Hamiota becomes part of health-care solution

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2024 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mayor of a Westman municipality says he has learned a lot in the past year about advocating for his community when it comes to health care.

One year ago today, Hamiota Mayor Randy Lints told the Sun he had faith that the province would be able to find new doctors for rural Manitoba, which would mean the hospital’s emergency room could resume operating 24-7.

But as the emergency room at the Hamiota District Health Centre continued to see a reduction in hours, and other health facilities in nearby communities experienced cutbacks, Lints said he realized that they needed a new plan.

“We couldn’t just point fingers anymore. We had to be part of the solution,” Lints said Tuesday. “Health care has traditionally been provincially driven, and everybody thought that the province or even the federal government looked after it.

“A lot of municipalities over the years have been almost militant towards the health authority and the province. So, when we showed up and stuck out our hand, I think that may have surprised them a little bit. And that has almost been the secret to our success,” he said.

Success for his and the surrounding communities, added Lints, includes a return-of-service agreement that has been signed by a student currently enrolled at Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg. Once she graduates, she will start work in Hamiota as a lab technician.

The other return-of-service agreement is with a recruiting company, Waterford Global, a Winnipeg-based firm that looks for business and medical professionals — including physicians — for its clients.

Lints said the company has already found candidates from Ireland and the United Kingdom and recruiters are in the early stages of getting to know them over the phone. The next step would be a face-to-face meeting and then to present their findings to Hamiota council.

“Once we pick a candidate that we’re interested in, then we organize a trip and the person would visit Hamiota and see what we’re all about, and if we’re a good fit. That’s what we’re hoping,” Lints said.

The price tag to have Waterford Global conduct the search is well over $100,000.

“It’s roughly $150,000 for the Waterford search and Prairie Mountain Health has kicked in $75,000. So, our portion, depending on how the final bill reads, could be anywhere from $65,000 to $75,000,” said Lints.

The funds to pay for the recruiting firm and the lab technician are not coming out of the municipal budget, but from the Hamiota District Health Centre Foundation, said Vaughn Wilson the organization’s administrator.

Hamiota’s hospital sees local patients as well as those who come from communities that have lost their primary health centres, including Rivers, Shoal Lake and Birtle. The seven board members come from those communities.

“We saw that we were losing our 24-7 emergency services, doctor numbers were dropping and they were experiencing burnout. We wanted to get our complement of doctors back up somehow,” Wilson said.

“So, we talked about the situation and decided it was a good use of some of our funds to assist where we can.

“And really, it’s for the benefit of the area served by the Hamiota District Health Centre, which is pretty far reaching now,” he said.

Wilson added that once a doctor is comfortable in a new community, he or she becomes a positive role model for additional recruits.

“Doctors can contribute and help recruit doctors,” he said. “So, if you have a base of doctors, it’s easier to recruit to a group of four or five than it is to either a solo practice or even a dual practice.

“Because the lifestyle that a doctor expects now is certainly different than it was 40 years ago. They want and deserve their time off. They want to have a rotation on call that’s livable. If they have a family, that becomes a priority.”

Hamiota is hosting a celebration this Saturday called Healthcare Night as a thank you to all the health-care providers in the region — from those who work on the front lines to staff who clean facilities, pharmacists and emergency personnel, said Lints.

“We want to show appreciation to health-care professionals, first responders and everyone else who worked so hard during the pandemic and kept our facilities up and running. It’s not like they could work from home,” he said.

The event is free to attend for health-care workers, with tickets available for the public at $30 each.

Doors open at the Hamiota Curling Rink at 5 p.m., followed by a catered meal, entertainment featuring comedian Big Daddy Taz and live music with November Down.

For ticket information call 204-764-3050, extension 102.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele