Media Advisory - Press Conference - Midland group to join protest against health care reforms

    MIDLAND, ON, Sept. 22 /CNW/ - The Southern Georgian Bay Health Coalition
is holding a press conference followed by a strategy session to announce it
will join a mass rally at Queen's Park on September 27th as part of major
cross-province protest. The coaltion will unveil the visual model for Midland
that local participants will be using in the protest.
    The McGuinty government is making unprecedented changes to the way
hospitals are governed in the province, taking power away from the public and
giving it to unaccountable elites. Government supervisors are recommending
that hospitals such as the Huronia District Hospital and Penetanguishene
General Hospital replace democratically elected hospital boards with appointed
boards. In Midland this would effectively eliminate the voting rights of
2,400 community members and reverse a 100-year history of democratic hospital
governance. At the same time, the province is using the Local Health
Integration Networks (LHINs), who are also not accountable to the public, to
bring in massive funding cuts. Through all of these changes it has become
clear that the McGuinty government wishes to hide the fact that it is
responsible for the most drastic cuts to health care since the Harris era.
    The Ontario Health Coalition has called for major protests across Ontario
in response to the hospital cuts, broken promise on improving care in nursing
homes, and increasing privatization.WHEN:     Tuesday, September 23

    TIME:     7 p.m.

    WHERE:    Penetanguishene Public Library
              24 Simcoe Street
              Penetanguishene

    WHO:      Vern Edwards
              Deb Mink
              Co-Chairs, The Southern Georgian Bay Health Coalition.

    ATTN PHOTO EDITORS: The coalition will unveil the large visual to be used
                        in the protest

For further information: Natalie Mehra at [phone] or Vern Edwards
at [phone]