Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 09/01) - The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is once again demanding a permanent nursing position for its community, but the region can't recruit enough nurses to occupy existing positions, according to Kathy Tsetso.

Tsetso, chief executive officer for Deh Cho Health and Social Services (DCHSS), said there are currently two nurses working temporarily in Fort Liard, where three full-time nursing positions need to be filled.

"We have gone out to ad across the country and on the Internet and we have only had a few applications (since July)," Tsetso said. "This is a long-term haul, trying to recruit nurses."

David Moses, former Pehdzeh Ki chief and Hardisty's predecessor, called for a permanent nurse in Wrigley during the Deh Cho Assembly in Kakisa last June.

In the past, there had been incidents where nurses left Wrigley due to threats to their well-being. Hardisty said the community is addressing the situation through anger management and drug and alcohol workshops.

Tsetso said DCHSS is funding those workshops and is fully supportive of them.

"We're not withholding a nurse because they haven't been good people," she said.

Wrigley has a lay dispenser and is in line to receive a community health representative (CHR), Tsetso said.

As well, when Fort Simpson is fully staffed, a nurse from Fort Simpson visits Wrigley for up to one week per month in addition to a doctor's visit.

At the same time, Tsetso said the DCHSS board supported the Cuff Report recommendation to eliminate single-nurse stations.

Hardisty said a number of projects in and around Wrigley, such as bridge work and a water treatment plant, will bring more people into Wrigley, where 140 people reside.

There's a greater risk of an industrial accident requiring immediate attention with these projects, Hardisty argued.

"What is the GNWT or the government, what are they going to do for us? How are they going to assist us to get a nurse into the community?" he asked.

Tsetso said the same risks exist in other Deh Cho communities that don't have nurses, such as Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte.

Although Hardisty pointed out that the DCHSS board had a surplus at the end of the last fiscal year, Tsetso said finances aren't the issue.

"We're surplusing because we have vacancies," she explained.

"Everyone is having the same problem with nursing recruiting. It's a national and, actually, an international problem."