Subury's Breast Action Committee will hold a media conference Wednesday, Oct. 24 as they continue their efforts to save Health Sciences North's breast assessment program.
The hospital revealed in September that changes were planned for its Breast Screening and Assessment Service (BSAS) and surgeons would no longer be consulting with patients at the BSAS clinic. Instead, roughly half of the more than 2,000 patients who pass through the clinic on a yearly basis will be referred to see a surgeon at their office.
The move is slated to save the hospital $270,000 with savings accounting for the salaries of a nurse navigator, receptionist and operating costs at the clinic.
There has been some outcry and confusion surrounding the proposed cuts, as panic spread with the initial announcement with people mistakenly fearing that the entire program was being turfed. Health Sciences North will still be performing breast screenings, but the assessment portion is where the crunch will be felt.
Breast cancer survivor Sharon Murdock and registered nurse Anne Matte have been on the front lines of the charge to push the hospital to find another way to find the $270,000 in the budget that it says it will be saving by eliminating on-site surgical consultations at the BSAS.
The two have sent out a letter addressed to HSN president Dominic Giroux, which will be circulated among influential groups and forwarded to Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas.
The two will be on-hand for Wednesday's press conference, along with Dr. Rachelle Paradis who will be bringing everyone up to date on the status of negotiations.
"Compared to the hospital's budget...I know the hospital has to make changes but this is not the place to do it," said Matte in an interview with Sudbury.com on Oct. 12.
Wednesday's conference will be held at the Ambassador Hotel at 10:30 a.m.
Sudbury.com will bring you a story from the conference later this week, so be sure to check back with us.
