Letter to the editor

The Neepawa Banner received a lengthy letter from Cecil Pittman of Neepawa concerning the location of a new hospital for the area. It's very similar to a letter from Mr. Pittman that we ran several months ago. The Neepawa Banner editorial board felt that there wasn't enough new information in this recent letter to justify publishing it. However, here is the letter in full. If you wish to comment on it please, email us or send us a letter or you can call Mr. Pittman and discuss the issue with him directly.

email us at : news@neepawabanner .com

or send us a letter:

The Neepawa Banner
Box 699
Neepawa, MB. R0J1H0

April 2, 2009

Many residents from Neepawa and the rural areas have contacted me since my May 2008 letter to the editor expressing concerns of a shared hospital located at Franklin. They requested I make public another major concern we all share.

We are one of the "Most Beautiful" towns in Manitoba and boast a large retirement community. Many of our retired town and rural residents who have supported our town for many generations chose Neepawa to establish their new homes. We host several senior housing facilities (Elks Manor, Kinsman Kourts, etc.) to reside in when the time comes to move from their homes. We also have a personal care home when their need for this service is required. We boast a well-established medical service and are creating a medical clinic within our town to help encourage additional medical professionals to move here. We have a hospital conveniently located within our town for fast and easy service. Several people have indicated to me these were the main reasons they retired or moved to our town.

To support the removal of our hospital from the town Mayor Durston you and some councilors would be ignoring these people and jeopardizing our health and safety. Many business minded people and large corporations (Hyteck - $35 million, Prairie Forest Products - $15 Million plus) have invested or are going to invest millions of dollars establishing in our town and surrounding community. This is hardly the time to dismantle our town.

Another large business located in our town is contemplating construction of a new facility in the near future. These businesses have faith in Neepawa's future and you can be assured they would not be investing here if they didn't.

It is to be noted when the Beautiful Plains School Division was established in 1959, they did not locate the offices at the Brookdale corner, half way between Neepawa and Carberry. The office was established in Neepawa, which also happens to be the largest service center in the Assiniboine Regional Health Centre. This is hardly the town to start removing the hospital from. Canada Safeway recently invested over a million dollars remodeling their store in Neepawa; they never demolished it and relocated out in the country.

Establishing a hospital at Franklin literally moves 3,500 Neepawa residents 20 miles away from the health facilities and services we now conveniently enjoy. Gladstone, McGregor, Austin, Carberry, McCreary and other area residents presently using these services would also share this fate. This could easily encourage them to seek other centers like Portage, Brandon, Ste. Rose and Dauphin to do their business.

Mayor Durston and councilors, we suggest you rethink any decision to support the removal of our hospital, the very heart of our town. Your decision to ignore this request will have a devastating effect on our business community and the future growth of our town. Enough study was not given the topic. The millions of taxpayer's dollars that would be wasted to service the Franklin location with sewer and water alone could be better spent expanding Minnedosa Hospital and toward the construction of a new hospital on the Neepawa property already purchased and serviced for that reason. Some of these monies could be better spent upgrading medical equipment within the two hospitals. For every trip (not always the best driving conditions) the doctors make from the clinic to the Franklin location they could make ten trips to the hospital in town. This could easily be a point that could discourage doctors from moving here.

All hospital staff would be forced to add approximately 4,400 miles a year to their expenses, not income tax deductible. At present rates, residents forced to use the handy-van will have to pay .90 cents a KM one way plus a $ 12.00 hour fee for waiting.

Additional costs will be implemented to transport equipment for major snow removal services. It does not matter what area you look at it is going to cost millions of dollars extra including lost revenue to local business to locate a hospital in Franklin.

The Manitoba Health admits doctor shortages are a national and international problem. Rumors are afloat " If we don't support the Franklin location we will lose our hospital and will have to go to Brandon". Similar rumors were circulated by some of the same people when the Personal Care Home location was challenged. When asked this question (PCH) the Deputy Minister of Health assured us this threat did not exist. Our opinion is the Assiniboine Regional Health Authority's mandate is to guarantee the citizens a safe and healthy medical service, not to run around threatening the people should they disagree with the A.R.H.A. suggestions. Until we see these threats in writing we consider them as just rumors. One could imagine the uproar in Brandon if a suggestion not to expand the Brandon Hospital a few years ago but close the Virden Hospital and use the money to build a new one at Griswold half way between the two centers.

We feel the supporters of the Franklin location were too eager to support such a suggestion without considering the negative implications it will have on the future of the two towns.

Businessmen spend thousands of dollars on advertising to bring business to our town, which in turn helps increase employment. "Stop", "think" our future is in your hands we request you do not ignore the citizens legitimate concerns.
Thank you.
"Concerned Citizens"
Cecil Pittman