Financial risk removed from doctors The suggestion, lobbed at citizens attending a recent health forum was to establish a community board and a facility similar to one created in Winkler a few years ago, all in hopes of attracting more doctors. The Dr. C.W. Wiebe Medical Centre was established in Winkler in 2001, after the community's physician numbers shrunk to just five doctors. The situation wasn't very good recalls the clinic's current administrator, Jim Neufeld, especially given the fact there was already significant growth in the region. After some debate, a plan was put into motion to provide a facility that could be financially attractive enough to draw doctors to the region. It also became clear the community would need to be involved since the doctors themselves couldn't be expected to shoulder the load. Fortunately, a building was offered up as a location for the facility, removing the costly expense of a facility needing to be purchased or constructed. That low cost has allowed Winkler to offer attractive rent to physicians, a plan which has even attracted doctors from Steinbach. Additionally, a community non-profit group took on the task of managing the operation in Winkler and the community partners also made the guarantee that doctors themselves would never have to assume financial losses if the project was to fail. That expense would be the community's alone. Neufeld says after seven years the project is going strong, has never lost money and is expanding to possibly include space for six more physicians. He notes one of the things that made this project so successful has been the close work between the board and local doctors. "That relationship has been excellent from the get-go," he says. "Ongoing, regular collaboration has been the biggest plus." The project receives regular funding from the City of Winkler as well as the communities of Plum Coulee and Roland as well as the rural municipalities of Stanley and Rhineland. Winkler, as the largest player, pays for the largest percentage of expenses in terms of facility and equipment updates. Neufeld says they have developed the clinic because the regional health authority (RHA) has a mandate to look at overall needs in the region, not just Winkler and its surrounding area. He points out that in a region stretching north beyond Portage la Prairie, interests can be far apart. "You can't expect (the RHA) to provide you with all the health care you may need." And while there certainly was debate over whether city funds should be used to fund health care, a provincial responsibility, he notes one concept won that argument. Winkler embraced the idea that health care is another type of infrastructure. Neufeld says one of the big factors in determining an attractive community for potential residents and businesses is the quality of health care available to residents. Steinbach mayor Chris Goertzen has toured the facility in Winkler but points out that while attracting doctors is a concern, Steinbach does have physical facilities already available. He says the issues has been touched on with other local municipal leaders but adds it remains a complex matter. He also holds to the view that ultimately this is a provincial issue and while the city is happy to be involved in the discussion, many groups need to be on the same page in order for a project of this type to be successful. "We want to do what we can but its going to take all the players pushing in the same direction," he says. Goertzen met last week with RHA board chairman Aurele Boisvert to discuss the situation in Steinbach. Boisvert says the Winkler scenario is an inspiring model of what can be achieved by communities and notes he was very positive following the meeting that Steinbach is committed to helping the RHA as it seeks solutions to these local challenges. City has no plans to kill mosquitoes The summer months bring with them a reminder, take proper protection against mosquitoes. Low numbers of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, carriers of the West Nile virus, have already been identified in southern Manitoba communities this summer and those numbers are expected to rise. The City of Steinbach does not conduct a "nuisance mosquito control" program which means residents here should be especially mindful of steps they can take to prevent a mosquito onslaught. Certainly one of the biggest recommendations is reducing standing water. Homeowners are encouraged to clean out eavestroughs, empty birdbaths and other places where water collects. And, if the bites have already begun, it is also recommended that you sport an appropriate mosquito repellant as well as light-colored, loose fitting clothing. The city does receive some funding for mosquito control from the province to get 75 percent of its mosquito control expenses covered, as long as the province indicates that health concerns make fogging necessary. This funding does not include "nuisance mosquito control" which is conducted by some other communities. Councillor Michael Zwaagstra says he would still like to see more action on the issue of mosquitoes, it was one of the issues he ran on in his 2006 election campaign, but says he doesn't have plans to bring the issue up with the rest of council again this year. Last summer, Zwaagstra found little support for the issue when he attempted to present information at a council meeting gathered from other Manitoba communities. With no seconder to his motion, the information (which included details on the amount of money spent by other cities and towns) was unable to be presented. While Steinbach spends $2,000-$4,000 every year, some other communities are spending far more. Zwaagstra's information showed that while some communities also have minimal budgets, there are those that make a bigger financial commitment, like Portage la Prairie which spends $36,000, Selkirk which spends $64,000 and Carman which spends between $20,000 and $25,000. Zwaagstra says if the topic is to be discussed in the future, other members of council will need to express support beforehand so the topic is not once again swatted down if introduced. More information about West Nile virus can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv or by contacting Health Links at 1-888-315-9257. Hog barn fires kill thousands of sows Two large barn fires attended by the same fire departments, less than a month apart, have resulted in more than 8,000 sow deaths in the Southeast. The latest fire occurred last Wednesday (June 25) at the Seine River 1B barn, owned by Maple Leaf Agri Farms, near the junction of highways 12 and 302 in the RM of La Broquerie. Maple Leaf communications director Jeanette Jones said that it is too early to estimate the cost of the damage but confirmed that 3,000 sows and 3,500 piglets were killed in the blaze. La Broquerie fire chief Alain Nadeau said it took 16 hours to battle the fire and at one point 25 firefighters from the La Broquerie and Stuartburn fire departments were on site. Nadeau said he got the call just after 4 a.m. and by the time crews arrived the structure was totally engulfed in flames. He noted that there was a large natural water source nearby, which was connected to pumper trucks to help fight the fire. Nadeau said that it helps when there is a water source like that close to a fire. Jones said she has not yet been told the cause of the fire, saying the company will try to accommodate the 10 affected employees at another Maple Leaf Agri Farms barn. Manitoba Conservation was on site the day of the fire to direct crews on clean-up, according to Jones. On May 29, two of Hytek's barns at Silverado Farms north of Pansy went up in flames, resulting in the death of more than 5,000 sows. Nadeau noted in that fire they were able to save a third barn connected by a walkway. He said barns connected this way instead of being just one large unit make it easier to save animals when there is a fire. There has been no word on the cause of the Silverado Farms fire or if Hytek plans to rebuild the structures lost in the fire. Meeting called rude, unethical South Eastman Health took time at its board meeting last week to assure board members that the region is on the right track. The regional health authority (RHA) and its board faced tough criticism two weeks ago at a community health forum in Steinbach where Drs. Curtis Krahn and David Horne spoke about challenges they face as physicians and offered their take on problems in local health care. Krahn was in attendance at the RHA board meeting, as the health authority's CEO Monique Vielfaure Mackenzie took time to challenge some of the statements made by the two physicians. Also in attendance was Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen, who had arranged the earlier health forum in Steinbach. Responding to criticism that board members aren't strong enough advocates for their home communities, Vielfaure Mackenzie reminded the board they come here to represent the needs of the entire region. And, while board members are appointed by Manitoba Health, she reminded them that they had to apply for their positions and were not simply political appointees. She also responded to Horne's suggestion at the forum that the RHA had nothing to do with upgrades announced at Ste Anne Hospital. She noted that meetings with Health Minister Theresa Oswald were very positive leading up to the announcement, a point that was backed up by board chairman Aurele Boisvert. "The minister did not decline our request," Boisvert said. "She was quite attentive to it." The CEO also pointed out that some of the wait time figures used at the public forum were not as long as had been indicated, though waiting lists certainly do still exist. Vielfaure Mackenzie also responded to another of the more striking comments made by Horne at the meeting, that a young patient had died while awaiting a particular test. She said no evidence could be found that such an incident occurred. Several more points were also targeted for the way in which they were used to challenge the abilities of the RHA. It was pointed out that, despite the assertion at the forum that the health authority communicates poorly with physicians, it has, in fact, met specifically with Steinbach Family Medical Clinic several times over the last two years. "The facts are that we been trying to meet with the physicians and solve these problems," Vielfaure Mackenzie said. Board member Patricia Danylchuk praised the CEO for responding to the statements made at the forum. She said that evening she felt they "had been destroyed publicly" and criticized the presenters for a presentation she called rude, offensive, unethical and insulting. She also questioned why Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen would choose to facilitate such a biased debate, suggesting he had orchestrated the "bashing of the RHA" for political gain. However, other board members took a more measured tone calling for more cooperation. "In spite of the fact we received an unfortunate whipping, we can take the high ground and move forward," said board member Chris Summerville. That was good news for Dr. Krahn, who was still observing the discussion, while Goertzen had already departed for another meeting and escaped Danylchuk's earlier criticism. Krahn shared some of his thoughts with the board and noted the forum was an expression of frustration being felt by physicians in Steinbach, but shouldn't be taken personally. "I wish it hadn't come across as insulting," Krahn said of the forum. "But I think to leave things as the status quo will not be effective." Krahn repeated some of his comments made at the forum, expressing his belief that intentional action must be taken to attract physicians to Steinbach. He also repeated his personal view that the current RHA model is not as effective as it could be and repeated the idea of having some sort of community board to specifically lead projects in Steinbach. South Eastman chief financial officer Ron Janzen commented such group will still need to work within the larger health care system and facing systemic challenges that "they can't manage or spend their way out of." Overall, it appeared that this back-and-forth dialogue has been helpful with board chair Aurele Boisvert summing it up best. "It is not about finger-pointing and criticism," Boisvert noted. "We'd rather talk with each other than about each other."
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