The following letter was sent to Premier Andrew Furey on Friday, January 8, 2021. 

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Re: PET Scanner for new Acute Care Hospital in Corner Brook

Dear Mister Premier,

I’m writing you today on behalf of the Council of the City of Corner Brook.

The residents of Corner Brook are excited to see the development of our new regional acute care hospital. This substantial investment will serve residents from the entire western half of the province, including Labrador, for decades to come.

Newfoundland and Labrador is faced with enormous fiscal and economic challenges. With almost half of our population dispersed over 95% of our land mass, it is imperative that we find ways to promote regionalization into population hubs like Corner Brook. By concentrating our population in regional centers, we will have opportunities to provide more efficient government services and attract new families and investment — those of us outside the Avalon are not ready to concede the fight against our demographic challenges.

We understand it is difficult to provide some medical services outside of St. John’s — certain tertiary care is not practical to offer without substantial investment in personnel and facilities. Residents outside of the Avalon recognize this. Everyone has had to travel to the Health Sciences Centre or the Janeway for themselves or a close relative requiring specialized treatment. Where it’s feasible, we need to minimize this back and forth, this uncertainty, and this stress for our residents.

A PET scanner for our new hospital is one such way we can provide better care for our residents without being frivolous. This investment will complement our current and upcoming cancer treatment services, mean significantly-reduced medical travel for a large portion of our residents on the west coast and in Labrador, and it will bolster Corner Brook as a significant regional economic hub.

Therefore, we respectfully request that you and your government review your plan for diagnostic imaging in our new hospital and commit to providing a PET scanner service when it opens in 2023.

Sincerely,
Jim Parsons
Mayor of Corner Brook

CC: The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services
The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration Skills and Labour
The Honourable Scott Reid, Speaker of the House of Assembly
Eddie Joyce, MHA Humbe—Bay of Islands