PNHR CEO David Fan said the decision to consolidate Neilburg's EMS services at Cut Knife was "difficult" but "unavoidable." - File Photo

 

 

By Katie Ryan

Neilburg and area residents who dial 911 in the fall can expect to wait longer for an ambulance as they will be without a local ambulance service. The change in service – consolidating Cut Knife and Neilburg ambulance services at Cut Knife – was announced Wednesday and is set to take effect on Sept. 1, 2010.

The loss of their local ambulances services is already upsetting to the village said Neilburg administrator Janet Black.

“People are not happy with this decision. (Cut Knife) is a minimum of 30 miles away, a minimum of 20 minutes of driving under perfect conditions right to Neilburg on the highway, which means if you are not on the highway and off in some of the outlying areas it's going to be a heck of a lot longer,” she said. “Our ambulance service is there for life threatening emergency situations and how can you put a dollar amount on someone's life? And that is what Prairie North has done.”

PNHR CEO David Fan said alternative coverage will be provided, but the decision to remove Neilburg's local EMS service was based on the region's commitment to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the use of its resources.

“It is a difficult decision, regrettable, but at the same time unavoidable,” he said. “We have significant financial challenges this year in the context of putting together a balanced budget and as part of that budget embedded in it we have to find $5 million, so we are compelled to look at efficiencies.”

Black estimates 3,500 permanent area residents, including the village's population of 500, will be affected by the change in service.

“But that doesn't include all of those working in the area on a day-to-day basis because of our heavy oil industry,” she added. According to Black since 1992, the year the village's hospital was closed, the health region assured residents that Neilburg would have EMS services.

“People are mad. It's a real blow. When we lost our hospital we were promised the fact that we would have an ambulance and now they are breaking that promise.

“It has been reassuring to our citizens, when we phone 911 in an emergency somebody close by is coming to help us. One of the things that Prairie North has put forward is that they would train First Responders in our area, but they can't transport anybody and in a life threatening situation the fact that that ambulance is there, we can get somebody in and on the road is the most important thing to us at this point.”

The cost to operate the Neilburg ambulance standby service (24 hours a day/ seven days per week) based out of the Manitou Health Complex costs the region approximately $117,000 a year. On average over the past eight years Neilburg's eight casual employees (EMTs and EMRs) responded to 32 calls per year, an average of less than three calls per month which cost roughly $3,600 per call according to the region. Last year Neilburg EMS service responded to 15 calls.

“Purely on a cost effectiveness perspective, does it make sense to carry on the way it is? Obviously the answer is, it does not,” said Fan. “Part of the savings from Neilburg will go into Cut Knife, to enhance that service to seven days a week with a consistent staffing to make that service stronger and more sustainable so that it can cover Neilburg more adequately.”

Cut Knife ambulance service will be enhanced to include regular weekend shifts and to cover some of the additional demands from the Neilburg area. The eight “casual” employees' positions in Neilburg will be lost in the consolidation of services.

“They can continue that in Cut Knife or in Maidstone, if they so choose, but beyond that we are trying to develop the First Responders Program in that area,” said Fan. “They have done an excellent job in terms of providing the service for a long, long period of time and so that's why it's very difficult for us to make a decision like this.”

Residents of Neilburg, the Village of Marsden, the RM of Manitou Lake and the RM of Hillsdale are rallying together said Black, both to protest the decision and keep the service local. Black and other community members are raising awareness and encouraging people to sign their petitions in support of saving their EMS service. At the next PNHR board meeting on June 30 in North Battelford, Black and others will present the board with letters of support and the petitions. 

“We are not just going to let them take it, we are going to fight for it,” said Black.

In addition to EMS service from Cut Knife, ambulance service will come from Maidstone and arrangements have been made as well with Heartland Health Region, Chauvin AB,  Lloydminster and North Battleford to provide any additional required support.

“I think we are comfortable to say that the alternative coverage arrangement will serve the area adequately, albeit they will not have the ambulance sitting in their own community and their own backyard because I understand that gives them a sense of security and I think that is what is critical here. But, the service will be there,” said Fan.