More than a dozen nurses to be laid off at Stevenson Memorial Hospital amid funding cuts
As the healthcare system continues to face high wait times and burnt-out staff, a hospital in New Tecumseth is laying off more than a dozen nurses at the end of the month.
CTV News has learned that 13 nurses at Stevenson Memorial Hospital will be laid off at the end of the month. The positions are all registered nurses (RN). Eight full-time, one part-time and four casual jobs are impacted.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
According to the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA), nursing staff and the union were first told on Wednesday.
The hospital says the funding that is being pulled is related to an eight-bed overflow unit. A high acuity unit is going to be integrated into the hospital's medical/surgical unit.
"The funding referenced was part of temporary, extraordinary measures funding given to hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic to reimburse them for the costs incurred as a result of patient surge due to the global pandemic," Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health said to CTV News in a statement. "Hospitals across the province received this temporary reimbursement funding. As this reimbursement funding, there should be zero impacts to patients or service."
However, the ONA says it was under the impression the funding provided was part of a long-term investment in hospital care.
"We were made to understand that this was part of their long-term redevelopment plan for years ahead, so you don't just put something in place and hope that it's going to be done in a year," says Angela Preocanin, the ONA's First Vice-President. "So that's very concerning that they said that this was not part of their staffing plan. How do you open beds and not staff it?"
The hospital confirmed to CTV News that it had been receiving extra funding for the last two years for the eight added beds and says it added staff. However, it notes it is facing financial struggles.
"The additional capacity that was included over the course of the pandemic to date will be reduced," a spokesperson for Stevenson Memorial Hospital said. "The hospital is facing a deficit for the 2022-23 fiscal year, so to help realign the organization's finances, there will be some changes."
The layoffs come during a time of continued pressure facing hospitals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and when the New Tecumseth area continues to grow. When Stevenson Memorial Hospital opened in 1964, it serviced approximately 7,000 people annually. Those numbers have now grown to 40,000 a year.
"[The layoffs] is actually something that makes me very angry to think that in this day and age when we have such a shortage, we are laying off nurses. Considering this is a small community hospital, you don't have the vacancy rates that you would suspect we would have," says Preocanin. "We also understand that in this situation with these beds that, when they are not being utilized, those nurses are being reassigned to other units, including the emergency department and the medical units, to help support, so they don't have a lot of turnover in these places."
According to the ONA, there are only four vacancies at the hospital, three are part-time positions, and the only full-time one is in the obstetric department.
CTV News reached out to Brian Saunderson, the MPP for Simcoe-Grey. He said he spoke with the hospital's CEO this morning after being made aware of the situation and is looking into it.
The layoffs are set to take effect on March 31. However, the nurses will continue to be paid for the next four months because of the collective agreement.
The ONA hopes there will be enough outrage from the public over the coming months that the decision will be reversed.
"It's the craziest thing. It makes no sense whatsoever," says Preocanin. "This is just the start, I'm sure of it. I would hope that it's not, but my heart tells me that it is the start of something, really, really terrible, and it just is the decimation of our publicly funded healthcare system."
The hospital says it is working to minimize the impact on service levels.
"We are working with our Human Resources Department to ensure as many options as possible are presented to fill vacancies and minimize impact."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.