Eastern Health cuts save $19M but won't harm patient care, says CEO

Eastern Health is cutting many services and 107 full-time equivalent jobs to shave $19 million in operating costs as its share of budget reductions, but officials say it won't harm patient care.

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"We don't want to downplay that there is an impact," Diamond told reporters Monday. "[But] ultimately you will get the care and we believe you will get it in a timely manner so that your outcome is not negatively impacted." 

Diamond said there will be reductions in mental health and addictions services, long-term care services and cancer care services.

"We think with what we're doing in mental health, we are changing the way we're providing care but ultimately we will be providing similar care," he said. 

"In long term care, we will provide similar long term care, just in a different facility, so I don't believe ... there's anything on this list that has a significant negative impact on care."

Closures

In addition to job losses, the health authority is closing a number of long-term care facilities, including Interfaith Citizen's Home and Harbour Lodge Nursing Home in Carbonear, and the Pentecostal Senior Citizen's Home in Clarke's Beach.

Masonic Park in St. John's is set to close, with residents transitioning to the Veterans Pavilion at the Miller Centre.

In the field of mental health and addictions, a 10-bed residential unit at the Waterford Hospital is set to close.

Eastern Health is also reducing the number of psychiatric emergency nurses at the Health Sciences Centre.

The Rowan Centre, which supports youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who struggle with substance abuse, will also close, and integrate into other mental health services.

ACCESS House on Empire Avenue, which serves as a step-down program for patients who have been discharged from the Waterford Hospital, is also closing.

Comfortable with decision

Diamond said the authority is comfortable with its decisions and under different circumstances it would likely have made the same choices, but as a reinvestment and not a reduction from its $1.4 billion budget.

"Much of what we've talked about today actually are things that we have been looking at for some time because we think we're not as efficient in providing a service and we thought there was money there that we possibly could invest in some of the other healthcare," said Diamond.

The cuts represent about a 1.5 per cent reduction in Eastern Health's spending.

Diamond said more cuts may be coming when the government announces more cost cutting measures this coming fall.