The Guelph District Health Coalition (GDHC) is joining an "unprecedented response" to an "unprecedented issue" — a movement against Bill 60 which the local organization believes could be damaging to health care in Centre Wellington.

Responding to the new bill, GDHC — a coalition formed by seniors’ groups, patients’ organizations, nurses and more — will be taking part in a province-wide, community-run public opinion vote opposing Ontario's Bill 60.

The provincial bill will move some specific surgeries and diagnostics into private, for-profit clinics. In a recent press release, the coalition said they are “gravely concerned” about the development.

Brit Hancock, GDHC co-chair, believes the new system will be hard on everyone, specifically hospitals and residents of local small communities.

“Say a smaller town loses those surgeries, there’s no option but for them to close or reduce their hours," she said. "That leaves a lot of people in really precarious situations, especially elderly people that require cataracts or knee and hip surgeries to have to go outwards, out of their communities to get these done.”

The concerns come less than a year after reduced hours were implemented at several local hospitals, including emergency department closures for both Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest and Wingham Hospital. The closures were a result of a gap in nursing coverage.

Hancock thinks the system will leave smaller-market hospitals struggling even more.

“It’s wonderful for the profitable larger cities that are closer to access, but I don’t think people realize that once you eliminate those key surgeries out of hospitals that it’s really difficult for the public hospitals to function,” Hancock said.

She added that she doesn’t think the Ontario government's move into privatization comes out of an effort to improve the healthcare system.

“They also aren’t highlighting that in virtually every community across the province we do have operating rooms. They’re just not being funded to their full capacity," Hancock said.

"It’s a policy and a political choice that they’re doing this. It’s not a necessity,” she added.

There will be 500 voting stations across the province, including three across Guelph May 26-27.

For more information on the vote, visit publichospitalvote.ca

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