Brampton Caledon Health Coalition

February 20, 2024

For Immediate Release                                                                                       Attn: Assignment Editor

MEDIA ADVISORY

New report exposes harmful impact of Ford government’s privatization scheme on local public hospitals: Health Coalition

PLUS

Grassroots protest outside Brampton Civic Hospital in April: fighting to stop privatization, more hospitals in Brampton and Caledon, and OHIP for all

Brampton/Caledon: As the Ford government counters horror stories about unprecedented emergency department wait times, burgeoning deficits, and an unrelenting staffing crisis, it is running high-rotation advertisements paid for by the public to convince Ontarians that they are doing all they can to improve our health care. A new report to be released by the Ontario Health Coalition takes aim at those claims and exposes the impact of the Ford government’s drive to privatize public hospital services on local public hospitals across the province. The report, based on a year-long study looking at local hospitals across Ontario, reveals the concrete costs of the transfer of resources away from our public hospitals to for-profit clinics and hospitals, in every region of the province.

Brampton Civic Hospital is the lone full service hospital for all of Brampton and Caledon, and the promised expansion of Peel Memorial Centre promises to be behind schedule and woefully inadequate, with only 225 beds, with questionable levels of services. Brampton Civic has been carrying too heavy a load for too long, with only 645 beds for 827,500 residents of Brampton and Caledon (Statscan), meaning there are only 0.78 hospital beds per 1000 population. Brampton has a large population with no OHIP covered services, which further stresses Brampton Civic. See www.BramptonCaledonHC.ca for more information, and join us on Wednesday, Feb. 21 outside of Brampton Civic Hospital to hear our release of the OHC report and the date of our grassroots protest, bringing together labour, community services, residents, and advocates to demand more healthcare for Brampton and Caledon.

PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS: Wednesday, February 21,1 p.m.

Outside Brampton Civic Hospital, corner of Bramalea Rd & Bovaird Dr.

Contact:  Janine Herrmann-McLeod- 647-237-6276, BramptonCaledonHC@gmail.com

Join us on Zoom:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87555209950?pwd=Bd2C9BY6EKh2sNwtfhYP38aAqwgZHG.1