Nicholas Donaldson
Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls Mayor Jerry O’Leary used the Rainy River District Municipal Association’s annual general meeting on Saturday to voice his displeasure about the state of health services in district.
“There is an erosion of services in Emo,” Mayor O’Leary told delegates, alluding to Riverside Health Care’s recent announcement that X-ray service at the Emo Health Centre has been terminated.
Patients needing an X-ray instead are being sent to La Verendrye Hospital in Fort Frances.
Emo first lost this service last April after the X-ray machine broke and replacement parts could not be found.
The loss of X-ray services wasn’t Mayor O’Leary’s only concern, however.
“The building itself is being neglected,” he noted.
Mayor O’Leary also said he’s worried about the distances some district residents now have to travel for health care.
“The central part of the district is now the busiest part of the district because of the mine,” he remarked.
He also was very disappointed Riverside did not make a presentation at the RRDMA’s meeting, which was held at the Legion Hall in Rainy River.
“Where we go from here I don’t know,” he remarked.
Later in the meeting, North West LHIN senior director Susan Pilatzke gave a presentation that included health care and travel topics.
She outlined the Local Health Integration Network’s plan to address access issues for citizens going to Winnipeg for treatment.
Pilatzke noted even though Winnipeg has an over-capacity, she wants to make sure “urgent cases get in, not turned away.”
She assured delegates the province is working with Manitoba to provide funding to help with patients coming from Ontario.
She also spoke of the possibility and growth of teleconferencing to meet with doctors and avoid lengthy trips for “the five-minute grunt.”
One delegate described this as “driving to the city to talk to a doctor for five minutes and all you get in response is a grunt.”
Pilatzke said more and more doctors are becoming comfortable with teleconferencing and are signing up to do it.
Dr. Kit Young-Hoon, the medical officer of health for the Northwestern Health Unit, also gave a presentation Saturday.
She went over the health unit’s 2017-20 strategic plan and also outlined some problems with alcohol in the area.
Statistics Dr. Young-Hoon shared showed the area has a higher rate of heavy drinking than the provincial average and four times higher hospitalization due to drinking.
She cited the many problems alcohol causes to the body that she says go far beyond what people typically think about.
Using a diagram, Dr. Young-Hoon pointed out many parts of the body–not just liver failure–are susceptible to damage.
She said easier availability due to alcohol sales in supermarkets and online, as well as the growth of the craft industry, are to blame.
“We need an alcohol strategy,” Dr. Young-Hoon stressed.
The cost of substance misuse in Ontario is roughly $473 per person a year.
Dr. Young-Hoon noted prices, availability, and “alcohol culture” need to change to reduce the negative impact of alcohol.
When asked, she also gave information on blastomycosis and Lyme disease–both problems in our area.
Dr. Young-Hoon said blastomycosis is particularly hard to deal with for the health unit, explaining the bacteria can be in any soil and does not always stay in the same spot.
“You can’t just say, ‘avoid this area of soil’ and be safe,” she remarked.
The disease can be contracted by breathing in the bacteria from damp soil or even absorbing it through open wounds on legs as you are walking outdoors.
“It is difficult to keep a straight public message,” Dr. Young-Hoon conceded.
“We don’t want to tell people not to go outdoors.”
On the other hand, the health unit has a clear message regarding Lyme disease.
“Wear proper clothing, check yourself for ticks, [and] do a buddy check,” Dr. Young-Hoon advised.
