Frustrated Bonavista resident confronts Furey at health-care announcement

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Fureywas standing at a podium in Bonavista, announcinga health-carerecruitment campaign Friday, when he was confronted by a frustrated town resident.

The woman was upset about a looming diversion at the BonavistaPeninsula Health Centre that would send people needing emergency services to Clarenville.

Furey wouldn't comment, but a press release from Eastern Health says the health centre will betemporarily closed from Saturday to Monday.

While the premier was at the podium, Central Healthalso announced diversions would also be taking place atGreen Bay Health Centre in Springdale and theBaie Verte Peninsula Health Centre in Baie Verte this weekend.

The moves are the latest in series of closures and diversions in health centres across Newfoundland, as the province struggles with a strained and understaffed health-care system.

• ERs in 12 N.L. towns have had multiple closures this year. Here's how they add up

Furey was in Bonavista to launch theExtraordinary Every Day campaign, which government hopes will convince more doctors and nurses to practise in the region.

Furey highlighted Bonavista's scenery and promoted the town as an ideal place to raise a family.

"We need to celebrate that. Because I can tell you other jurisdictions don't have that," he told residents at the news conference Friday. "We have the full package, we just have to make sure we're telling that story to nurses and doctors, allied health professionals."

It was a deliberate choice to announce the campaign in Bonavista, he said,as thearea faces daily uncertainty about whether the emergency room at Bonavista General Hospital will open. He reassured the crowdthat rumours of the emergency room permanently closing are false.

'There's nothing further from the truth. We want to continue to invest in this hospital in a sustainable way. To provide emergency services and family practice and acute bed care services to the people of Bonavista," he said.

The event was closed by a speech from Health Minister Tom Osborne. Immediately following his final remarks, the government's live stream of the conference was cut off as the floor opened to questions.

Both the premier and the health minister spent about an hour and a half answeringquestions from residents after the news conference ended.

'Too little, too late'

Bonavista Mayor John Norman said afterthe conference that he and the town council were invited to attendbut he declined, saying the government's plan lacked substance.

"I think I speak for our municipal council, our community and the region that we really don't think very much of it," Norman said ofthe premier's announcement."It was a reiteration of information we had already had so this would be the third, if not fourth time, we would have heard about this, what the premier is calling a Band-Aid solution."

Norman said his decision to not attend was also fuelled by a lack of communication fromgovernment.

He said the town has been trying to set up a meeting with the province to address health-care concerns for at least six monthsbut has gotten silence from Health Department officials.

"To this day, we have received no reply. Not even a 'thank you for your email,'" Norman said."For many of us on the ground, too little too late is our major issue.

"We've reached a point where our ER has a sign outside that gives the appearance of an A&W drive-thru," he said. "You drive through the main entrance and there is an Open or Closed sign saying, 'Today the ER is'and you remove the word 'Open' or 'Closed' depending on the day of the week as if it were just a drive-thru service."

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