Townhall meeting about Summerside hospital changes being held tonight

A townhall meeting will get underway at Credit Union Place in Summerside Thursday evening, letting residents share concerns about recent cuts to Prince County Hospital.

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher organized the session, which kicks off at 7 p.m., in light of Health P.E.I.'s decision to downgrade intensive-care services at the hospital.

He has told the province that the move "will jeopardize the health outcomes of the citizens of Summerside, Prince County and the entire province."

Earlier this month, Health P.E.I. cited staff shortages as the reason behind reducing the number of patients who could be cared for at Prince County Hospital's progressive-care unit, cutting the number of beds from eight to four.

If Summerside has more than four patients needing such care at any one time, they must be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, an hour's drive away.

The progressive-care unit was what remained after the hospital lost its intensive-care unit in mid-2023, with Health P.E.I. saying it didn't have enough medical specialists to staff an ICU there.

Kutcher said he wanted Health Minister Mark McLane and the acting CEO of Health P.E.I., Corinne Rowswell, to attend Thursday night's townhall to answer questions from members of the public.