It was a year of highs and lows for the Northern Health Region (NHR). The highest point came March 18, when the brand new $27.1 million emergency department at Flin Flon General Hospital was unveiled to the public for the first time.
Premier Brian Pallister, a pair of provincial cabinet ministers and a gaggle of Manitoba government officials attended the opening. The new ER department was opened nearly 18 months after the original opening date, due mostly to concerns with bedrock under the new expansion.
Not all the news surrounding NHR in 2019 was positive. The suspension of obstetrics services at Flin Flon continued throughout the year, with the Provincial Clinical and Preventative Services Plan (PCPSP) providing no concrete promises on northern service. Syphilis levels in northern Manitoba are on a rapid rise and, according to the NHR’s year-end community health assessment, the region has substance abuse disorder rates “significantly higher” than the provincial average.
