Where : In front of John Gerretsen's Office, the Lasalle Mews (corner of Princess and Bagot) the Kingston Health Coalition meets with John Gerretsen, MPP , a State of Emergency in Public Health Care to be Declared.

The Kingston Health Coalition will hold a media conference and rally in front of John Gerretsen's office on Friday September 20th at 9:30am. A delegation is meeting with Mr. Gerretsen at 9 am and they will be reporting the results of that meeting.

The Health Coalition will demand that Mr. Gerretsen, our MPP, and the Liberals clearly state their opposition to for-profit delivery of health care. The Coalition will be presenting the results of a new study that show for-profit MRI clinics are more expensive, have less quality control and will probably make the problems of waiting lines worse. All the evidence shows that for-profit delivery of health care will harm our public health care system and allow queue jumping. "We are worried", said Ross Sutherland, Co-Chair of the Kingston Health Coalition, " The provincial Liberals do not seem to understand the danger posed by for-profit delivery of health care. We are declaring a State of Emergency. The provincial government has increased its attacks on our public health care system. We want our MPP and the provincial Liberals to join us in defending public health care. Also attending the meeting with Mr. Gerretsen will be Christine McMillan, President of the Council on Aging, Lynda Jackson, Member of the Board of the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, Pat Cauldwell, RN at Hotel Dieu Hospital, and Charlie Stock, Co-Chair of the Kingston Health Coalition. The Kingston Health Coalition will also be declaring a State of Emergency in Public Health Care. This fall the government is proceeding with plans to turn new MRI and CT facilities over to the for-profit sector. They will be announcing tenders for two for-profit hospitals, one in Brampton and one in Ottawa, and renewing the for-profit, and more expensive, cancer care clinic. The government is turning our core health services over to the for-profit sector. Copies of the new Ontario Health Coalition report "Scanning For Profit: A Critical Review of the Evidence on For-Profit MRI and CT Clinics", will be available at the media conference. For further information call:

Ross Sutherland 374-5211

 or

 Charlie Stock 549 - 6258