Keep the tunnel!

According to the Manistee medical care facilty Facebook page "There is a tunnel between the Manistee County Medical Care Facility and West Shore Medical Center that has been used to transfer patients between the two facilities since the hospital was built. The hospital's administration has determined that it is not safe to keep the tunnel open. Closing it is expected to cause some disruption for our residents, families and staff as well as the hospital's staff. We apologize in advance for this inconvenience. Families will be asked to assist with transfers between the two buildings and ambulances will be required for some transfers that in the past, would have been transferred on a stretcher through the tunnel."

WSMC now wants the patients to be transported the whole 50ft via ambulance to and from which is a waste of time and money on both ends when the tunnel has been very effective! The workers there also now have to go out in the extreme weather with the patients and risk falling, other injuries, or illness when they could use a tunnel to prevent that. I have yet to find one person who has been able to name one good thing out of closing the tunnel. I have tried contacting west shore president with no luck. I am hoping this petition will get WSMC to open their eyes and realize what they are doing and what an impact it will have. If they are shutting it down due to it needing to be fixed even though that does not appear to be the case then let's raise some money not just immediately close it down! Please sign to help the cause thank you!

*MORE TO THE STORY FROM OTHERS*

I have spoke to several employees that work at the medical care and one in general does the transportation. I was informed that the medical care does have a handicap accessible van that is used to transport people to the medical care from their appointments when available but it is rarely available due to it being used for 3-4 appointments a day in Traverse City and Grand Rapids. So for a patient to be able to go over and get an x-ray or CAT scan or even just some simple test the transport van may not be able to take them and they would then need an alternate way over there due to the tunnel being closed. Someone from the activities deparrtment or an aid would escort the patient through the tunnel and it would make the process so much simpler. Yes if the patient is in a wheelchair they can be escorted outside and walked over to the hospital but that is only if the weather is nice. If the weather is a snow storm or a thunderstorm do you really want to put the patient and the worker at risk? But then again are you really going to call the ambulance for something as little as that when the ambulance could be used to save someone elses live especially if the weather is bad there may be accidents going on elsewhere. It is not fair to the workers, EMS, the patients or anyone else involved to close the tunnel.

Please understand the medical care does understand that if it is an emergency that they need to call 911 and not to just take matters into their own hands and use the tunnel maybe thinking it would be faster that is not that case at all.  They just see the tunnel as a way of getting patients x-Rays and being able to transport them easier for those sort of things but when it does come to an emergency they always call 911.

I was informed that the tunnel is being closed due to it having a leaky roof..... Even though no one can seem to pin point where.... and there secondary reason to closing it is becuase there is no service button or phone if you need help..... So a solution in my eyes would simply be PUT SOMETHING DOWN THERE! Not shut down the tunnel!!!!

*UPDATE FROM CURRENT WORKERS*

GREAT JOBE EVERYONE!!!!! So far they have given the Medical care a 30 day extension which is better than it being closed at least it is back open! Now lets get it to stay open everyone!!!!!

If you wish to add anything to this please email me at ally_tiger@msn.com and I will add it thank you.