Flin Flon city council members lent a supportive ear to members of a pro-obstetrics group during a recent city council meeting.
Two members of the We Want Birth Committee, Kirsten Fritsch and Jan Unruh, spoke with members of Flin Flon city council during the Feb. 19 council meeting, updating councillors on the group’s plans and aims.
“Our mission is to advocate for the local community and surrounding areas to reinstate quality obstetric services at Flin Flon General Hospital. This is obviously a very big task, but we’re looking to do as much as we possibly can to make change for our community,” said Unruh.
Birthing services at Flin Flon General Hospital were suspended in Nov. 2018, after an external review found gaps in obstetric services at the hospital that were deemed a safety risk for patients. The future of birthing services in Flin Flon may hinge on a clinical plan currently in development by the provincial health ministry. That plan is slated for release later this year.
Fritsch and Unruh brought statistics they said detailed expenses Flin Flon mothers could face when delivering children outside their hometown. Between travel and accommodation expenses, an out-of-town birth could cost thousands of dollars, the pair said.
“We believe, through our rough sketch numbers, that it costs a family anywhere between $400 and $4,000 cash out of pocket,” said Fritsch, adding that the number includes fuel cost, meals and missed work.
Fritsch also voiced concerns that the suspension of Flin Flon-based birthing services could have an economic impact on the community.
“We’re concerned about those dollars leaving our town, because that’s money that people were otherwise bringing into our town from outlying communities using our birth services – Pelican Narrows, Deschambault Lake, Sandy Bay; communities like Sherridon, Cranberry Portage. [People from] those places would come here,” she said.
Fritsch added that the committee had heard stories of pregnant women completely bypassing health care in Flin Flon, opting instead for perinatal care in other communities with full-time obstetricians, like The Pas or Thompson.
“If that’s going to be where they go, then they aren’t doing pre-natal here. They’re doing them in The Pas with the OB there so they can build that relationship,” she said. “These are things we’ve been hearing, at a grassroots level, from moms that communicate with us.”
Members of council pledged to support the committee’s goal, including Colleen McKee, who related the circumstances of her youngest daughter’s birth with anecdotal experiences faced by some Flin Flon parents.
“This isn’t new. This happened before. It happened to me. I had my last child in Saskatoon and had to spend three weeks there,” she said.
“I think it is important because the last thing we want, as the North, is this ongoing erosion of services. It’s okay to take a stand, in my opinion.”
Ken Pawlachuk, who chaired the meeting in absence of mayor Cal Huntley, also voiced support for “We Want Birth,” calling the group’s goal “very commendable.”
“It’s really important for us. I don’t think it’s negative or anything. I think it’s important for community members to speak up for our community. You guys are doing that. It’s taken a lot of time for you. Don’t give up,” Pawlachuk said.
A second public forum was scheduled for Feb. 26, following The Reminder’s deadline. Northern Health Region CEO Helga Bryant was slated to attend, possibly with other health and political officials.
