New health centres are coming to Colville Lake, Jean Marie River, Kakisa, Nahanni Butte, Tsiigehtchic and Wekweètì. But that doesn’t mean service levels are significantly changing.
Last week, the GNWT and federal government renewed a healthcare funding agreement. As part of that announcement, the governments set out funding for “new Level A Health and Social Services Centres” in six NWT communities.
A spokesperson for the territorial Department of Health and Social Services, also known as HSS, clarified that a Level A facility is what has “often been referred to as health cabins, most of which were constructed in the 1980s and 1990s.”
HSS said Level A health centres – or health cabins, which the six communities already have – are “a local point of access to basic health and social services.”
They are supported by community health workers, visiting health professionals, telehealth services and referrals to regional or territorial facilities.
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The HSS spokesperson said the new Level A health centres, replacing older facilities, will have extra space and better technology “that could support new programs and operational changes.”
“Enhanced virtual care capabilities and increased capacity to accommodate visiting providers may help reduce some medical travel needs by allowing more services to be delivered within the community,” the spokesperson said.
Medical travel remains necessary in many cases to get residents from isolated communities to better-equipped regional centres, the territorial capital or Edmonton.
“The basic needs are met,” said Fred Behrens, Wekweètì’s senior administrative officer, of the community’s current healthcare capacity.
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“But if you need to do anything that requires a little bit more experience or medical treatment, you have to be flown out to Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ or Edmonton.”
Behrens said a doctor comes to Wekweètì “maybe once a month” and residents must travel for dental and eye care. He said the current facility is part of the community government office and has two rooms, with a small apartment for the nurse – which the community got two years ago.
“It’s a very, very, very basic health centre,” said Behrens.
He said he would like to see more space for examination rooms, a place to provide dental care, and more Elder and home care.
The HSS spokesperson said local design workshops are planned for mid-November to allow residents to provide input on the new centres’ planning and design.
“We expect the delivery of these new facilities to be accelerated, with the potential to have them operational in two to three years,” the spokesperson said.
Eshana Gohil contributed reporting.
