The Highwood NDP will be hosting a healthcare town hall this week.
"In the late spring when we were at the leadership premier, we had a great opportunity to meet some of the MLA's and met Dr. Luanne Metz and was conveying to her some of the concerns on healthcare in our riding," explained the President of the Highwood NDP Constituency Association, Shelia Stacey. "And she said that she was planning to do some healthcare town halls and said she would love to come to Highwood to talk and listen to the folks here and see what's on the hearts and minds of people in Highwood, regarding healthcare."
Dr. Luanne Metz is a clinical neurologist, researcher, and NDP MLA for the NDP and serves as the Official Opposition critic for Health.
Stacey says that while different topics come up at each of these town halls, they will touch on several prominent points, such as the breakup of AHS, privatization pressures in healthcare, and the gaps in mental healthcare and addiction services.
"The topics seem to be, sort of, all over the map, but what I gathered from Luane Metz, herself, was it was more of an opportunity to hear from the residents what's going on in our riding. Because, I think there are some differences between ridings and it's a lot of what's going on. And to be honest, what we are hearing in our [Constituency Association] is that folks are not feeling heard on this particular portfolio by our current representation."
Stacey says that they will also talk about the current state of EMS and ambulance services.
"It's an ongoing issue since I moved to the Highwood 10 or 15 years ago, and it's not gotten any better since the UCP took the helm two terms ago," Stacey says. "I was in Diamond Valley, and we are often without ambulance coverage here and in the rural areas of Highwood as well."
Stacey says she attended a town hall with an MLA in the springtime and there had been some concerning information presented about the state of ambulance services in the area.
She explains that there have been a few serious accidents in Diamond Valley where it took over 30 minutes for the ambulances to arrive on scene.
"It's an ongoing issue and our medics are burnt out and not doing well. And so that's certainly something we'll bring up in the town hall this week, for sure."
Stacey points out that if someone is suffering from a heart attack in rural Highwood and the ambulance is coming from as far away as Lethbridge, that person's chance of survival is minimal.
On top of everyday residents, Stacey says that there are already a good number of healthcare professionals who have RSVP'd to the town hall.
The event is happening on Thursday, August 22nd, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Crystal Shores Beach House.
They are asking people to RSVP, and for those who aren't an NDP member and have questions about the event, email highwood.ndp@gmail.com.
"I think, more than anything, this is going to be an opportunity for folks to get to say what's on their hearts and minds and a venue for folks in Highwood to be heard, because they're just not feeling that way. And I'd like to say it is only on the healthcare issue, but it's not, unfortunately."
