A controversial plan to close the McMaster Hospital emergency room to adults contains good news for local residents, says Ancaster's city councillor.

Lloyd Ferguson, a member of the Hamilton Health Sciences board of directors, said the Access to the Best Care plan includes positive changes for pediatric medicine in Hamilton.

"We do have a fear happening with seniors, but there is a significant up side that hasn't been addressed," Mr. Ferguson said.

Hamilton Mountain Councillor Terry Whitehead staunchly opposes the adult emergency room closure. The Ward 8 councillor represents constituents just a few blocks east of the Ancaster Meadowlands.

On Monday, the Local Health Integration Network approved parts of the Hamilton Health Sciences' Access to the Best Care plan. Although the LHIN lacks jurisdiction to rule on the emergency room closure, the issue has sparked debate among communities and councillors.

On Tuesday, LHIN board member Stephen Birch resigned his seat, citing a lack of public consultation and inadequate data to determine potential impacts to EMS service. The West Mountain resident outlined his concerns in a seven page letter to LHIN board chair Juanita Gledhill.

But Mr. Ferguson, who supported the HHS restructuring along with Mayor Fred Eisenberger, said the positives will outweigh the negatives once the changes are phased-in over a three year period.

Mr. Ferguson is offering to make a presentation at the Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre to fully explain the proposal. He also welcomes inquiries from any other concerned community groups.

Mr. Ferguson said 60 per cent of children within McMaster's catchment area are unable to access pediatric care at the local hospital, because resources are currently spread out among four hospitals.

He also noted emergency room capacity will expand by 50 per cent at Henderson Hospital and 20 per cent at Hamilton General by the time McMaster transitions to a children-only emergency room. New urgent care centres are planned to open in West Hamilton and at the former Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital site on the West Mountain. Mr. Ferguson said adults who arrive at McMaster seeking emergency service won't be turned away. They will be stabilized and transferred to another hospital.

An ambulance backlog has been cited as a frequent concern by opponents of the HHS plan. But Mr. Ferguson said the hospital board is working to address the logistics of transferring patients between hospitals. He said a shortage of acute care beds is creating a ripple effect that places undue stress on ambulance service. Seniors waiting for spaces in long-term care facilities are tying up as much as 20 per cent of acute care beds, a problem Mr. Ferguson feels should be addressed by the provincial ministry of health.

The result, Mr. Ferguson said, is an increase in the number of code zeroes, a situation where there is one or zero ambulances available to respond to a medical emergency.

"We need to fix the acute care problem," Mr. Ferguson said.

A report released by Hamilton EMS last month states there were 12 code zero events in July and 55 occurrences in the first seven months of 2008.

Mr. Whitehead believes EMS staff will struggle to provide effective paramedic response once McMaster closes its emergency room to adults. He said councillors and the community still lack the information needed to make an informed decision. And he questioned why Hamilton Health Sciences announced a plan without proper public consultation.

"What they did is they internally developed a plan and tried to sell it," Mr. Whitehead said.

In a media release, Mr. Whitehead states the HHS restructuring will add an additional 10-minute travel time for an estimated 5,500 adult EMS patients and 300 EMS pediatric staff.

It all adds up to more code zero events, Mr. Whitehead contends.

Mr. Whitehead also addressed Hamilton's aging population and questioned whether HHS will have the resources to staff two new urgent care centres. He said 40,000 Hamiltonians already lack a family doctor.

"How does one address those complex needs moving forward?" he said.

The Mountain councillor may seek a judicial review to overturn the LHIN's approval of the HHS plan.

"If the (decision making) process is not credible now, what kind of results are we going to get moving forward?" Mr. Whitehead said.

Ancaster community groups or individuals interested in meeting with Mr. Ferguson can contact administrative assistant Kathy Bishop at 905-546-3196 or e-mail kbishop@hamilton.ca.