Dear Editor:
It wasn`t long ago our communtity was faced with a doctor shortage. After taking great strides in recruiting new doctors to our area we began to build and since complete a new medical building.
Now we are facing yet another problem, we are beginning to have a critical shortage of Lab Staff. This is leaving our lab which is vital to our communtity in jeopardy. Why are we loosing our lab techs and what is being done to bring more in. How is it possible for our communtity to function as an acute care centre with a shortage of lab staff.
Has Sunrise Health Region taken any measures to notify our communtity that they are renovating our hospital to accomodate the Stepping Stone Wellness Centre currently our Methadone and Addictions Centre. Sunrise is not just providing a one day service at the Kamsack Hospital but now offering more days along with meals being provided. I would like to know if these meals are not being prepared in our hospital where are they coming from. I would hope they contacted our local restaurants and grocery stores to be given the opportunity to provide their services.
SunRise Health Region is not providing our Methadone and Addictions people with any privacy that they deserve as this program is in our local hospital where there is an excess amount of people in the waiting room at all times. If SunRise would put it elsewhere it would be more private for them, the blood draws and urinalysis could be done on site and transferred to the lab for processing. Giving them the privacy they deserve.
Due to the shortage of lab techs and increase of the Methadone and Addictions centre to increase to more than one day we all are going to find it difficult to use our diagostic facility to get routine bloodwork and or Xray done.
Citizens of Kamsack and area need to be informed and should be involved in every decision SunRise Health Region is doing to our local hospital. We have spent how much money on a new medical building and for them to put our hospital in jeopardy is not a welcoming issue as this is not only going to cause issues for our Methadone and Addictions Centre to function but for anyone to recieve routine bloodwork done.
I understand it is vital to offer a Methadone and Addictions Centre in our community as addictions are on the rise, but what my concern is why has SunRise taken unnecessary money in which they claim there is a shortage of and spent it on renovating our hospital when they have an office building that was perfectly functionable or used our old medical office downtown which is close to the drug stores.
In closing I am here to express not only my concerns but for everyone that this affects. How can we keep providing a service in all areas without sacrificing any of the services we currently provide.
Contact SunRise Health Region before its too late.
Deanna Bodnarek
Kamsack, SK
