NEO Kids – Its time has come

It’s hard to fathom that 25 per cent of northeastern Ontario’s population is under 18 (110,000) and thousands of these young, vulnerable citizens are being shipped out every hour of the day - 365 days a year - for health care in southern Ontario.

It is unsettling and worrisome that kids in northeastern Ontario have higher than Canadian average rates of chronic illnesses including pediatric leukemia/cancer, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autism, ADHD, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, asthma and allergies.

It is totally unacceptable that there is no formal health population planning established for this fragile group of future leaders, future parents, future teachers, employees, nurses, doctors, entrepreneurs etc.

It is unconditionally unacceptable that children from Northern Ontario have to travel hundreds of kilometers over a busy highway every single day of the year in all kinds of weather, to access health care treatment unavailable here in the North.

In Greater Sudbury we boast a world-class science centre to entertain growing minds and imaginations. We hold our teachers and school boards accountable for ensuring our children benefit from the best education taxpayers can afford. We offer sports programs in many great venues including arenas, swimming pools, parks and playgrounds to nourish our children’s needs for recreation.

But if our kids get sick, they may have to leave town for care (at least 3,500 last year) or suffer through lengthy wait times because of lack of services and facilities here at home.

How can we continue to tolerate such inequities between health care for kids in southern Ontario and health care for kids in northern Ontario?

While there has been a 23% increase in the number of children leaving northeastern Ontario for care, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of new pediatric consultations locally, from approximately 95 a month in 2009 to approximately 190 a month in 2015. That represents a 100% increase in referral volumes for care provided at current, overcrowded and understaffed facilities. How is this acceptable for OUR children?

Children and their families who have to leave northeastern Ontario to receive care are travelling greater distances than children in other parts of the province. Children and families from Timmins or Sault Ste. Marie must travel an average of 1,400 kilometres to receive specialized outpatient pediatric care. By comparison, children in southern Ontario travel an average of 500 kilometres to receive care.

When our citizens were travelling hundreds of kilometres a year for cancer treatment, this community banded together and said, “no more.” When Hwy. 69 was substandard, we as a Community said, “enough is enough, we must move from promises to pavement,” and it’s happening. When our hospital was stalled and only a hole in the ground, we as a Community said, “It’s time.”

It was this universal, passionate plea that propelled community and provincial leaders to create the Northeast Cancer Centre. We may not remember, but it took a lot of political will and community support to make it happen.

The time was right then to treat our cancer patients closer to home. And we did it! We now boast one of the best cancer centers in the country.

The time is right NOW to focus on our youngest citizens. To rally together with political will and resources and with community support to treat our sick kids closer to home. To pay as much attention to their health care needs as we do to their educational and leisure needs.

How can we continue to deny that we have a problem and how can we continue to deflect our responsibility to our children by saying our only focus is on our aging population? Both of these demographics are important and priorities. Can we not focus on them both?

It is imperative now that we work, as a united Community, with the LHIN to make this happen. Together we can make NEO Kids a reality.

The time is right for the North Eastern Ontario Health Centre for Kids (NEO Kids). They are our kids, our future and our responsibility. They deserve our support.

Rick Bartolucci is the former MPP for Sudbury and a former Liberal cabinet minister.