The Prince County Hospital Foundation Board is releasing this statement to echo the concerns of our physicians, our nurses, our staff, the City of Summerside, and the many Islanders who will be impacted by last week’s announcement to further reduce critical care services at the Prince County Hospital due to recent shortages in respiratory therapists, and ongoing shortages of nurses and Internal Medicine physicians.
In the spring of 2023, the Intensive Care Unit at PCH was “temporarily” downgraded to a Progressive Care Unit due to the loss of Internists. At that time the PCH Foundation expressed its concerns in various public forums and advertisements. The Foundation also sent its concerns directly to the government of Prince Edward Island and Health PEI, expressing the following expectations:
- Simplify, streamline, and add more accountability to the hiring process and provide more impactful retention programs.
- A commitment from government that the ICU will be brought to a full complement of Internists allowing for the care of all critically ill patients.
- No further reduction of services. Further loss of services will have great impacts on other departments at PCH. Make healthcare in Prince County a priority.
- A long-term action plan for Island-wide healthcare detailing the roles of all existing acute care facilities on PEI and opportunities for growth at PCH.
To date, these expectations have not been met in full and some circumstances have gotten worse.
In addition to its mandate to fundraise for medical equipment, the PCH Foundation is here for the betterment of Prince County Hospital. It has supported recruitment efforts in the past, wellness projects for staff, and introduced housing solutions for healthcare staffing, among other projects in efforts to be part of a solution. The board and staff of the PCH Foundation want to see a plan and long-term solution and we are willing to help where needed. All of us – patients, staff, and donors – deserve a fully functional Prince County Hospital. We all need to pull together to fix this.
WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER
– The Board and Staff of the Prince County Hospital Foundation
