Northern Manitoba, Sask. Communities working to solve cross-border health care issues

People from Flin Flon, Man., and surrounding communities have launched a health committee to improve care and reduce provincial border-related red tape.

The seven-member committee was announced earlier this month, and includes elected officials and members of the public from Flin Flon, as well as the adjacent Saskatchewan communities of Creighton, Denares Beach and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

The group wants to bring more staff and services to Flin Flon General Hospital, including a CT scanner and the return of delivery services, which were Cuts were made in 2018 due to low staffing levels..

The committee says one of its main goals is to provide better care to Saskatchewan residents. As a border community, Flin Flon’s hospital is a hub for people living in both northwestern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

However, those who live Saskatchewan side of Flin FlonAnd people in Creighton, Denares Beach or other northeastern Saskatchewan communities sometimes can’t get the same care as their Manitoba neighbours.

Hospitals often do not have access to the medical records of Saskatchewan patients. Many people are required to bring their own data to appointments.

Sometimes, when care is needed, access can be blocked entirely, say patients like Maureen McBratney, who lives in Denare Beach, Sask., about 20 kilometers from Flin Flon.

In June 2023, McBratney suffered kidney failure and was flown to Saskatoon for treatment. When her condition improved, she was ready to return home and begin dialysis on the ward in Flin Flon.

Seema came in between.

“I was ready for the actual discharge to come home and I was told, unfortunately, I was not allowed to have dialysis at Flin Flon General Hospital because I was a Saskatchewan resident and it’s in Manitoba, which is literally a 20-minute drive from my house,” she said.

“I was kind of nervous.”

This began a month-long ordeal for McBratney and his family. She and her husband, Greg, moved to Saskatoon for dialysis, while family and friends wrote letters and requested meetings with Manitoba and Saskatchewan health officials.

McBratney was finally able to return home the following February. Flin Flon Hospital was recognized as a Saskatchewan satellite site by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Northern Health Region of Manitoba, which operates the hospital.

This allowed McBratney to receive treatment closer to home after eight months away.

‘Absolute negligence’

Struggles like his are one of the main reasons for starting this committee.

Dan Hlady, chairman of the committee, is on Creighton’s city council. When he moved to the Saskatchewan city in 2007, he said, residents there were able to receive care at Flin Flon Hospital with minimal problems. In the nearly two decades since, that has changed.

“The Manitoba side accepted us as a territory, and over the years it progressed to say, ‘No, this is outside your territory. No, this is not our jurisdiction,'” he said.

“We’re a region, and it’s definitely disappointing to see this.”

Flin Flon Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk is also on the committee, and says Saskatchewan residents need access to Northern Care.

“The idea that a service exists and they’re not treated that way is absolutely reckless,” he said.

Dallas-Funk said that having to travel long distances to receive health care, especially for services that are nearby but out of reach, unnecessarily costs Northerners money and time.

“We cross borders in our daily lives. Everyone in this community crosses provincial boundaries, whether you’re coming to school, shopping, recreation,” Dallas-Funk said.

“If you’re crossing that threshold for health care, it doesn’t matter at the provincial level,” he said, adding that the group wants to meet with the health ministers of both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

“They need to have these conversations. They’re spending their taxpayer dollars and taking money away. This is about services and safety and quality of life, and being equitable and fair to the North.”

‘O‘Pen for future discussions’: Health authority

In a statement to CBC, a spokesperson for the Northern Health Region said it is not involved in the committee, but will listen to its recommendations.

health authority “recently discovered Established Rregional hWealth CCommittee in flin flon area It is a grassroots volunteer group, independent of the NHR organisation,” the spokesperson said.

The Health Authority appreciates the interest of local community members Health Services,” and “is open to discussion in the future,” he said.

Dallas-Funk says she wants change before another family is torn apart.

He said, “We all have this feeling that unless something changes, something bad is going to happen. We have the ability to have all these things, and yet we don’t have them.”

McBratney said he hopes others don’t have to go through what he went through.

“There are a lot of cross-border issues that are extremely silly,” he said.

“For me, common sense has kind of trumped politicians and the rules of engagement.”