By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK — After taking the fight to the provincial government, Craik Mayor Rick Rogers and RM of Craik Reeve Hilton Spencer asked their community to follow their lead during a short notice public meeting Dec. 8.
To an audience of about 85 people, Rogers and Spencer highlighted their recent visit to the Provincial Legislature and the impromptu meeting with Premier Brad Wall and the Minister of Health. Among residents of the town and area, representatives from Aylesbury, Chamberlain, and the Central Butte Health Committee attended to learn what they could do to help save rural hospitals.
Citing prior interactions with Five Hills Health Region (FHHR), the pair justified going directly to the government to have the community’s voice heard.
“I think he only has a book of questions and answers he’s allowed to say,” Rogers says of the Deputy Minister of Health, Max Hendricks. “Out of the blue, he’d say something like ‘You can’t get a doctor to come to a small town, and once you get one, he won’t stay.’ I said, ‘Well, we had one that stayed 39 years, and the next one stayed 16 years. That never happens.'”
The floor was opened for discussion and two questions for the FHHR helped craft five motions for the community and municipality. The principal concern was that FHHR has stated that it will not extend the contract for the current physician beyond Jan. 31, 2015. The community also wanted to know why FHHR stopped emergencies from going to Craik when a physician was available and had a residence in the town of Craik.
Among the motions carried were statements that FHHR “is to maintain and/or improve Craik Health Region’s observation and stabilization care and to reinstate ambulance and emergency services to the Craik Health Centre” and that the FHHR board “come out to Craik for a public meeting with the community”. Full text of motions are available in the minutes to the meeting.
A resident asked the speakers, “So, what’s your next step as a group?”
“You guys are the next move. Pick up the phone. Write letters, ” replied Spencer.
Spencer told the audience “I think that we continue on this route, we know the way down there now. We’ve got support. We’ll keep at it.”
Spencer closed the session thanking all in attendance and gave a special thanks to “the other communities and the RM [of Sarnia] that came in to show their support, it makes a big difference. They’re not just dealing with Rick and I anymore.”
The Town of Craik and R.M. have made a history of discussions with FHHR and full text of the minutes available at http://www.craik.ca/SaveOurHospital
Dr. Karam participated in the meeting but declined to make a statement for this article.
Category Archives: featured
Thieves target Davidson Fields store
DAVIDSON—Someone broke into the Fields Store in Davidson in late November
Sometime during the evening of Thursday, Nov. 27 and the early morning of Friday, Nov. 28 the Fields store on Garfield Street was broken into.
The culprits entered the building through the front doors by breaking the lock.
Once inside, the thieves went to the back storage area of the store and stole numerous items.
They left the building through the rear loading doors.
Anyone with information about this or any other crimes, should contact Craik RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Photo radar to catch speeders
Starting this week local motorists bound for Saskatchewan’s metropolises should slow down and watch out for photo radar.
Last Monday, SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance) announced that “photo speed enforcement” locations in Martensville, Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw and on Highway 1 between a turnoff to Pilot Butte and White City will be operational as part of a pilot study to make sure the cameras work. Once SGI is confident the photo radar is working, there will be a two-month warning period where drivers caught speeding will be mailed a warning instead of a ticket.
The camera installations are on Highway 12 at Martensville: five spots on Circle Drive in Saskatoon as well as selected school zones; Highway 1 east between the Pilot Butte turnoff and White City; on Regina’s Ring Road and in selected school zones and in Moose Jaw school zones.
Last week black and white signs warning motorists of the photo radar zone were posted in preparation of the cameras becoming operational this week. Yellow informational signs are also posted to let drivers know they are approaching a photo-speed enforcement zone.
After the two-month warning period, drivers caught on the cameras speeding will receive a ticket in the mail.
The tickets are mailed by Xerox, vendor of the program, but they will be mailed behalf of the local law enforcement agency.
“It’s been in the news a lot, it’s been in social media, and if you still try and speed, you will get a ticket,” said Kelley Brinkworth, manager of media relations for SGI.
SGI and municipal police services and the RCMP chose the various photo speed enforcement locations based on high speeds, heavy traffic volumes and places where motorists have difficulty merging onto highways because high speeds make it very dangerous, said Brinkworth.
Certain school zones were selected because motorists were failing to obey the posted 30 kilometres per hour speed limits, making it dangerous.
Physician services set to expand in district
By Kevin Gilby
DAVIDSON—The Heartland Health Region (HHR) and the Five Hills Health Region (FHHR) are to begin their expansion of the physician services in the Davidson/Craik corridor in early 2015.
The Ministry of Health encouraged the two regions to work together to provide a three-physician practice in the corridor. The need for a sustainable and reliable acute care/emergency service was identified in the region.
Margaret Baker, acting executive director for Primary Health Services Branch of the Ministry of Health, said, “the two regions have been talking for a couple years to provide a sustainable service in the two communities, both from emergency and every day perspectives.
“The plan involves three physicians working together, providing stabilized emergency services in Davidson. Craik would [have to] go to Davidson to get those services.”
According to Bert Linklater, senior VP of operations of FHHR, “we’ve for a long time not had a third position that could join the practice.” Previously, the physicians in Davidson and Craik have been attempting to co-ordinate their on-call schedules so that a physician is available 24/7.
Despite best efforts, Linklater says that there were “too many opportunities for there to be problems,” citing difficulty for EMS members to know which doctor was on-call and possible physician burn-out from working a two-in-three week on-call rotation. The College of Physicians recommends at most a one-in-three rotation.
Linklater indicated that it is a ministry directive to “reduce the number of times when hospitals go on bypass.” He explains that a hospital is in bypass when it is without an on-call physician and when in bypass, the hospital should discharge all acute care patients and ambulances services are not permitted to stop at the hospital. Patients in need of continued acute care would need to be transferred to a hospital with an on-call physician.
Referring to the Craik Health Centre, the Ministry of Health understands “that the Heartland Health Region will contract the physicians, and then Five Hills Health Region would hire the services to meet the needs for that community.”
“[The ministry] is supportive and recognizes that it provides continuity of care,” Baker said.
To read more, please see the Dec. 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Improvements wanted to female change facilities at rink
By Kevin Gilby
DAVIDSON — Parents with daughters involved in youth hockey teams have requested improvements be made to the Communiplex change rooms. Davidson’s Recreation Board heard that community members have asked that a larger change area and separate shower and toilet facilities be provided for the mixed hockey teams.
At present, there is a small area set aside for the girls to change that can accommodate about three children at a time. While most teams only have two or three girls, a need for a larger space will only increase with the growing community.
Two proposals were focused on by the recreation board to address the issue.
To read more, please see the Dec. 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Jr. drama club brings Pinocchio to life
DAVIDSON—Davidson School’s junior drama club is bringing the misbegotten adventures of the puppet Pinocchio to life Friday.
The production has proved popular among students, with a large cast and crew of 35 students from grades 3 to 6 involved in the performance.
With so much interest in drama, it’s meant that director Arlene Low had to be creative when it came to putting on the short 45-minute play so that all kids could play a part.
The solution was to have different children share the roles of the main characters. There are three Pinocchios and three talking crickets. There are also two choruses, as well as different narrators, puppets and puppeteers. Three students are crewmembers.
Low said this is the first time she’s rotated main characters in a play.
The transition of different characters will be seamless. As one Pinocchio goes off stage, the other one goes on.
Due to the size of the cast—having three Pinocchios and three crickets—it required more preparation usual because more costumes had to be made. Low said the production has had help from the community with Nina Gust, Lorraine Gust, Eileen McRae, Paulette Killoh, Debbie Jestin and Sandy Zoerb sewing costumes. Dee Ulmer loaned her talents by painting the set. High school students also assisted with the set.
Pinocchio is a timeless, classic story about a wooden puppet that longs to become a real boy. Its themes transcend generations.
“Pinocchio has a great lesson about honour, making good decisions and friendships,” Low said.
For the full story, please see the Dec. 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.