GRAND FALLS, June 27, 2024 –The Grand Falls Regional Municipality denounces Vitalité Health Network's decision to establish a new cataract surgery clinic in Edmundston, even though it had established such a clinic at the Grand Falls General Hospital in October 2020.
"From the very beginning, as a municipal council, we had expressed our dissatisfaction to Vitalité that another service would be leaving Grand Falls to be offered in Edmundston. We find it hard to understand this decision, when all the facilities are already in place to offer this service at the Grand Falls General Hospital. Once again, it will be the people of our community, and in this case our seniors, who will have to drive for hours and spend money on gas, food and much more to have access to this service, when we know full well that the cost of living is rising all the time," pointed out Bertrand Beaulieu, Mayor of the Grand Falls Regional Municipality.
At the time, this initiative was put in place to maximize the resources available within the three northwestern hospitals and required an investment of just over $1.3 million. It was carried out in partnership with the Foundation of the Friends of the Grand Falls General Hospital, which contributed a considerable $65,000 for the purchase of specialized equipment.
"Our community invested time and money, through several fundraisers and dipped into their pockets for their hard-earned cash, to bring cataract surgery to Grand Falls. Here we are, barely three years after all these efforts, back at square one with equipment and public funds that have not been put to good use for the people of Grand Falls," continued Mayor Beaulieu.
“Furthermore, in our discussions with the Vitalité Health Network, they had hinted that another specialized service would be established at the Grand Falls General Hospital following the closure of the cataract clinic, but we still have no news on this subject. We've already lost too many services that have been centralized in Edmundston. It's time for this to stop, and for us to have access to health care here without having to travel many kilometers," added Bertrand Beaulieu.
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Info and interview requests:
France Le Moignan, Economic Development & Marketing Director
(506) 740-1773 - communications@grandsault.ca
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