"This is a great first step, but we've still got a long way to go," says Melita Mayor Bill Holden upon reflection of last week's announcement from the Province that the government of Manitoba, in partnership with Prairie Mountain Health, is investing operating funding to add three front-line staffing positions and extend hours of service at the Melita Health Centre.
The additional funding will allow the hiring of an additional nurse practitioner (NP) for the Melita Health Centre, for a total complement of three nurse practitioners. A licensed practical nurse (LPN) and a mental health and addictions community support worker are also being added to the current staff to help address primary care needs in Melita, Two Borders and the surrounding area including nearby First Nation communities. This government funding will also allow the Melita clinic to extend its hours into the evening, to accommodate folks and families to access care after work and school hours.
Mayor Holden says he's very grateful for the Province to accept their proposal, something that's been in the works for a number of years, ever since the closing of their Emergency Department in 2022.
"We've still got to work on diagnostics. With our lab, right now we're limited with our diagnostics, and we've got some very capable lab techs in Melita here and we want to be able to put them back to work in the town full time," shares Holden.
"And then after that we're going to work on the ambulance. We're really going to keep pushing that," he adds. "We've got to get another ambulance or two back in this part of the province around here. As you know, the situation is pretty dire."
"A lot of the times here right now, we're looking at up to 3 1/2 even longer wait times for an ambulance to come after a 911 call," he explains, "and then you've got to find a place that's open for emergency. So, it's just a bad situation that we are not going to quit until we get that resolved."
When it comes to emergency services for onsite trauma situations as well as hospital to hospital transport, Holden says it's crucial their complement of paramedics and ambulance services be restored.
"We're supposed to have eight EMT's with two ambulances that would cover 24-hour service, 2 shifts at 12 hours, and right now we're down to nothing. So, we have ambulances coming from as far as Minnedosa, I believe, but that's got to be resolved, and we are going to be discussing this in the near future with Shared Health and the provincial government."
The greater Melita area isn't the only community that is wanting their ambulance services returned. Hartney ambulance, Reston's and Wawanesa's ambulance services were all shut down.
"So, there are a lot of gaps over here and part of the problem also is when you get in this part of the country out here is the remoteness. There's no cell phone service, so a lot of the GPS that they're using on the other ambulances that come in don't even work. So, it's one thing getting to the area, but it's another thing finding where you're going. So that's a real tough part of it."
"But this is a great first step, and we're happy for it," adds Mayor Holden. "And I'd like to thank the Province and Prairie Mountain Health, as well as the constituents, the population out here, for their patience. I realize it's been a long haul, and there hasn't been a lot of information out to the public. But there was a reason behind that. We didn't want to cause a stir."
"We did have a meeting here a few weeks ago to go over some of the problems. I think together with those who came in person, and those who streamed online we had over 500 people," he adds. "People are concerned. They're very concerned. And health care is one of the biggest issues we're facing right now."