Dear editor:

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel the NOTL hospital should be recertified. It could be used for COVID-19 patient beds now and the hospital could be later repurposed for palliative care, hospice and emergency care.

We have an aging population that may wish to care for their “own.” For residents and tourists, a viable emergency department is necessary. The EMS is not the only solution for all emergencies. It takes at least a half-hour to bring a patient to a hospital in St. Catharines or Niagara Falls. These hospitals are overcrowded emergency facilities and can be short  of beds.

The Montessori School that operates from a wing in the NOTL hospital attests to the fact that this hospital can still be useful. The school would find ample space by operating out of the former Parliament Oak School site if given a reasonable lease.

This piece of land and school are vacant and the owner can be approached.

The NOTL hospital should never been allowed to close.

Ramune Angela Bell

NOTL