The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor As the NRHA board votes for a merger with northern Manitoba's largest health authority, MLA Clarence Pettersen says he will fight to base the new Northern Health Region in Flin Flon. Pettersen spoke on the pending amalgamation of the Burntwood RHA and NRHA last week, the same day directors of the latter agency passed a resolution in support of the move. 'That's going to be a big change, and we as Flin Flonners have to make darn sure that we're well represented in this change,' he said in a phone interview. Asked whether he would lobby to have the resultant Northern Health Region headquartered in Flin Flon, where the NRHA is based, Pettersen said 'that's my job.' 'I would love to have it in Flin Flon, but we've also got to look at numbers,' he said. 'But I'll be there (lobbying).' Pettersen said he shares residents' concerns that the merger could see Flin Flon lose high-paying administrative jobs and health-care decisions made largely out of Thompson, where Burntwood is based. See 'Make...' on pg. 9 Continued from pg. 1 'I keep on saying it, the board that's going to be made up (for) the new RHA, we have to make sure our representation is strong and vocal in what we believe we need here in Flin Flon,' he said. 'The people that we get on our board are going to be very important. And myself, the mayor of Flin Flon, we've all got to be working together to make sure that the RHA realizes we have a united voice.' While the northern merger and four others across the province will put up to 35 executive staff out of work, Pettersen is confident Flin Flon will not suffer job losses. 'We don't want to lose those high-paying jobs here. We don't want to lose any jobs, which I don't think we will,' he said. Though the province gave residents no advance notice of the merger ahead of last week's budget, Pettersen called the move 'inevitable.' The Northern Health Region will cover about 73,000 people and 61 per cent of Manitoba's land mass. It will include all of northern Manitoba except for Churchill. The northern merger is part of a provincial edict to reduce the number of RHAs across the province from 11 to five this year. Pettersen said the Northern Health Region 'is going to be huge,' but pointed out that Alberta only has one health authority and B.C., with over three times as many people as Manitoba, has six. 'It comes down to efficiency,' he said. 'It comes down to, there's a lot of overlap that we've got to adjust and make sure that we don't have different bosses covering the same thing. And, you know, it comes down to money. We have to have a balanced approach.' Resolutions While the province will proceed with the mergers regardless of opposition, it did ask RHA boards to pass resolutions backing the amalgamations. The NRHA board did so last Thursday, April 19, at a special meeting in The Pas. 'The board will await further direction from Manitoba Health regarding next steps in the amalgamation process,' chair Doug Lauvstad said in a news release. Lauvstad said the board 'wants to make this process as seamless as possible so that we can minimize any disruptions for our staff, and ultimately the citizens we provide health services for.' 'We want our communities to know that we are supporting and cooperating with these efforts,' he said, 'with a goal of continuing the excellent work we have begun with our Journey Forward initiative (in response to a 2011 external review of challenges within the NRHA).' The NRHA said it will continue to operate under a business-as-usual mindset throughout the transition into the Northern Health Region. Information updates are to be posted on the NRHA's website as the process unfolds. Information will also be given to staff as developments occur. For her part, NRHA CEO Helga Bryant wants to see continued progress in improving health care for the region's residents. 'I am confident that the passion and commitment we have demonstrated these past months will continue as we move forward with this amalgamation with Burntwood,' she said. Whether Bryant will be part of the Northern Health Region remains to be seen, but Pettersen hopes she will 'stay on in some capacity,' commending her on the work she has done. 'The new clinic (in the Flin Flon hospital) is making great headway, the atmosphere in the hospital is changing, we're getting doctors that want to be here, so I see positive things happening,' Pettersen said. 'But that doesn't mean we can stand still. We've got to keep on fighting for what we want here in Flin Flon, we've got to make the services even better.' The province expects to save $10 million over the next three years by slashing RHAs. It will mean not only less executive staff, but also fewer boards. The RHA mergers largely overshadowed last week's provincial budget, which Pettersen, a member of the governing NDP, predictably called good news for Manitoba. 'We have record flood waters and a global recession, and in this budget our government is protecting jobs and services that families can count on,' he said. 'We want to move forward in these uncertain times.'
