A plan by the Sunrise Health Region to cut ambulance services in the Preeceville area has been stalled by a provincial mediation process.
Meanwhile, public opposition to the service reduction is mounting in the community of 1,500 northwest of Canora.
On March 20, Preeceville's town council was informed by Sunrise that funding was to be eliminated for one ambulance and three fulltime staff positions at Preeceville Ambulance Service. The cut would reduce Preeceville's two-vehicle fleet by half.
The reduction was to go into effect on May 1, but last-minute approval of an application for provincial mediation submitted by Preeceville Ambulance Service owner Wally Huebert put a freeze on funding until the mediation process is completed. Huebert expects mediation to last until at least the fall.
In Preeceville, a series of petitions has been circulated opposing Sunrise's plan, including one initiated by resident Sherry Dodge that has gained more than 900 signatures.
"People are dumbfounded. They don't understand this decision. They can't see any justification for it when we live this far away from major trauma centres," said Dodge.
Dodge's petition has gained many signatures from the rural area around Preeceville as well as surrounding communities such as Sturgis and Endeavour, which also receive services from Preeceville ambulances.
"The reason behind [the decision] was standardization with similar practices across the region. And it was based on call volumes and that sort of thing, as well," said Sunrise Director of Communications Sharon Tropin in an interview last week.
Preeceville's mayor and council disagree with that reasoning. A release issued by the town claims that call volumes in the Preeceville area have increased by 46 percent in the last five years. The Sunrise Health Region did not respond with a confirmation or denial of that figure by press time.
Even if Preeceville's emergency needs were in line with other communities with only one ambulance, Preeceville Mayor Garth Harris disputes that Preeceville should be the one to change.
"I've often said this: why would you want to take the polish off of your benchmark service in rural Saskatchewan? Bring everybody else up to our level."
Asked why Preeceville had funding for a second ambulance to begin with, the health region's Tropin responded that "It has to do with how contracts are set up," but would not elaborate.
The cut is also expected to place increased pressure on surrounding ambulance services, which would need to pick up the slack previously handled by Preeceville's second crew.
"It meant that we would have to cover more up there, which pulls the ambulances out of here," said Huebert, speaking from Canora, where he also operates Canora Ambulance Care.
It is unclear where the money currently allocated to Preeceville's second ambulance is destined to be used when or if the cuts go into effect. Tropin would say only that it will go "into helping support other health services in the health region."
While a resolution through mediation may be months away, Tropin said that "a development that could impact that decision" is currently in the works at the health region and should be revealed sometime this week.
