Quality healthcare now!

Stories of utter heartbreak were shared at the Labrador West health care forum April 22.

Members of the community came out in droves to express their concerns to Jerome Kennedy, provincial Minister of Health and Community Services.

The Scout Lodge in Labrador City reached capacity with 500 people, and according to Lab. City mayor Janice Barnes, 250 more people waited outside tuning into what was being said on their car radio frequencies.

In his opening statements, Kennedy expressed meeting with the Mitchell family last November affected him deeply, which is when he made a commitment to hold a forum in the New Year. After meeting with the Perry family before the forum, he said he came to realize health is very emotional and something that affects everyone on a daily basis.

Obstetric nightmares

Peggy Mitchell, who lost her prematurely born son last July after waiting 11 hours for an air ambulance, said her family was devastated to learn an air ambulance would be going to Goose Bay and she feels it is serving no purpose to the people of Labrador West.

Similar stories were also told by other members of the community including Dawn Volpatti, Menihek High School teacher, who lost her first child in 2008 after developing eclampsia (an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy). She explained an air ambulance could not arrive from St. John's, so she was transported in an air ambulance from Quebec City, saving her life.

"I know that an air ambulance is not going to save everyone," she said. "It may not have saved my daughter; it saved my life. I was very close to death as well. But we deserve, she deserved, a fighting chance that she did not have to get the specialized care that she needed at the time quickly and immediately. Can you please consider us for an air ambulance?"

Troy McLean spoke about his wife who had to go on a Provincial Airlines flight dilated and dripping with blood because there was no air ambulance to help them. He told how two of his children beat the odds and how his son didn't, dying in Quebec at childbirth.

Tim Windsor told his wife's story who developed complications last Easter and gave birth to a baby girl in Quebec City. He was astounded by how simple the procedure was that saved her life.

Obstetrician needed

"We are the only area in Newfoundland who delivers babies without obstetrics," Dr. Willie Arsenault identified an additional problem. "We should not be delivering babies in Labrador West without an obstetrician. I've been on the board with Labrador-Grenfell; the problem is that there is no political will to give us an obstetrician."

Dangeous delays

Amy Lock waited 19 hours for an air ambulance after one of her daughters got ill and suffered brain damage; even though one eventually arrived from Nova Scotia. As a result, her daughter, who is now 15, is probably at a level of a two or three-year-old.

Industrial tragedy

Stephen Perry, told his father Eldon Perry's story, who had an accident at his work at IOC and died this March waiting for an air ambulance.

"I waited with my family until quarter to one at night holding his hand telling him that help was on the way and no one showed up," he said. "No one showed up to help him."

He also pointed out having proper diagnostic equipment like a CT might have helped, and without the equipment, it was like going to the hospital, turning the lights out, throwing the doctor a flashlight and saying 'go'.

"Having that CT scanner here could have made a difference and no one can tell me otherwise that it might not have made a difference," said Linette Perry, Eldon's daughter. "The lack of diagnostic equipment here is ridiculous. I can't understand how people expect to move here with the lack of equipment that's available here."

She emphasized that living rurally shouldn't come at the expense of your health.

"Imaging would have helped," explained Dr. Willie Arsenault, the doctor and friend who treated Eldon Perry. "The only thing that could have saved Eldon Perry was if we could have gotten him to Quebec City."

He added the hospital was prepared to do that, but was told by the nursing supervisor that a plane was coming. He explained the plane in question was a charter aircraft with no oxygenation that didn't get off the ground until late in the evening.

Kennedy responds

"I've indicated publically and I've indicated privately to the families who were affected by air ambulance that what's taken place in the past is simply not acceptable," responded Kennedy. "I went through the timeframes tonight and I see, in terms of what took place in March, that it's unacceptable."

He said a study looking at flight and population statistics showed an air ambulance with a second medical flight services team located in Happy Valley-Goose Bay would best serve the residents of Labrador.

"I sat last week with the town council of St. Anthony and, I've gotta tell you, it was tough listening to them tell me I was killing their town," he added.

"The decision that we've made is that the air ambulance is moving to Happy Valley-Goose Bay with a second medical flight services team," he explained. "At this stage there is no plan for a third air ambulance in Lab. West."

Quebec charters: possibility

However, Kennedy said he would certainly be willing to look at Quebec-based air charters and at retaining charter airplanes on a full-time basis to respond when necessary.

He added he's hearing the concern about the air ambulance, as well as the CT scanner, and the new hospital will have top equipment.

Money talk

George Kean, USW Local 5795 president, expressed people of Labrador West should have good health care considering in 2006 the province received $31 million in income tax from the area and in 2008-2009, mining companies contributed $300 million to the province.

He suggested according to Avis Air Charters, an air ambulance could be set up with a maintenance crew on a 24-hour basis for $85,000/month, and a portable CT scanner can be set up for $40,000 per month.

"For just a million dollars a year we can have an air ambulance and a CT scan here in the hospital in Labrador West for the people of Labrador West," Kean estimated.

Open to options

Health Minister Kennedy said he was open to all options and he would certainly discuss them in meetings with community doctors and the Steelworkers the day after the forum.

He emphasized he had heard people's concerns, which is shown by his move to dedicate $1.1 million in this year's budget for a dialysis machine for the community, estimated to be placed in the local hospital within 15 months to two years, and with his push for the new hospital to be built by 2014.

Only a picture

Randy Johnston echoed the crowd's dissatisfaction with those estimates expressing in 2007 Jim Baker, Labrador West MHA, was elected on a campaign trail to build a new hospital and the only thing residents have seen is a picture.

Baker responded he never misled anyone; the hospital is moving forward, but it can't be built overnight.

Nick McGrath-Labrador City councillor and planning chair for building of the new health care facility-informed the original plan for the building was estimated at $96 million, the government wanted to give $40 million, and today it is a $90-million project.

"A lot of the extra $50 million, not all of it, but a lot of it, is through the procrastination of the government on this facility happening," he stated. "There's no reason why since 2007 there hasn't been anything done for that building."

Ed Delahunty added government should not wait for one section to be finished before a tender is called for another section, and Kennedy said it is in the government's interest to do what it can to move it along.

"It's nice to have a new building, a new hospital," Delahunty reasoned. "But if you've got no doctors, no specialists to put into it, you've got a new building, that's all you've got."

CT scanner

Linette Perry questioned the logic of having a room for a CT scanner in the new facility, but not having the equipment.

Karen Oldford, Labrador City's deputy mayor and nurse practitioner, emphasized with the growing population exhibiting more complex medical conditions, the hospital needs specialists and without a CT scanner health-care practitioners are practicing third-world medicine in Labrador West.

Dr. Tom Costello said in the words of Sir Winston Churchill: "Give us the tools and we'll finish the job."

Questioning diagnosis

As Mary Power found out, even with six doctors in Lab. West, they are unable to diagnose problems quickly and correctly. She told the story of her daughter Rosemary who was sent home twice and died after contracting double pneumonia.

And more problems

Cancer patients like Sonia Crewe also came forward and pointed out going back and forth for treatment at Janeway Hospital in St. John's takes its toll on families, because of what one of her oncologists expressed as the ridiculous lack of facilities available in Labrador City.

Dave Butt found out about the failings of the Medical Travel Assistance Program when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. They had to make several trips to St. John's and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, spending a lot of their money before it was reimbursed, and he thinks a ticket should be waiting for a person at the airport since a lot of people can't pay upfront.

Health Minister Kennedy said he's willing to look at the program to make it as accessible as possible.

"Your heartfelt stories and your passion for your town is certainly something that's had a profound affect on me and we'll take it all into account," he promised.

Dr. Willie Arsenault spoke out at the health care forum exclaiming CT imaging and transportation by air ambulance could have saved the life of Eldon Perry who recently passed away following an industrial accident.

"Your heartfelt stories and your passion for your town is certainly something that's had a profound affect on me and we'll take it all into account."