Hospital needs cardiac catheterization lab

Yorkregion.com
July 16, 2015
By Vaughan Citizen

We are writing to express our disappointment that the new hospital will not have a Cardiac Catheterization Lab.

Statistics show heart attack is the number 1 killer in North America; we in Vaughan are part of that statistic.

I am a heart attack survivor as recently as July 2014. However, my younger brother did not survive his ordeal the same summer. He went to Etobicoke Osler Hospital and had a heart attack while in emergency. Staff tried to revive him many times, however, there was nothing they could do except to transfer him to Brampton Hospital ... he died on the way.

What a tragic time for our family. Results may have been different if Etobicoke had a cardiac cath lab.

This letter voices our concern of the importance of a cath lab for Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital.

Millions are being spent to build this magnificent hospital, only to lack facilities to care for the number 1 killer. Plans have been made to accommodate other services that are non life-threatening, instead of the most time sensitive heart wing.

Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital being associated with Sunnybrook Hospital does not help with time restrictions when a heart attack is happening.

It seems to us that the lives of Vaughan residents are not important to the politicians or administrators who are planning this new hospital.

Concerning the April 2015 information meeting, we feel the meeting was rushed and residents were not allowed to express their concerns. It seemed organizers had an agenda and nothing else mattered. We wanted to bring this issue up, however, time was not given to pursue the issue.

We believe that the heart cath lab was not considered to be an important issue by all levels of government.

We are very disappointed and are prepared to push our agenda forward by starting a petition towards this goal.

Liliana and Angelo Tomei