Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Letters to the Editor

This is why we need NEO Kids

Editor’s note : The following letter is a joint effort from a group of Greater Sudbury pediatricians in support of NEO Kids.
Sudbury.com Staff
110815_miracle_treat
Meghan Pacan and her big brother Ethan are local ambassadors for Dairy Queen's Mircale Treat Day. Meghan had open-heart surgery at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children when she was 18 months old. She is now 22 months old and is doing well, says her mother. Supplied photo.
Editor’s note: The following letter is a joint effort from a group of Greater Sudbury pediatricians in support of NEO Kids.

As the physicians on the front lines, providing pediatric care to kids in Sudbury and across the northeast, we are often asked: “Why do we need NEO Kids?”

The answer is simple: there are 3,500 reasons why we need NEO Kids.

That’s how many kids from northeastern Ontario had to travel last year to Toronto, Ottawa and London to receive care. In total, these kids and their families had to make 9,200 trips to get the care they needed.
That is equivalent to a child leaving the north every hour for care.

These children and their families are travelling our northern highways, in all types of weather, to get care they could get here. That travel takes a toll on families. It’s difficult physically, emotionally, socially, and financially.

That is why we need NEO Kids.

Health Sciences North is proposing to build a 30,000 square-foot facility, designed specifically for children’s care.

The demand for children’s outpatient care is growing. More children are developing chronic conditions, or are born with medical conditions that will require a lifetime of care. We estimate that demand for children’s care will increase between 20 and 40 per cent over the next decade.

We, the pediatricians of Greater Sudbury, believe there should be better access to children’s care here in the north. We’re not just saying this as doctors — we’re also saying this as parents. It’s the right thing to do for our children, our families and our communities.

Northerners often say they are not second-class citizens and they deserve the same services as adults in other parts of the province. That’s also true for children, who can’t speak up for themselves. So let’s do everything we can to give our kids a voice and create a place where they can get the care they need close to home.

Dr. Tara Baron
Dr. Elaine Blacklock
Dr. Melanie Breau
Dr. Chantal Corbeil
Dr. Gautum Kumar
Dr. Sean Murray
Pediatricians in Greater Sudbury