Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Feb 19/99) - There isn't a shortage of nurses, or any staff, at the Fort Simpson Health Centre.

That was the resounding message that Deh Cho Health and Social Services (DCHSS) representatives gave village council on Monday evening. Council members had expressed concern about the issue in past months.

Kathy Tsetso, chief executive officer of DCHSS, said there are currently five full-time registered nurses on staff at the health centre. In addition, there's a nurse at the Stanley Isiah seniors' home. A home-care co-ordinator is to be brought on staff in March. There is also one vacant position that will be filled when DCHSS management determines where the greatest need lies, said Tsetso.

"We're not trying to undermine services in Fort Simpson. We're trying to find better ways to be different," she said. She later added that she's a long-time resident of this region and plans to be for much longer, so she has a sincere interest in health care.

Before being downgraded to a health centre from a hospital last year, it was noted that there were seven nurses on staff. That hasn't really changed, Tsetso said.

"We're not trying to cut nursing services," she said.

Sheila Sears, manager of health services, said she has been monitoring the number of clients who arrive at the health centre and their needs since the summer. She noted that in July the average was 4.2 patients per nurse per day. In November, that number jumped as high as nine patients per nurse per day, but there were contributing factors such as the fact that November is immunization month, she said.

Circumstances that are currently having some impact on the services at the health centre, according to Sears, include the renovations to the facility, obligations to service satellite communities and the challenge of recruiting relief staff from the south. Sears admitted that "there is a big problem at the moment," trying to bring any health staff to the NWT due to an equal or better rate of pay in the south and bad publicity in the North.

She also said that there is now a greater emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles in hopes of reducing the need for acute care.

Transition planning for the long-term care facility, expected to open in late September, is already under way, according to Tsetso. There is tentatively $2.3 million in the combined budget for the health centre, the long-term care facility and social services, which will all occupy the same building in the near future.

"They're not all separate little pieces. They're supposed to be all one, and that's what we're working towards for the new facility," she said. "What one part of them does affects the other part."

As for health centre support staff, there are currently two full-time clerks and a part-time clerk at the health centre. There are also three cooks, a housekeeper and a janitor/custodian.

Tsetso said, "I don't see a decrease, I see the status quo or even an enhancement in those positions."

The issue of dental therapy was also addressed at Monday's meeting. The number of days that a dental therapist visits the community is based on the number of people in the community with aboriginal status and they are allocated by the federal government, Tsetso explained. For Fort Simpson, the current arrangement translates into 12 visits per year for a total of 60 days.

She also noted that, at present, the potential for a full-time dentist for the community looks promising. Working for the Hay River Dental Clinic, he could be operating in Fort Simpson on March 15.

When it comes to eye care, the number of days that specialists visit is set by the same criteria as used for dental therapy, she said. She noted that there has been an excessive number of no-shows for eye appointments and that will be addressed.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Norm Prevost said of the presentation and discourse, "That was good. I think it clarified all the issues."