Pubdate: Sat, 22 Oct 2016
Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2016 Prince Albert Daily Herald
Contact:  http://www.paherald.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918
Author: Arthur White-Crummey
Page: 19

HEALTH: WHERE THEY STAND

In part four of our look at the major issues of the campaign, we asked
the mayoral candidates about a new Victoria Hospital and the city's
role in the battle against HIV

Healthcare is not a municipal responsibility. But, as Mayor Dionne
puts it, the mayor can be a "voice for the residents of Prince
Albert," calling on the province to provide the healthcare our city
deserves.

Whoever becomes mayor will need to raise that voice.

Prince Albert has just lost its only publicly funded audiologist, and
the lack of other specialists is forcing residents to travel to Saskatoon.

The narrow halls of the Victoria Hospital are overflowing with
equipment and patients.

Our HIV incidence rates are among the highest in the
country.

We talked to Martin Ring, Conrad Burns and Greg Dionne to find out how
they see the future of healthcare in Prince Albert, and how they'll
make sure the province chips in to get us there.

A NEW HOSPITAL

At the senior's debate, Mayor Dionne said getting a new hospital is
his "number one priority" for the coming term. Burns and Ring are also
promising to push hard for a new or expanded provincial hospital to
serve the city and surrounding region.

"We know that we can't continue to have our healthcare workers working
in that environment," Ring said. "And we know that it's not providing
the level of patient care that our citizens expect and deserve."

Both Ring and Dionne estimate that, under the standard 80/20 funding
formula, the city's portion of a new hospital would be in the
neighbourhood of 80 to 100 million dollars. That's more than we can
afford, they say, and all three candidates want to convince the
province to pay the full bill.

Dionne says that the hospital tells him that about 40 per cent of
their clients are from the north. The Prince Albert Grand Council
tells him that 85 per cent of their members use the Victoria Hospital.
Prince Albert supplies healthcare to the whole region, he says, and
that's why the province should pay.

The provincial Ministry of Health told the Daily Herald that the
city's request for 100 per cent funding is "under consideration." How
would the three candidates make it happen?

"I know it's hard but I think we can continue to lobby for a better
deal," said Burns. He thinks he can get there by stressing the city's
role as a regional hub. But he also said he's willing to meet the
Premier somewhere in the middle, if it came to that, though he would
never vote for a city contribution of more than 50 million dollars.

Ring also said he'd lobby hard and "hold their feet to the
fire."

But what if that doesn't work? Would Ring vote to approve spending to
pay a portion from city coffers?

"If the province comes back and says we're not willing to move on the
current funding model then we would have to figure out how they want
us to finance it," he said. He'd then want to go back to the community
and "lay everything out."

Mayor Dionne said no, he wouldn't vote to approve that big of a price
tag, not without asking the people in a referendum.

"Before I would make an expenditure like that I would send it to the
public," he said. "That would be a big levy and a levy that's on for
many years."

But he's optimistic that Brad Wall will come around. The request has
already gone up to treasury board, he explained - a positive sign. He
said he meets with the Premier to discuss the issue, and compares
their exchanges to a "game of chess."

"I get him into check and then he gets out of it, and I say, 'one of
these days we're going to get you into checkmate.'"

"I think at the end of the day we're going to win."

ADDICTIONS AND HIV

All three candidates say they're committed to doing everything they
can to help the health region fight the HIV epidemic, which is
primarily driven by injection drug use. But the candidates differ over
one of the health region's main strategies for fighting the spread of
the disease: the needle exchange program on 15th Street E, at Access
Place. Martin Ring has brought up the issue in the debates, saying the
needle exchange is "not working as an exchange." Access Place does not
require its clients to bring back an old needle for every new one they
receive.

"When we hear numbers like the distribution of 1.3 million needles,
that raises a concern," Ring said. "And how many are not being brought
back, that's an even bigger concern."

Ring said Access Place needs to work more like a one-for-one exchange
- - bring one in, get one back - though he accepts that they might show
some flexibility for HIV-positive clients on a caseby-case bases.

Mayor Dionne didn't really broach the issue in the debates, but in
some ways his position is more hard-line than Ring's. Flexibility, he
warns, can easily become regularity. But he wouldn't be overly
perturbed if Access Place still diverted from one-for-one for the odd
client, "once or twice."

The way it's working now, he said, is unacceptable. He warned that the
public blowback from discarded needles is threatening the viability of
harm reduction programs.

"These tens of thousands of needles left in our community every year,
that's what's riling up our residents and they're demanding from me to
get rid of the needle exchange program because its not working."

He said he's been complaining about the issue for 10 to 15
years.

But Steve Mah, the manager at Access Place, said going to a
one-for-one exchange policy would complicate their efforts to fight
HIV transmission.

"Clients will require clean supplies to keep themselves protected, to
keep others protected," he said, "and the reality is they might not
have a needle to return at that point.

"We will provide clean supplies to that person," he added, "so the
disease is not transmitted in that manner."

The health region's communications officer, Doug Dahl, said the
province encourages them to get as close to one-for-one as possible.
"It's not like we're handing out massive amounts" to people who don't
have anything to return, he explained. But the priority, from a health
perspective, is containing the disease.

Conrad Burns' position aligns well with that of Mah and Dahl. He
doesn't want to see them deny anyone who needs clean supplies, and
isn't calling for a move closer to one-for-one.

"Without the needle exchange," he said, "we would be looking at an
explosion of shared needles. More HIV and blood-borne pathogens would
be shared."

Burns also said the fight against addiction has to attack the root
causes, including trauma and mental health. And beating HIV, he
believes, begins with tackling stigma.

"We can always support organizations, create awareness, get out there
and walk with these people to showcase that these people living with
HIV are normal people," he said, "because there are still a lot of
misconceptions out there and we need to confront them."

He said he knows a person who, after he tested positive, got "exiled
from his community, shunned by his family." His relatives, Burns said,
refused to share a plate with him.

While Dionne and Ring don't quite share Burns's enthusiasm on the
needle exchange, they do want to throw their weight in to help the
health region fight HIV in other ways. Ring said he wants the city to
pitch in more for education and awareness campaigns. Dionne said his
priority is getting more addiction clinics for the city.

"We have an addiction problem, he said. So lets give doctors the
authority to open some new clinics. The only way you're going to solve
a problem like addiction is through treatment, getting them cured."

Editor's note: The Daily Herald did not reach out to mayoral candidate
Josh Morrow due to his established refusal to speak with us on the
record.
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MAP posted-by: Matt