Lakeland politicians and healthcare professionals are taking a broader look at healthcare in the region with the formation of a new regional committee.
Lakeland politicians and healthcare professionals are taking a broader look at healthcare in the region with the formation of a new regional committee.
"It's something that flowed out of our (Bonnyville) recruitment committee that consisted of local healthcare providers as well as local community members. If we have similar committees in the towns of the local region, think of what we can achieve if we speak as one voice," said Dr. Hendrik van der Watt, who's heading up the regional committee.
He added, "These committees would identify specific needs within their community, but something that would affect healthcare provisions within the whole region."
Earlier this month representatives from Cold Lake, Bonnyville, St. Paul and Elk Point gathered in St. Paul for van der Watt to express his vision of a regional committee. With Bonnyville finding success through their doctor recruitment and retention committee, the new group will offer an opportunity for the communities in the region to share their success, struggles and pick up new ideas when it comes to doctor recruitment.
"When you look at the model we've used and the success we've had in doctor recruitment, particularly in highlighting the area, our lifestyle and the expertise that doctors share, it's fairly unique. It's awesome," said Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski.
Expanding on that premise, van der Watt's goal is to have communities from Cold Lake to St. Paul serve as a centre for healthcare specializations. Rather than residents travelling to Edmonton, or each community lobbying for services, the idea is they could work together to create a healthcare hub within an hour's drive.
"Specific examples of that would include how St. Paul already has a mental health unit but they lack the capacity to accommodate the needs. In Cold Lake they already have a CT scan that provides working hours, so getting them to provide after hours as well would improve the service in the greater region," explained van der Watt.
With each community in the region continuing to struggle with certain aspects of healthcare, the formation of a regional committee was met with enthusiasm from local politicians and healthcare providers.
"I think it's a fantastic idea. What it's doing is creating synergies and hubs of specialities," said Sobolewski. "(Our goal with this committee is) the strengthening of and recognizing our regional hub as a centre of excellence. Instead of transporting patients to Edmonton when they can get services locally. That's the only way it can work because there's already centres and facilities set up, the synergy is fantastic."
MD of Bonnyville Reeve Ed Rondeau echoed that sentiment, "I think it's a very good way of doing business. There's no sense in Bonnyville, St. Paul and Cold Lake duplicating when it comes to specialized services...If each municipality can have a specialized service that's different from one another, it just offers that much more for the region."
By bringing together a number of communities to create a regional approach to healthcare, van der Watt is hoping that the provincial government will take notice. Despite the hospitals in the region being split between AHS and Covenant Health, the group is hoping a regional approach will entice the government to put more funding into the area.
"It makes it so much easier when you go to higher levels of government for healthcare funding if you're working together as a group and if you're doing some new initiatives that make sense. I think we have a really good argument and the benefactors are going to be the people of this region for sure," said St. Paul Mayor Glenn Andersen.
Van der Watt added, "The common goals we want to push at a political level. AHS is aware of these things and they have been pushing as much as they can but I want to get a political role to provide AHS with the funding so that they can actually do something...We're hoping to put pressure politically on the government to allocate the resources."
With a first meeting behind them, the new regional committee is ready to move forward with trying to solve the healthcare issues in the region. Sobolewski explained that moving forward, their next steps are to contact AHS and organize a meeting with health minister Sarah Hoffman. The regional healthcare committee has tentatively set their next meeting for April 11.
"Flowing out of that we'll have the message we want to carry forward with the regional needs and then what we can do in the individual communities to help each other with the issues that arise," said van der Watt, adding that so far he's received a positive response to the idea.
"Everyone saw the need for something like this, we've been trying to promote services but we've been struggling. Maybe getting a new angle (will help) and that's what people appreciated about this, is that it's different from what any other town in Alberta would do - regionalizing healthcare and healthcare needs."
