It was a meeting reminiscent of a decade ago.
More than 250 residents packed the Ladner Community Centre last Saturday afternoon for a Friends of Delta Hospital forum to hear just how much the health region has shortchanged the local hospital and the level of care it can provide.
It was like a scene from 2002 when residents learned Fraser Health planned deep cuts to the hospital, including the overnight closure of its ER and loss of its acute care status. The community galvanized and it seemed like the fight paid off when the emergency ward was not only saved but eventually expanded, although other service cuts went ahead.
In the years since the hospital saw a number of services added as it became a key centre for day surgery and thanks to the tremendous fundraising efforts of the Delta Hospital Foundation and Delta Hospital Auxiliary came impressive equipment and building additions. The region eventually restored the acute care status and proposed service and building additions are part of a new longterm strategic plan.
However, it now appears not all is well after all.
Front-line doctors at the hospital last fall made public serious concerns about the level of care they're able to provide due to shortcomings of the surgical program, which was never fully restored after cuts over a decade ago. They also questioned how much acute care the facility can really provide and lamented the low number of beds overall.
At Saturday's meeting, residents were warned the surgical program is in danger of outright imploding and shutting down.
Several guest speakers, including doctors Jeff Hornstein, Robert Shaw and Jean Segal with the Delta Hospital Medical Staff Association, said all that's needed is a couple of million dollars to start restoring acute services to levels other hospitals in similarsized communities provide. The message clearly struck a chord with the audience, which was upset with Fraser Health but gave the doctors a standing ovation on two occasions. Hornstein said the hospital should at least be able to provide "meat-and-potato care any community would need" but added that Fraser Health has had a "scorched earth policy for the surgical ward at Delta Hospital."
The doctors noted they met with Fraser Health officials in November and were told funding could be redirected to the surgical unit, but only if cuts were made elsewhere at the hospital.
"We run Delta Hospital at around $30 million a year," said Shaw. "The surgery department runs at about $3 million per year. We're asking for $1 (million) to $2 million per year for the operating budget.
"It's inconceivable for Delta in Metro Vancouver that we have no access to acute surgical care."
Segal said it would take time and several steps to restore acute care to proper levels, if Fraser Health is willing, starting with adding four in-patient surgical beds.
Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington told the audience it's clear the community needs to once again get together and put pressure on the health region and government.
NDP MLA Sue Hammell, a guest speaker on behalf of NDP health critic Judy Darcy, agreed the community needs to ramp up the pressure, adding Fraser Health is also a victim of chronic government underfunding despite being the fastest growing health region in the province.
Delta North Liberal MLA Scott Hamilton, who recently met with some of the doctors, promised to schedule a meeting with Health Minister Terry Lake and Friends of Delta Hospital.
The meeting also had emotional speeches from Coun. Heather King, who described the lengthy delay her mother had to go through for surgery, as well as Friends of Delta Hospital co-chair Doug Massey, who vowed the community
would not back down in its fight to restore acute care to previous levels.
Volunteers with the group were busy signing up new members at Saturday's meeting. For more information, check friendsofdeltahospital.weebly.com.
