Article appeared in the Jan. 9, 2013 issue of the Interlake Enterprise, by Teresa Carey…
IERHA CEO John Stinton
The Arborg-Bifrost Community Development Corporation (ABCDC) invited the CEO of the Interlake-Eastman Regional Health Authority, John Stinson, to a meeting at Arborg’s town office on Dec. 19.
The stated purpose of the meeting was to establish a rapport, said ABCDC President James Johnson who chaired the meeting. However, as the meeting progressed, a secondary purpose, that of gaining insight into the provincial government’s funding allocation process, came to light.
“We want to work with you. We’re not looking at anything adversarial,” Johnson said. “We see ourselves as being the next Morden-Winkler…We’re central. We’re a growing economic hub. Health care has to be a part of that,” Johnson said.
In attendance at the meeting were ABCDC members of the board along with the mayor and some members of council and community stakeholders.
Johnson opened the meeting with an overview on the robust growth of the Arborg-Bifrost region, presenting some statistics and surveys, and speaking about Arborg’s major manufacturing companies, which employ 400 people, and which are hiring 35 to 50 new people each year.
“We are in a state of tremendous growth,” Johnson stated. “We’ve created a big funnel for aging people in this community, and lots of people are using this community as its retirement place. Health care becomes more and more important issue.”
Johnson talked about the pressure these factors are currently putting on Arborg’s personal care home. Right now there are 72 people waiting for a space there, but because of a shortage of spaces in the personal care home, families are forced to split up and place their loved ones in other locations, such as in Selkirk. The situation is exacerbated by a chronic doctor shortage.
“It’s been an on-going thing here forever,” he said.”Doctors are getting concerned here. Arborg is slated for four doctors. Six might be a better starting point,” Johnson said.
Johnson made the case for considering Arborg as a spoke in the wheel from Winnipeg, and added that more doctors would mean more business for Arborg.
“Often Selkirk is used as an ideal place to go to get your services, but it’s really out of the way,” Johnson said.
After Johnson’s overview, Stinson took the opportunity to give the rundown of his back ground, which included formerly being CAO of a health tourism company, CAO of South Eastman Regional Health Authority, assistant deputy minister in Manitoba Health, with experience in community mental health, and with development of capital projects.
Stinson said that he is a proponent of the hub and spoke model and seemed to agree with what Johnson had put forward. But, he said that despite the huge geographical area encompassed by the Interlake, Selkirk will still be a health centre for the region, citing the greater availability of physicians, health resources, and greater ease in recruitment and retention of health care professionals.
“I think supportive housing and personal care home [in Arborg] needs to be addressed,” said Stinson.
Stinson also suggested that Arborg consider the concept of swing beds, where people can transition to higher levels of care as needed without having to relocate to a new facility.
He stated that there is need for a transition between home and personal care home, as well as a need EMS advance care paramedics.
“A mini emergency department on wheels is what I think we need in rural Manitoba to get people directly to Winnipeg or Selkirk,” he said.
In addition, Stinson proposed that advance care paramedics would also visit people in their homes, and create regular circuits. They would perform basic care such as the taking of blood pressure. This would help people stay in their homes longer, he argued.
At this time, however, no survey has been done which has identified the people in the area who would ultimately use this service.
“We need to regionalize and rationalize our services,” Stinson emphasized.
Stinson also pointed out that towns need to work together, and not at cross-purposes, suggesting that doctors could share their time between neighbouring towns, and that residents of one town should be able to visit a doctor in a neighbouring town.
Stinson indicated that 110 graduates are currently going through the University of Manitoba medical program which he believe will eventually help address the doctor shortage issue.
“In three or four years the market will be saturated. Doctors will need jobs and will move to rural Manitoba,” he said.
The table was then opened for questions. Discussions ensued on locum doctors, fee-for-service versus contract doctors, and how they could work together, access centres, and questions of expanding some of the clinics and bringing specialists in one day per month.
Reeve of Bifrost, Harold Foster, brought up the question of why Selkirk is getting a new hospital.
“Why it wouldn’t be built further north is beyond me,” Foster said.
Stinson replied that the existing hospital in Selkirk was poorly built and has a mould problem. Also, the province is building it in Selkirk because of its proximity with other hospitals, as they frequently work together.
Arborg Mayor, Randy Sigurdson then posed a couple questions.
“My other question is, we’ve been in contact with government officials. We understand that the health authority is given a pool of money. We say, how do we get some of that?”
Johnson added to the mayor’s thought by saying that, in speaking with the health minister Theresa Oswald, he was advised to “get in line”.
“She agreed that Arborg does have a need [for a personal care home expansion] and get into the cue. We want to make sure we’re on the same page with you,” he added.
“If we go forward to Theresa Oswald, will you support us,” asked councillor Vivian Leduchowski.
Stinson’s response to that question was an emphatic yes.
Steve Lupky, past president of the Arborg Seniors Housing Corporation and former chair of the Hospital Board in Arborg then pointed out that Arborg was in a position to contribute to the expansion of the personal care home with funds obtained through a transfer agreement from the local hospital board to the regional health authority when it formed and took over the hospital in 1991. Currently there is a surplus of approximately $60,000 that can be used for health care improvements.
Stinson said that the province would be favourably disposed to looking at this, and said that provincial funding is likely available at this time because of the Province’s commitment to health care.
