The plan, which calls for a centralization of most services in St. Catharines, includes closures of maternity wards in Welland and Niagara Falls and emergency departments in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.

But strolling the Seaway Mall some three weeks after the plan's unveiling, it's still hard to find anyone who speaks favourably on the plan, which has major implications for south Niagara hospitals if implemented.

"I'm very, very fed up," said Welland resident Henry Huys, speaking with a Niagara this Week reporter at the mall on Aug. 10.

His main beef with the plan, ordered by the Local Health Integration Network in June after the NHS failed to balance its budget this fiscal year, was the construction site of the new hospital, which is to get a bulk of the services under the plan.

"They're putting the hospital in the wrong place," said Huys. "It should be more central, near the Highway 406 and 20 intersection. It's easy access: easy on, easy off."

"How are you going to get through the big box stores?" he continued, referring to the west St. Catharines site, which is adjacent to a huge commercial sector.

"There's going to be ambulance tie-ups in the traffic."

He called the Hwy. 406 and 20 interchange "the perfect spot."

"They have 45 acres there," said Huys.

Another Welland resident, Cliff Rashleigh, said he sympathized with the NHS on one hand, but disagreed with the plan on the other. He thinks the NHS, struggling with a multimillion dollar deficit as well as chronic staffing shortages, should find better ways to get in the black and recruit more manpower.

"I guess financially it'll be better to centralize, but it's pretty inconvenient," said Rashleigh. "What if you live in Fort Erie or Port Colborne? They get their fair share of emergencies up there, so I can see why they'd be concerned."

Despite living in the Rose City, the emergency closure in the Canal City would affect Rashleigh, because he said he uses the Port emergency department to avoid long line-ups at Welland's emergency.

"That's where I'd rather go," he said. "Welland's OK, but the waiting list is long and it's going to get longer unless they do some upscaling."

Another Welland resident, Walter Christian, 80, said he's been a frequent patient at Welland hospital over the years, battling diseases including cancer and pneumonia. He had nothing but positive things to say about the level of care he received at the hospital and wanted it to retain key services.

"I'm not in favour of it," said Christian. "I think they should leave it the way it is. I've had the best care."

Another person at the mall who did not give his permission to publish his name said that the NHS should find ways to save money from the top down.

"If we had a 10-storey building, the first nine floors would be administrative," he said.

He also said that he thinks these are plans the NHS has had for some time.

"They can have all the public meetings they want, but the decisions have already been made," he said. "It's not about what people want or people need. It's all about dollars and cents. When you're sick or hurt, you don't want to have an hour's drive somewhere.

"They've forgotten what health care is all about."

No one that agreed to speak with This Week spoke favourably of the plan, titled the "hospital improvement plan."

The report is currently being reviewed by the LHIN, with final say expected sometime this fall.