Eddie Joyce says these patients are now being forced outside of the region where they have no family.
Bay of Islands MHA Eddie Joyce has written the Premier about the relocation of long term care patients from the old Western Memorial Regional Hospital. The new hospital is set to open on June 2nd and patients from the old facility will make the move this weekend. Joyce is raising concerns of long term care patients at the old hospital who are waiting to move into a long term care facility. Joyce says these patients are now being forced outside of the region where they have no family. He says the wait for a long term care bed to become available could be between 6-8 months and many will not survive until a bed becomes available. Joyce says family members are being told if they refuse to move, they will have to take their family member home. He is calling on Premier Furey to stop the transferring of long term care patients until permanent solutions are found.