Ottawa community health centre laying off staff amid ongoing shortages

By CityNews Staff

While hospitals in the province face ongoing staffing shortages, an Ottawa community health centre is laying off doctors and nurses.

A nurse practitioner, registered nurse and two family physicians have been laid off from the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre without cause and despite having positive performance reviews. 

Chandra Pasma, the New Democratic Party (NDP) member of provincial parliament (MPP) for Ottawa West-Nepean, told The Rob Snow Show with guest host Derick Fage on July 19 that the layoffs are deeply concerning, especially because the health centre helps some of the most vulnerable people in the community, including those who are low-income, housing insecure and newcomers to Canada who may have fled traumatic circumstances.

“We're really talking about some of the most difficult healthcare situations but also some of the people who need the greatest amount of care,” Pasma explained. “There's a very significant demand for this care, so it's very surprising that the community health centre would be laying off staff.”

Pinecrest has said the layoffs are part of a restructuring that will allow them to serve 2,500 more healthcare clients without new funding.

But Pasma questions why Pinecrest wouldn't offer existing staff with good performance reviews the opportunity to be part of the restructuring or keep them on until replacements are found.

“They're gone at the end of next week, and we don't know when replacement doctors will be hired,” she said.

Pinecrest has hired two new nurses, but Pasma said experience is not necessarily replaceable, and a concern is that the ability to communicate with patients in French will be lost.

“A lot of these clients don't necessarily speak English as a first language so that French language capacity is important,” she said.  

She added that she's heard some patients are not receiving the care they need for existing issues because they were told their relationship with their doctor was terminated.

“It's really sad because at the end of the day, these really vulnerable clients are the ones who are left to suffer,” she said.

Listen to the full interview with Chandra Pasma below:

 

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