Latest news with #TomLewis
BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
Son thanks police who tried to save Army veteran dad in Willenhall
An Army veteran's son has thanked police officers who tried to save his dad after he suffered a heart attack. Tom Lewis, 83, collapsed in Ladbrokes bookmakers in Willenhall town centre on 13 August, West Midlands Police said. Sgt Paul Smith and PC Matt Smith, who were out patrolling the area, rushed to perform CPR on Mr Lewis - which his son Philp said helped prolonged his life long enough for family members to say goodbye. The former ammunitions technician for the Royal Army Ordnance Corps was taken to New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, where he died later that evening. 'Lovely man' Tom Lewis had been in the Army during the 1960s and spent time in Cyprus and was later a security guard before working in a local foundry. Philip Lewis said his dad enjoyed betting on horses at the bookmakers, would love a chat on the street and had time for everyone. "He was a lovely, friendly man who always had a joke for you. Admittedly, some of them were lame jokes but that's what made it funnier," he said. "Thanks to the fantastic efforts from police officers and ambulance crews who carried out CPR, my dad was kept alive and this enabled myself, his sister Diane and his brother Arthur to get to the hospital in time and to see him before he passed away. "I am so grateful to them for doing all they could for him and would also like to thank the staff at Ladbrokes for all their help too."Police said Mr Lewis was a "familiar face" around Willenhall having lived in the town all his life and was known for his "friendly and fun" officers who went to help him were carrying out patrols as part of the Safer Summer Streets scheme, the force said. Sgt Paul Smith said helping the veteran was a "team effort"."It was a very sad day for myself and the other officers involved," he said. "We tried our very best to save Mr Lewis, taking it in turns to carry out CPR until paramedics arrived."We are sorry the ending couldn't have been a happier one but it is comforting to find out Philip was able to see his father in hospital before he passed away."His son added his father will be greatly missed."He was very close to his grandson Sam – my dad adored him," he said. "He will now be reunited with my mom Margaret who died 13 years ago." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
'Enough is enough:' Local politicians decry Niagara Health's decision to reduce urgent care hours
Niagara Health's decision to reduce summer hours at its only two urgent care centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, Ont., has sparked outrage. Some local elected officials in Fort Erie are calling on the CEO to resign, the provincial government to intervene and an immediate reversal of the decision. Mayor Wayne Redekop told his council Monday evening that the people running the local hospital system "don't give a rats ass about Fort Erie." His perspective was echoed by other councillors, including Nick Dubanow. "I think we need to kick Niagara Health to the curb," he said. "I'm very angry. Enough is enough." Earlier that day, Niagara Health had announced that throughout July, August and early September, it will close the Fort Erie Urgent Care Centre on Fridays and the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre on Saturdays. Both centres will be closed on Canada Day, July 1, and the Labour Day long weekend, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. Fort Erie's will also be closed on the Civic Holiday long weekend, Aug. 1 to 4. Normally they operate seven days a week. Fort Erie Coun. Tom Lewis advised council on Monday he will be putting forward two motions later this month. The first will call for the town to "immediately withhold" committed funding to Niagara Health's new hospital, although it's unclear the dollar amount. The second will call for the Niagara Health CEO Lynn Guerriero and members of the board to resign, and for the province to appoint a supervisor to oversee operations, Lewis said. "Niagara Health has broken our trust," he said. "We owe it to the people of Fort Erie to take a firm stance. And I believe this council will." Niagara Health said in a statement to CBC Hamilton local officials are oversimplifying the complexity of running a regional hospital system. "We are disappointed when misinformation is shared by elected local officials in their zeal to build support for their campaigns," said spokesperson Erica Bajer. Doctor shortage prompts closures The closures are because the region faces a shortage of physicians qualified to work in emergency departments, Niagara Health said in a news release. The doctors who'd normally work in urgent care need to be deployed to hospitals and even still many shifts there remain unfilled. "We know these closures are frustrating and concerning for the communities affected, said Dr. Kevin Chan, chief of staff, in the release. "They are not decisions we made lightly. This is the minimum level of closure required to maintain emergency care across the region." There are no hospitals or emergency rooms in Fort Erie or Port Colborne and thousands of people are without a family doctor. The closest hospital is in Welland — about a 12-kilometre drive from Port Colborne and 32-kilometre drive from Fort Erie. Niagara Health also runs a hospital in St. Catharines and another in Niagara Falls. Urgent care centres are supposed to be for people with health conditions who can't wait for a scheduled medical appointment but don't necessarily need emergency care, says Niagara Health's website. Those health conditions include nausea, vomiting, fevers, flu, minor cuts that may need stitches, sports injuries, ear, throat and eye problems and minor asthma flare-ups or allergic reactions. Niagara Health said the urgent care closures are despite "exhaustive efforts" to recruit physicians including financial incentives, direct outreach, targeted recruitment campaigns and flexible scheduling. "Further, Niagara Health is working tirelessly to recruit more physicians to the region and it's disingenuous to minimize the incredible challenge of physician recruitment in the face of a province-wide doctor shortage," said Bajer. In 2009, Niagara Health converted Fort Erie's Douglas Memorial Hospital's emergency department to an urgent care centre. In 2023, it reduced hours at both centres from operating overnight to closing in the evening. It's also planning to close them permanently in 2028 when a new hospital in Niagara Falls is supposed to open. 'Treated as afterthoughts," mayor says At a news conference Wednesday, Redekop and Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele said they don't believe Niagara Health had a plan to keep the urgent care centres running seven days a week despite thousands of tourists visiting throughout the summer. "I'm concerned we're being treated as afterthoughts and it's becoming normalized," Steele said. They mayors were also joined by local NDP MPP Wayne Gates. Steele and Redekop said they spoke with the Niagara Health CEO in May, where she gave them a heads up of staffing shortages that could impact urgent care. The mayors said they could help to recruit physicians and in a follow-up email requested to see the Niagara Health recruitment program, and the number of doctors needed, but never heard back. Then on Monday, they had a call with Chan, the chief of staff. He advised them of the reduced hours, which Niagara Health made public during their meeting, Redekop said. No heads up was given to the mayors or councillors. Redekop said at the meeting they also learned Niagara Health doesn't have a formal physician recruitment program or plan to develop a training program so family doctors can more easily become qualified to work in urgent care and emergency departments. Niagara Health said it does "aggressive and ongoing recruitment efforts" that aren't limited to "a single campaign" and provided this "clarification" to the mayors on Monday. Bajer said Niagara Health sent information about its training process to them on Wednesday. But Niagara Health also didn't post its physician schedules for the urgent care centres two months in advance as it normally does to give doctors who want more hours the opportunity to take them, Redekop said. The hospital system said its process was delayed "as we worked to stabilize physician coverage across the entire hospital system, particularly in emergency departments, which are provincially mandated to remain operational." Ministry says up to Niagara Health to decide Several Fort Erie councillors said they didn't believe Niagara Health tried to keep the urgent care centres open, even as it will force more people to go to already busy hospitals for health care. "The hospital system is effectively condemning its own emergency room," said Coun. Joan Christensen at Monday's council meeting, after having also joined the phone call with Niagara Health earlier in the day. "In my opinion, our battle should now be with the Government of Ontario. We can't negotiate with people who are consistently misrepresenting the truth." The Ministry of Health said in a statement it is up to Niagara Health's to decide how to deliver services. "While the Ministry of Health was not directly involved in this decision, we will continue to work closely with Niagara Health and other hospital partners ... to ensure they have the tools they need to deliver high-quality care close to home," said press secretary Ema Popovic.
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Niagara ‘health-care emergency'?: Urgent care centre reductions spark accusations
Anger over planned cuts to summer hours at south Niagara's two urgent care centres is boiling over into words and proposed actions. During Fort Erie's town council meeting Monday night, Ward 5's Coun. Tom Lewis said he will bring forward motions June 23 to withhold the municipality's previously committed funds to Niagara Health for its south Niagara Falls hospital under construction and redirect them to other health-care initiatives. He said he also plans to formally request the resignations of Lynn Guerriero, the hospital system's president and chief executive officer, along with the entire Niagara Health board, and ask the provincial government to appoint a supervisor to oversee Niagara Health operations. 'This is a health-care emergency and a threat to our health-care safety net,' he said, adding Fort Erie residents 'should be outraged.' 'We thought we were funding a new hospital with urgent care services still within our community,' Lewis said. 'We bought a horse and what they're showing us today is a donkey. That is not acceptable.' Mayors of Fort Erie and Port Colborne are also calling the reduced hours 'unacceptable' and 'deeply concerning,' as both communities brace for reduced access to medical services during the tourism season. Niagara Health informed the municipalities it will reduce regular hours at its urgent care centres (UCCs) beginning in July, through to the Labour Day weekend. The Fort Erie UCC will be closed Fridays and over two long weekends, while Port Colborne's UCC will close on Saturdays. Both UCCs will also be closed Canada Day and Fort Erie will be closed for the civic holiday weekend, Aug. 1-4. The announcement has sparked a war of words between the hospital system and the two mayors, with Niagara Health saying in an emailed statement some comments from politicians are 'insulting.' 'Our urgent care centre is not a luxury, it is an essential service,' Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop said in a statement. 'Scaling back operations during the busiest months of the year, when thousands of residents and visitors depend on timely access to care, shows a troubling disregard for the needs of our community.' Port Colborne Mayor Bill Steele echoed that frustration. 'We are doing everything we can so that Port Colborne continues to have access to the health care we need, especially during the summer months when our population almost doubles,' he stated in a news release. The mayors said they have previously offered to collaborate with Niagara Health on physician recruitment efforts and emergency room operations at hospitals. During Monday night's meeting, Redekop said Niagara Health needs a formal physician recruitment plan, onboarding process and training programs to prepare family doctors for UCC and emergency work, and the town is willing to do what it can to help. '(Niagara Health) has never reached out to Fort Erie to assist with physician recruitment initiatives, (or) to seek additional funding from the province if needed.' He said the process has left municipalities without opportunities to help fill staffing gaps. 'Niagara Health simply decided to pre-emptively shutter UCCs,' he said, referring to its plans to close the UCCs after the new Niagara Falls hospital is complete in 2028. In response to similar comments made earlier, Niagara Health sent a statement calling them 'inflammatory.' 'Let us be clear: these are not decisions we want to make — they are decisions we have to make,' said Niagara Health. 'Our emergency-trained doctors are exhausted. We are short at least 10 to 15 physicians across our sites,' it said, adding if its limited emergency medical resources are not focused on keeping emergency departments (ED) in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland open 24-7, the entire region will be at risk. 'We have said this repeatedly: our priority is maintaining 24-7 ED care, where the sickest and most vulnerable patients come for treatment. We cannot, in good conscience, divert those resources to UCCs at the expense of emergency coverage. That's not just operational reality — it's a patient safety imperative.' The statement said Niagara Health helped develop a model to bring a family physician group into the Port Colborne UCC site to support same-day access to care. It said Fort Erie has been encouraged to explore a similar model. 'We have offered to help develop it, identify partners and support implementation. No such proposal has been submitted from the town,' the statement said. 'Despite Niagara Health's support, Fort Erie also did not apply for available provincial funding in 2023 to bring an interprofessional primary care model to the community — a missed opportunity that could have helped address the root cause of this challenge: the lack of access to primary care.' Both mayors will speak further at a joint news conference scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Fort Erie town hall. Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates is also expected to be in attendance. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Telford United's women's football team will no longer pay to play
AFC Telford United has confirmed its women's first team will not have to pay to play next season. The players, who compete in the West Midlands Regional League Division One North, the sixth tier of women's football, previously paid up to £200 each season, in order to cover the cost of training and match venues. The club's Tom Lewis said the team had gained "significant prize money", about £10,000, following their performance in this year's FA Cup run where they reached the first round. He added that their efforts had helped the women's set-up to become "sustainable" and enabled the fee to be removed. Mr Lewis said the team's "biggest financial burden" was the cost of hiring Telford College where they play, and added that it had been "unavoidable" to raise the money through players fees in the past. He said players had previously chosen to play for other clubs which didn't charge, and in recent years the club had encouraged the women to find sponsors to cover the fees."We're fighting in a pool where instantly if you say to them you have to pay, it becomes less attractive."However, Mr Lewis added that in recent years FA Cup prize money had "almost trebled". 'Help to secure promotion' The removal of the charge had made the team "competitive" and "opened up the talent pool", he said. "For a number of years we've been in the same league, we've been second and third fighting for promotion. "Hopefully by opening up interest around the club and strengthening the squad with new players will go a long way into securing us that elusive promotion," he Lewis said the club "looked where possible" to bring footballers in through their youth development programme, however he hoped the new setup had made the team an "attractive proposition". Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Lithium Corporation Commences 2025 Field Work
ELKO, NV / ACCESS Newswire / May 8, 2025 / Lithium Corporation (OTCQB:LTUM), a mineral exploration company committed to advancing North America's energy independence through domestic critical mineral resources, is pleased to announce the commencement of its 2025 summer field work. For the upcoming year, the Company will continue to focus on critical minerals, with generative efforts related to Lithium, Fluorspar, Rare Earths, and Antimony currently being initiated. To facilitate and expediate these efforts, Brian Goss, currently the Company's Vice President of Business Development, will also assume the role of VP, Exploration. Brian brings extensive expertise and strategic leadership to guide the Company's exploration activities. As the founder of Rangefront Mining Services, based in Elko, Nevada, Brian has played a pivotal role in geological services across the mining and exploration sectors. In addition to his entrepreneurial leadership, he has held executive positions at various companies, including serving as President of Lithium Corporation from 2014 to 2017. Lithium Corporation welcomes Brian to his expanded role and is eager to embark on a new field season focused on unlocking the full potential of the Company's diverse portfolio of critical mineral prospects. About Lithium Corporation Lithium Corporation is a mineral exploration company dedicated to securing North America's energy independence through domestic critical mineral resources. As one of the few Project Generators in North America's critical minerals sector, the Company leverages its extensive exploration expertise to focus on energy metals with the goal of helping achieve energy independence for North America. The Company's dual operational focus spans two worldclass mining jurisdictions, with promising lithium prospects in Nevada, USA, and a diverse portfolio of titanium, rare earth elements, graphite, fluorspar, and antimony properties in British Columbia, Canada. Lithium Corporation is committed to driving a secure and independent energy future for North America through strategic investments in energy metals exploration and related opportunities, such as renewable energy generation and energy storage solutions. Contact Tom Lewis, President & CEO 775-410-5287 [email protected] On behalf of the Board of Directors 'Tom Lewis' Tom Lewis, President & CEO Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This current report contains 'forward-looking statements,' as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of minerals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lithium Corporation (OTCQB-LTUM) 1031 Railroad St. Ste 102B Elko NV 89801 (775) 410-5287 SOURCE: Lithium Corporation press release
