The town of Erickson, Man., shares a concern common to several communities in the province.
The population is aging, pressure on the ambulance service is rising and it’s hard to find enough volunteers to keep the service intact.
“I don’t think this problem is going to go away today, tomorrow or next week,” said Sandra Delorme, chief executive officer of the Marquette Regional Health Authority.
The regional health authority is pondering ways to ensure Erickson doesn’t lose its ambulance station. The RHA has made a commitment to the town that the station won’t be pulled.
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“In no way will we consider the closure of that station,” said Shawn Carby, director of emergency medical services for the Marquette RHA. “We are working on all sorts of
other options.”
Erickson’s ambulance service serves a large area and a lot of people, said the community’s mayor, Wally Yanchycki. The population swells during the summer months, when tourists flock to area lakes and the nearby national park.
Yanchycki said his community would fight all the way to the legislature if a decision was ever made to pull the ambulance station.
In an interview, NDP MLA Stan Struthers rattled off a list of towns worried about what the future holds for their ambulance services.
Struthers said the Filmon government’s cuts to health care are forcing regional health authorities to consider scaling back ambulance services in many communities. The Dauphin MLA suggested those services are underfunded, understaffed and under-equipped.
“In rural areas, where there is often a long distance to travel to the nearest hospital, quality ambulance services are absolutely critical.”
Those comments were made days before premier Gary Filmon said there would not be a spring election in Manitoba. But Struthers said political posturing had nothing to do with the timing of his comments.
“It’s something we see as an integral part of life.”
A committee has been struck by the province to study ambulance services. Struthers wants assurances that no services will be cut until the Emergency Medical Services Working Group presents its findings.
John McDonald, director of Emer-gency Medical Services in Manitoba, said regional health authorities also are reviewing volunteer ambulance service but is not aware of plans for cuts in any of the RHAs.
“I haven’t heard a single discussion about any ambulance cutbacks. If anything they’re pointing to significant expansion of service delivery for emergency medical services.”
McDonald is aware of the concerns being voiced by communities. Although there may be some reshuffling of from where ambulances are dispatched, he thinks the long-term result will be better service.
Carby said per capita funding for emergency medical services in Manitoba is the lowest in the nation.
“If they want the system to stay alive, they’re going to have to come up with more money,” Carby said.
