The Friends of Kincardine Hospital are probably going to attend the South Bruce-Grey Health Board meeting on May 26th but they’re not happy about it.
Friends Sub-Committee Chair Barb Fisher says they continue to push for a special extended meeting to discuss, in detail, with board members, the independent consultant’s report commissioned by the Friends back in December and made public in March.
The board has already refused requests for such a meeting and instead have asked the group to attend a regular board meeting and present the report as a regular agenda item.
The Friends told the board they would not attend the April Health Board meeting and now have been invited to the May 26th regular meeting.
But Fisher says a 20 to 30 minute slot at a regular board meeting is simply not appropriate for the 76-page report which contains numerous recommendations about the Health Board operations.
She thinks the Friends will send someone to the May 26th meeting but they are continuing to ask for separate special meeting.
Fisher says the Health board has not provided any reason why it can’t set up a special meeting, except to say the members are too busy.
She suggests if that is the case then maybe they should think about having some board members who would find the time to at least discuss these important recommendations for the board, developed in the independent study.
Asked if she believed that one of the reasons the board does not want to discuss the recommendations is because some of them are critical of board processes and procedures, Fisher replied that, personally, she believes that is a factor.
Whatever happens with the Health Board, Fisher says the Friends have report presentations set for other groups, including the two municipal councils, before the May 26th board meeting and they are going ahead with these.
She says the Friends offered the board the opportunity to have the first discussion of the recommendations and they have refused to take advantage of it.
Fisher says the final decision on whether the Friends attend the May 26th meeting is to be made after further consultation with the entire Friends of the Kincardine Hospital group.