No matter where you live the health care system has it's flaws. There are always going to be a number of important issues that need to be fixed whether that's emergency room wait times, access to specialized equipment and doctors, a lack of family doctors…the list could go on and on.
Those problems are not specific to any one area, however, the amount of resources put in to the issue and commitment local municipalities and hospital members have made to ensure residents have the healthcare services they need varies. I strongly believe that all involved in health care in the Bonnyville – Cold Lake area, including the local councils, hospital staff, hospital foundations and other organizations supporting health care all need to be commended.
I have had to visit the local hospitals on several occasions since moving to the area and have received some of the best help and most timely care of any hospital I've been to. Over the past four years, I have been to hospitals in a number of different towns and cities of varying sizes. While there is still a wait in the ER, and that's never going to change, it is a lot less of a wait than the six-plus hours I've sat in a near-empty emergency waiting room in other hospitals – four to six hours in other areas is considered a short wait time.
To say that the Lakeland has a doctor shortage, you would never guess it by the service you receive from the dedicated staff at the local hospitals. Being able to get scheduled for tests and then hearing back from the doctor who ordered them all within a couple of weeks is a dream in some hospitals.
Not to mention, getting an appointment to see an orthopedic surgeon in only a couple months is nothing close to a long wait. Despite the long hours they must be working, covering emergency room shifts, walk-in clinics, and their own practices the doctors in the Lakeland region deserve a huge thank-you for the work they do.
Of course there are some serious concerns with the local healthcare system, but it is always a top priority for the members of government, be that mayors or MLA's. There's something to be said when a town is ready to step up and fight to keep health services such as Bonnyville did when the future of the pathology unit was threatened.
I have never been in a community that keeps health care as a top priority on their agenda and is constantly looking at ways to improve it. Even though they're not always getting the necessary help needed from the province, all those involved with local healthcare deserve credit as they always keep pushing forward.
