Health-care leaders from the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority and the province’s Shared Health organization met with residents from Arborg and the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton last Thursday evening to update them on the current status of health services in the area.
Organized and emceed by Arborg mayor Peter Dueck, the public forum attracted about 90 people.
IERHA chief executive officer Marion Ellis, who spoke with the Express by phone a day after the forum, said it was “very important” to hear from the community and address their concerns about health care services in the area.
Arborg hospital’s emergency room has been on diversion (i.e., ambulances take Arborg-Bifrost area patients to Gimli or to another community’s ER) as the health authority continues to work on recruiting an adequate number of physicians to staff it. But the hospital itself is providing in-patient and laboratory services. The health clinic attached to the hospital is providing primary care to residents in the area.
At this point, the health authority doesn’t know what will happen with the ER, said Ellis. At least six doctors are required to work in the area in order to have the ER staffed on a 24-7 basis.
In addition to the ER, residents raised concerns about difficulties getting access to a doctor and whether the shortage of doctors would “justify moving services” from the area, she said. They also asked for an update on the status of their proposed new personal care home (the province is currently reviewing the budget) and ambulance response times.
Ellis said Arborg has three doctors – one with a private practice and the other two at the IERHA’s Icelandic River Health Clinic – plus a nurse practitioner out of Riverton who works one day a week in Arborg.
Two of the doctors have decided not to work at the ER, she said. The health authority doesn’t want to burn out their physicians by having them work in their clinics then take on long shifts in the ER.
“People asked Dr. Penner how many doctors we should have in Arborg, and he said he’d like to have four or five because we very much want to focus on primary care,” said Ellis. “There’s a doctor scheduled to come in September 2024 and Dr. Penner is also trying to recruit a physician assistant.”
The health authority is also looking at providing three hours of clinic service on Saturday with lab services to back that up.
As to the future of the Arborg hospital, Ellis said the response from Dr. Penner affirmed that “every bed in the region” is needed. And with advancements in medical technology and specialized care, patients with serious illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes – no matter where they live in the province – are sent to St. Boniface Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre, respectively. Even if the Arborg ER was open, patients suffering those conditions would be sent straight to Winnipeg.
Patients are still being admitted to the Arborg hospital for conditions that are “suitable” for that level of hospital care.
The focus on providing primary care can help reduce the volume of people using emergency rooms to obtain health care services they’d ordinarily obtain from a family physician. Over the past few weeks, media reports showed packed waiting rooms and excessively long wait times for service at some Winnipeg ERs.
“We know a lot of media across the country are reporting on congestion in emergency rooms. And ER doctors from coast to coast are saying this is because we don’t have enough family doctors. Dr. Loudon said primary care is vital for screening patients for chronic diseases and managing those diseases,” said Ellis. “If you have good primary care – whether that’s provided by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner – you’re less likely to need emergency care. Our real focus is to provide that primary care.”
There are registered nurse vacancies at the hospital and the PCH at the moment, said Ellis, but there are no vacancies for licenced practical nurses (LPNs) and health care aides in acute care.
In acute care (hospital), the nursing vacancy is 22 per cent while the health care aide vacancy is zero. In long-term care, the nursing vacancy is 53 per cent while the health care aide vacancy is nine per cent (but these vacancies will be filled by three health care aides from the Philippines). In home care, the nursing vacancy is 33 per cent while the health care aide vacancy is five per cent.
Arborg’s has seen success in training local and Interlake residents as LPNs and health care aides.
“We want to give Arborg credit because the town has been very successful in working with Fieldstone Ventures and Assiniboine Community College to offer health care aide courses and two LPN courses.”
There was a question raised about QDoc.ca, regarding whether the IERHA has a contract with the service, which provides online access to physicians. Ellis said the IERHA doesn’t have a contract, but people in the region can still use it for medical advice on minor illnesses.
“IERHA does not have a contract with Q Doc. And people were asking what that meant. Dr. Penner explained that you can [use the service] and you don’t have to go to emergency or if you can’t make an appointment with your own doctor because they’re busy. This service has been great for those who have some mild illnesses.”
Through a free app, QDoc.ca offers select Canadians [Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, British Columbia] consultations with a general physician, e-prescriptions, lab requisitions, COVID screening, audio and video consultations and medication reminders, according to its website. Common medical issues include respiratory conditions, irritable bowels, allergies, diabetes, skin conditions, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections.
