Task force looks for suggestions to Pelee Island health care dilemma

By Pat Bailey

Sylvia Pearce was disappointed in the turnout for the Erie St. Clair LHIN's meeting on Pelee Island health care Wednesday night at Leamington District Memorial Hospital.

"I'm sure this will be translated as a lack of interest," she said. Instead, she blamed a lack of advertising for the poor turnout.

With an audience of about a dozen, members of the Pelee Island Health Care Task Force were linked electronically with a similar meeting being held simultaneously on the island — one seeking public input on options to provide health care to the island residents.

While Pearce is not a year-round resident on the island — she does own a cottage there. As a senior, Pearce said she is concerned about her own health and the welfare of her family members when they are visiting the island.

"I'm getting older," she said, "if I had a stroke or a heart attack I want to be able to get off the island."

Ideally, Pearce said she would like the health care service on the island return to how it was before the summer's interruption.

"It's not brain surgery," said Pearce. "We don't need to reinvent the wheel."

Pearce said the system they had in place worked well on the island — with a nurse available eights hours a day, seven days a week.

But Pelee Island Mayor Rick Masse said with changes in health care "we need to look to the future".

The current nurse serving the island, Marlene Pierce, came out of a short-lived retirement until Dec. 31, when they hope a solution has been found to care for the islanders and visitors.

And those heading up the meeting all agreed that Pierce was an extraordinary nurse who went way above the call of duty.

Dr. Todd Sands said it's not realistic to expect an individual to work the number of hours required to staff the clinic.

He said that's why the 19-member task force worked so hard to come up with viable options to help resolve the health care dilemma on the island.

At Wednesday night's meeting, members of the committee presented several of the 50 options discussed by the committee.  To read more go to www.leamingtonpostandshopper.com.