LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche County recently entered into a partnership with the Village of Boyle, the Town of Athabasca, Athabasca County as well as First Nations and Métis settlements to come up with a regional approach to improving healthcare.
Mayor Paul Reutov explained that Lac La Biche County will be working with the three municipalities to lobby the province for more doctors and healthcare professionals, and to regionalize resources.
“There are many moving parts to this process, meaning that we must confer with various organizations and government departments - especially Alberta Health Services - as well as MLAs, to get this done,” Reutov told Lakeland This Week.
One of the primary goals of this joint venture is to establish the William J. Cadzow Hospital as the region's primary healthcare centre, due to its modernized equipment and facilities for obstetrics and general surgery.
“The Lac La Biche hospital has two surgical rooms and amenities that other hospitals in the region don’t have,” Reutov continued. “Therefore, it is imperative to utilize our local hospital to its fullest potential.”
Attracting and retaining healthcare professionals in the region has been a challenge, but one, Reutov says, that is gradually being overcome.
“It has been confirmed that there is one new doctor coming to Lac La Biche by the end of the month, along with some nurses,” he said. “We are also having discussions about bringing more doctors to the region in the near future.”
Over the next few weeks, members of Lac La Biche County council and their counterparts in the three other municipalities will be meeting with MLAs, AHS representatives, as well as local and regional health care committees as this initiative moves forward.
Reutov said that since entering office, improving healthcare has always been his primary goal.
“This is all about solutions and options, and we want to offer the best solutions regarding healthcare,” he stated. “So far, we have gotten many positive results. Residents will be kept updated on our progress, and we are excited to share more about this partnership as it develops.”
Reutov, along with Athabasca Reeve Brian Hall, Village of Boyle Mayor Colin Derko, and Town of Athabasca Mayor Rob Balay attended a meeting on Aug. 2 to discuss how the four municipalities can strengthen healthcare by working together.
While it was agreed at the meeting that the William J. Cadzow Hospital will be designated as the primary healthcare centre for the region, local healthcare won’t be negatively impacted by this designation.
Hall stated that the goal of the partnership is community health, and building a strong region, not taking away resources from certain areas.
“Right now, if someone has a stroke in Athabasca they already need to go to Westlock or Lac La Biche, because we aren’t a stroke centre,” he said. “This agreement takes nothing away from the Athabasca or Boyle hospital. Lac La Biche simply has more access to facilities that aren’t available in Athabasca and Boyle.”
