>> Jeyan: HEALTH CARE DELIVERY AT ANY TIME IS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE.
AND DURING THE PANDEMIC THE CRACKS AND GAPS THAT EXIST ARE ONLY MORE VISIBLE AND
POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING.
NICK DUNNE IS OUR ONTARIO HUB COVERING THE NORTHEAST AND JOINS US FROM SUDBURY, WELCOME TO THE
SHOW.
>> Nick: THANKS FOR HAVING ME, JEYAN.
>> Jeyan: BEFORE WE GET STARTED LET'S WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO TO SET THE TABLE.
WHAT IS A REMOTE NURSING STATION?
ON RESERVE NURSING STATIONS ARE SET UP AS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FOR REMOTE FIRST NATIONS IN
CANADIAN PROVINCES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDING AND ADMINISTERING HEALTH CARE TO
THESE REMOTE COMMUNITIES.
NURSING STATIONS HELP PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES WHERE HOSPITALS AND OTHER MEDICAL FACILITIES
DON'T EXIST.
TEAMS VARY IN TUM DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE COMMUNITY THEY'RE SERVING.
NURSES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL TRAINING TO WORK IN REMOTE REGIONS WITH FEWER RESOURCES AND
WHERE CONDITIONS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY'VE ENCOUNTERED IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE PROVINCE.
IF A PATIENT NEEDS MORE CARE, THEY'RE FLOWN TO THE CLOSEST HOSPITAL.
DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS SUCH AS THE PANDEMIC, NURSING STATION TEAMS ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.
HOWEVER, CRITICS HAVE RAISED QUESTION ABOUT THE QUALITY OF TRAINING AND LEVEL OF STAFFING
AT NURSING STATIONS.
IN 2021, INDIGENOUS SERVICES CANADA RUNS 21 NURSING STATIONS ON FIRST NATIONS IN ONTARIO.
>> Jeyan: NICK, NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT NURSING STATIONS ARE CAN YOU TELL US WHY THEY'RE SO
IMPORTANT AND WHY THEY'RE NEEDED?
>> Nick: YEAH, WELL, AS THE EXPLAINER MENTIONS, JEYAN, THEY'RE THE PRIMARY POINT OF
CONTACT FOR HEALTH CARE IN THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE MANY SMALL COMMUNITIES IN ONTARIO ARE -- OR
SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND EVEN PARTS OF NORTHERN ONTARIO, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE WITHIN AN HOUR'S DRIVE,
TWO-HOUR DRIVE TO A HOSPITAL.
THESE ARE REMOTE COMMUNITY THAT IS ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED KILOMETRE FLIGHT AWAY.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE YOU KNOW YOU HAVE ACCESS THAT IS EASY TO GET TO.
SO THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE TO DEAL WITH THE ACUTE AND CHRONIC NEEDS IN MANY
GIVEN COMMUNITY.
>> Jeyan: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TRAINING.
THE TRAINING THAT THESE NURSES RECEIVE, IS IT SPECIAL TRAINING, IS IT ANY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT A
NORMAL NURSE WOULD GO THROUGH?
>> WELL, THESE NURSES HAVE TO BE A JACK OF ALL TRADES, YOU KNOW.
YOU'RE A HANDFUL OF NURSES IN A COMMUNITY OF SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE TO UPWARDS OF 1,000.
SO YOU ARE DEALING WITH EVERYTHING FROM DIABETES TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS TO, YOU
KNOW, DOING BLOOD WORK, PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING.
IT'S KIND OF EVERYTHING.
YOU HAVE TO BE EQUIPPED AND READY TO DO EVERYTHING.
ON TOP OF THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CULTURAL TRAINING.
BEING ABLE TO FORM RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE COMMUNITIES, GET THAT FAMILIARITY, WORK WITH YOUR
PATIENTS.
IT'S A VERY UNIQUE CONTEXT.
AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF ADDED RESPONSIBILITIES TO IT WHEN YOU'RE WORKING IN SUCH A
SMALL -- OR WITH SUCH A SMALL HEALTH TEAM IN A REMOTE COMMUNITY.
>> Jeyan: LET'S TALK ABOUT ONE COMMUNITY IN YOUR tvo.org ARTICLE,YOU WROTE ABOUT SAGECO
LAKE FIRST NATION.
TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO ADMINISTERING HEALTH
CARE.
>> Nick: YEAH, SO I SPOKE TO Dr. BEN LANGER, A PHYSICIAN WHO WORKS OUT OF THE SIOUX LOOK
OUT AREA.
AND FOR A WEEK EACH MONTH, APPROXIMATELY, GIVE OR TAKE.
AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW OFTEN THERE'S ONLY TWO NURSES IN HIS COMMUNITY AT A GIVEN TIME.
THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THREE NURSES.
BUT HE FEELS THAT EVEN WHEN THEY'RE FULLY STAFFED, THEY'RE HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE.
>> Jeyan: IN IS JUST A NORMAL DAY.
LET'S JUST ADD THE PANDEMIC TO THIS.
HOW DOES THAT IMPACT DELIVERING HEALTH CARE TO A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT?
>> Nick: YEAH, SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS ARE ALREADY QUITE ACUTE IN A LOT OF NORTHERN COMMUNITIES.
AND THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT'S EFFECTING, I THINK, EVERYONE WHO'S DEALING WITH
ISOLATION, DEALING WITH ADDED MENTAL HEALTH PRESSURES, ANXIETY ABOUT THE STATE OF THIS
PANDEMIC, IT IS INCREASING, YOU KNOW, THOSE MENTAL HEALTH CALLS.
THAT'S WHAT Dr. BEN LANGER, Dr. CLAUDETTE CHASE, Dr. MARILYN COLVILLE AND OTHER
DOCTORS FROM THE SIOUX LOOK OUT AREA ARE SAYING.
ON TOP OF THAT, THE NEEDS -- PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO GO SEEK HEALTH CARE, YOU KNOW, THEY
REALLY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO GO FLY SOUTH WHERE THERE'S COVID, POTENTIALLY TO GET THE HELP THEY
NEED.
OR THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, WANT TO AVOID GATHERING, RIGHT?
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS PEOPLE ARE MORE RELUCTANT TO SEEK HEALTH CARE WHICH MEANS THAT BY THE
TIME THE DOCTORS SEE THEM THEY COULD BE IN A MORE DETERIORATED STATE AND THEY COULD BE MORE
SICK.
SO YOU ARE SEEING PEOPLE GET MORE AND MORE SICK AND THEN THIRDLY, THIS WHOLE ROLL OUT OF
VACCINATIONS, IT'S BEEN A TERRIFIC EFFORT BY ORANGE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, FIRST
NATIONS AND THE PROVINCE TO VACCINATE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS COMPRESSED PERIOD
OF TIME.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FOCUSING SO HARD ON COVID THAT, YOU KNOW, CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND KIND OF
LINGERING ISSUES KIND OF PERSIST, YOU KNOW.
CLAUDETTE CHASE WAS TELLING ME, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT KEEPING UP WITH YOUR PAP SMEARS, YOU'RE NOT
CATCHING UP WITH YOUR CHILD VACCINATIONS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST DEALING WITH COVID AND THAT ACUTE, ACUTE KIND OF LEVEL OF HEALTH CARE.
STAFFING IS HARD.
THERE ARE HIGH LEVELS OF BURNOUT.
IT'S HARD TO MAINTAIN PEOPLE.
THEY'RE ALSO SAYING THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS KEY.
EVEN IF THEY HAD PEOPLE COMING IN THERE'S NO ROOM TO HOUSE THEM.
SO SO THEY SENT A LETTER TO MARK MILLER EARLIER THIS MONTH JUST KIND OF REACHING OUT FOR
RESOURCES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE KIND OF, LIKE, FIRST LEVEL OF, YOU KNOW, DEFENCE FOR
THESE COMMUNITIES WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THEIR HEALTH CARE ISSUES DEALT WITH.
YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS SINCE RESPONDED.
YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN CONDUCTING MEETINGS WITH THIS GROUP OF DOCTORS.
BUT ISC HAS TOLD ME OR INDIGENOUS SERVICES CANADA HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT STAFFING IS AN ISSUE.
THAT HE TALKED ABOUT NUMEROUS PROGRAMS FOR RETENTION, ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR STAFFING.
THEY MENTIONED A FIGURE OF $785 MILLION SPENT IN ONTARIO TO DATE FOR ALL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
REGARDING THE PANDEMIC.
EVERYTHING FROM PPE TO THE VACCINES TO, YOU KNOW, INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS AROUND
THE PROVINCE.
IT'S A VERY -- IT KIND OF INCLUDES ALL THE FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED THAT KIND OF
ALL LEVELS NOT JUST FOR FIRST NATIONS BUT FOR INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND, YOU KNOW,
FAMILIES AS WELL.
INDIGENOUS FAMILIES.
>> Jeyan: VERY QUICKLY, NIK, THIS IS SOMETHING I WANT TO ASK YOU, IN TERMS OF IS IT NEW IN
TERMS OF THE STAFF SHORTAGES IN THESE COMMUNITIES?
HOW ELSE CAN HEALTH CARE BE IMPROVED IN THESE REGIONS AFTER TALKING TO THE DOCTORS?
>> Nick: NURSING STATIONS, THAT'S REALLY AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL AND THAT'S WHERE THE ACUTE
NEEDS ARE BEING MET.
BUT, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE I'VE SPOKEN TO ABOUT THIS FROM CLAUDETTE CHASE, FROM BEN
LANGER, FROM OTHER DOCTORS AND EVEN JANIK WARDEN, THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT THE SIOUX
FIRST NATIONS HEALTH AUTHORITY SHE WAS REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO ADDRESS THOSE
FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.
THE REASON WHY THESE NEEDS ARE SO ACUTE IS BECAUSE THERE ARE ISSUES OF INFRASTRUCTURE.
OF HOUSING, OF ACCESS TO THINGS LIKE WATER AND ELECTRICITY.
IF YOU CAN WORK TO PREVENT, YOU KNOW, THINGS FROM GETTING TO THE POINT OF NEEDING ACUTE CARE, YOU
ARE GOING TO BE REDUCING IN THE LONG TERM STRESS IN PLACES LIKE NURSING STATIONS AND OTHER
FACILITIES.
>> Jeyan: I WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT ON THE SHOW THAT'S NICK DUNNE,
OUR NORTH EASTERN ONTARIO JOURNALIST.