Over the course of 2023, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority saw a number of improvements in many areas of health care, including reduced waiting times for some procedures.
IERHA chief executive officer Marion Ellis provided some of the highlights from 2023, including the establishment of a pain clinic with anesthesiologists at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre, an increase in surgical capacity and diagnostic services to help reduce wait times, the expansion of licensed practical nurses and the training and recruitment of health care aides.
“We have increased our urology surgery at Selkirk Regional Health Centre and we’re on track to do 600 surgeries a year. That’s where we’re focusing right now to reduce the waiting list,” said Ellis. “We’ve also had some success in expanding our endoscopy services at Beausejour and also at Selkirk. We’re running those five days a week in Selkirk. It’s a way to explore, take some samples and detect some possible cancers or other issues early. That’s important for patients.”
The health authority brought in new doctors in 2023 to serve in centres across the region, but the reality is there isn’t a “glut of doctors” out there, she said.
“It has been challenging and people are saying they would love more doctors. However, we’ve brought in 12 doctors in the last year to different areas,” said Ellis. “And we’re anticipating a number of new doctors in the new year.”
Those areas include Ashern, Selkirk (a surgeon, a family medicine doctor and a hospitalist), Pine Falls (two doctors for ER service), Beausejour and Stonewall.
Although there are three doctors in Arborg, the region would need to have six – the model used for ER staffing – in order to keep the Arborg & District Health Centre’s ER functioning. Not having enough doctors to take shifts in an ER would result in physicians experiencing burnout, said Ellis. The IERHA is working with Arborg’s mayor and Bifrost-Riverton’s reeve to address physician challenges in that area.
“Doctors are doing primary care and if we ask them to do emerge as well, that means they could be up all night then have to work in primary care again the next day,” said Ellis. “We want to make sure we’re looking after our physicians’ health and wellness so that they don’t get burned out and they’re anxious to leave us. We have had physicians get burnt out because they’re conscientious human beings.”
The role of rural ERs has changed too, she added, with treatment of emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes carried out in centres of excellence (e.g., St. Boniface Hospital and Health Sciences Centre) in Winnipeg.
In primary care, Ellis said the IERHA has expanded the availability of nurse practitioners, who can provide vaccinations, perform diagnostic services such as screening for diabetes and kidney disease and refer patients to services such as endoscopies and cancer screening. Some nurse practitioners will also be working with personal care homes.
Winnipeg Beach’s nurse practitioner is now available five days a week, up from three days a week. And there are or will be nurse practitioners practising in Eriksdale, Fisher Branch, Lundar and Selkirk.
Another area of success within the region has been local initiatives to train health care aides. Communities such as Selkirk, Fisher Branch, Lake Manitoba First Nation, Seymourville, Hollow Water, Manigotagan have offered training, with practicums completed in local personal care homes.
“We really appreciate the efforts made by our human resources team,” said Ellis. “We’ve hauled up equipment to these areas so that the people can become familiar with it and don’t injure themselves with lifting. The training was so positive. We want to keep doing that. Every one of the people who’ve taken the course are gracious.”
On the personal care home front, proposals for new facilities in Arborg, Lac du Bonnet, Stonewall and Oak Bank are currently under review by the new NDP government.
“This government has come into power at a time of inflation and with interest rates going up. We respect when governments take fiscal discipline seriously. We’re very much understanding that they’re wanting to review spending and the budget,” said Ellis. “The PCH review is just a pause on those projects, a shoulder check as it were, and the government has communicated that. It’s a very prudent approach when you come in as a new government.”
To address substance use and addictions, the IERHA was granted funding for medical withdrawal management services. Working with Indigenous partners, the health authority set up services in Ashern.
“When you’re withdrawing from substances, it can be very hard on your body and you need that to be managed in a way that lets people come down easy so it isn’t a shock to their body. And we can also connect patients with resources and supports for further treatment,” said Ellis.
The IERHA also increased the hours of operation for the Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine Clinic (RAAM). The clinic provides help to people struggling with substance use and addictions, as well as substance-related health issues. The clinic is located in the Selkirk Community Health Office.
With a significant Indigenous population at 27 per cent and with 17 First Nations in the region, the health authority has made strides to further truth and reconciliation efforts.
“We acknowledge the people who’ve looked after the waterways, the land and other natural resources, and all of leadership team – our managers, housekeeping staff, clinical staff – have taken Indigenous cultural awareness training in the last year,” said Ellis.
The IERHA also invited youth aged 12 to 18 to design a pin for Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. RHA staff and community partners reviewed over 40 designs from across the region and chose four designs: Bruno from Grosse Isle, Alivia from Gunton, Christina from Elma (in the eastern half of the IERHA) and Emily from Oak Point.
Manitoba, like other provinces are grappling with an increase in the circulation of respiratory viruses, and the Interlake-Eastern RHA has seen an increase in people coming in with respiratory illnesses.
“This is the time of year where we typically have influenza and other viruses spreading,” said Ellis. “We’ve had [health] minister Uzoma Asagwara and Dr. Roussin, who is the chief medical officer of health, really encouraging people to secure vaccines. And that’s a wise thing to do. Down through the decades, we’ve seen that influenza can be very hard on some people. We’re also promoting those vaccines in our personal care homes.”
Ellis said the IERHA is monitored by its board and its leadership evaluated. It reports monthly to the board, updating it and how it’s “moving the dial forward” with regard to the board’s six overarching goals, which centre on Indigenous health and aging populations, community and primary care, recruitment and retention of health care staff, integration and coordination of health care, innovation and technology and mental health and addictions.
The IERHA was the first health region to be audited by the Manitoba Association for Safety in Healthcare (MASH) and that earned the RHA a safe work certificate in June. Ellis said the wellbeing of health care staff is important.
“As a system, our true resource is our staff. We have to make they get the training to not injure themselves, manage and de-escalate unsafe situations and take of care of maintenance issues. All of this comes under the umbrella of safe work certification, which includes all of our protocols and how we support people when their ill and have had an injury,” she said. “We were really glad to go down that road and get certification.”
The Interlake-Eastern Health Foundation, which enhances patient care across the region, has a new executive director (Averill Stephenson), and anyone interested in donating to the foundation to help improve health care services is encouraged to contact the IEHF at (204) 485-5139.
