Acadian Peninsula mobilizing against proposed Vitalité bed cuts

Some people in northern New Brunswick are mobilizing after hearing that Vitalité Health Network has recommended hospital bed cuts to the provincial government. 

According to information obtained by Radio-Canada, the health network has submitted a proposal to Health Minister Victor Boudreau that would cut 99 of Vitalité's 1161 hospital beds. 

The Acadie-Bathurst region would be hit the hardest if changes are implemented, standing to lose 41 beds.

The recommendation spawned public meetings last week. One meeting in Tracadie, hosted by a concerned citizens committee, attracted one hundred people.

"We felt that with our population, a 45,000 population, we need more beds, not less beds," said organizer Norma McGraw, a former healthcare worker.

"Unless we put something else in place to replace those beds, we won't be able to take care of our elderly."

We don't want just to be told there will be cuts. We want to be part of it. We want to be part of the solution.- Norma McGraw, concerned citizens committee

The committee has written letters to Social Development Minister Cathy Rogers, and Health Minister Victor Boudreau.

McGraw says she spoke with Boudreau, who told her no decision would be made until next spring's provincial budget.

"We hope that we'll be consulted by the government. That's what we want. We don't want just to be told there will be cuts … We want to be part of the solution, " said McGraw.

Mayors of the region are also calling for clarification on specific plans that Vitalité, so far, has refused to acknowledge.

Vitalité CEO Gilles Lanteigne released a video to employees to respond to the media attention surrounding the possible cuts, and issued an email statement to media outlets explaining Vitalité's position.

The statement says Vitalité Health Network has submitted a package of proposals to the department of health to "transform and modernize New Brunswick's health care system."

The statement says the transformation "would be spread out over a number of years" with the objective of making "the shift to ambulatory care and ensure increased accessibility to care and services." 

The statement refers to changes coming to healthcare in New Brunswick, but does not suggest what those changes might be.

Tracadie mayor Aldéoda Losier is one of several community leaders on the Acadian Peninsula calling for more transparency from the health network.

"What we want to know from the communities like Caraquet, Shippagan and the north, what do you have in the plan for the next five,10 years to replace this reduction," he said.

Losier and the other mayors of the Acadian Peninsula plan to hold a meeting with the region's six provincial MLAs to find out more about the recommendations.

Vitalité has scheduled a meeting in Tracadie with community stakeholders for Nov. 2.