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children." If CHRISTINA BLIZZARD QMI Agency A'shocktng" new report sounds the alarm hells about the quality ofhealm care l in rural and northern communi- _ The Ontario Health Coalition {OHC) will release a report next rn patients feel they are “lesser an their urban counterparts," hen it comes to health. “The testimony we heard lected municipal government, ' hyslclans, nurses, hospital tall." she told me Thursday. The report says there‘s Wide- ’ read mistrust of die controver- ’ rks, (LHINS) that are respon- lc for implementing massive anges to health care in comâ€" . unifies across the province. "Public opposition to the I s and the erosion of demo- atic principles in hospital l‘ oarcls and public policy is uni- rsal," the report says, and rec- mends they be phased out I three years. The report also calls for a moratorium on closures of hos pital emergency departments and is asking the government to develop a province wide plan to ensure timely services for trauma victims in rural areas. The report says ambulance response times can be 3045 minutes for trauma; from car and farm accidents in rural areas. The OHC recommends services should be on average 20 minutes from residents‘ homes. and, at most, 30 minutes away. The report also calls for an investigation into the Niagara- area cuts. "It is this panel‘s opinion that the provincial government should send an investigator into the Niagara Health System. There is a very high level of public anger at the hospital board,” the report notes. More than 1,150 people across the province attended the (ll-{C hearings in March. Bed closures are forcing patients [0 drive long distances for care. The closure of outpatient rehab in places like Kincardine and Cobourg means patients must now travel as much as 100 km for treatment. The same goes for patients who need dialysis. Imagine undergoing dialysis two or three times a week â€" and then having to travel a great dis- tance home. New Democrat critic France Gelinas was part of the health ooalio‘on panel that travelled the ‘ Illness linked to raw milk in Minnesota he Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says it has found more evidence of illness linked to the consumption of raw dairy products from a farm in Sibley County. The Hartmann dairy farm was implicated in an outbreak of E, coli 015711-17 infections in May and June and ordered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to stop selling milk until unsanitary conditions were addressed. But now the MDH says it has identified new cases of raw milk-related illness, including three people infected with Campy- ]obacter jejuni and four people infected with a parasite called Cryptospnridium parvum. MDH officials say they're not just focusing on one form but are warning individuals of the overall risks of consuming raw milk. The department says it has identified 47 other people since Jan. 1. 2010, who became ill after drinking raw milk from a variety of sources throughout the state. They say that “people need to think carefully about those risks before consuming raw dairy products lrorn any source. and people need to know that the risks are especially high for young Failing grade for health care system province. There has been a svsreniic push to take services away from rural areas ol Ontario and bring them closer in the bigger cert» hes.” she told me Thursday. ‘This has come with a tremen- dous cost to the small rural and northern communities." A husplltll is the heart ol a small community. she said. Closing it can bc devastating. ’It is the social fabric of tilt- communitv, because in the smaller community the hospital is a hub. They bring the critical mass of workers and profession als that help the Communities on many fronts." she said. Health Minister Deb Mat thaws had not seen the report and would not comment on it directly "We' absolutelycommittetl to providing the best possible health care to people. no matter where they live in the province,‘ she said. The ministry has its own panel ol rural and northern experts looktng at health care. “I am very much looking lor- ward to seeing what they are rec- ommending and movmg on their recommendatrons,’ Mat- thews said. ‘ Sometimes good health care isn't just a matter of dollars arid cents. It’s a question of common senr . When patients are forced to drlve long distances on often snowy roads to get the care they need. lt makes no sense at all. 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