn’t be able to give birth locally.
“Here, as hard as labour is, it was comforting, people were there for you,” she said. “The nurses were great, you felt like you’re not just a number.”