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Wellness centre planned for Norman Wells Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison Northern News Services Published Monday, February 13, 2012
"It's been on our minds since I became MLA eight years ago and we're finally seeing the reality of persistence," said Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya. "Finally the minister has given us some good news." The new facility will likely break ground in 2013, according to Health Minister Tom Beaulieu, and will provide 18 long-term care beds. It will also provide jobs in the region's hub, ranging from nurses, physiotherapists and doctors to cooks, housekeepers and administrative support. Beaulieu said the facility will likely be managed by the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority and although budget details won't be released until a contract is awarded, he said the cost is scheduled in the government's capital plan. Finding local people with the proper training to work at the facility will be an uphill battle, admitted both Yakeleya and Beaulieu. "We're looking to train as many locals as possible. It would be good to have the facility be a regional facility," said the minister. "It's going to be for the people of the Sahtu. Having as many of the Sahtu people working in these positions as possible would be our goal." Beaulieu said the government is looking for training opportunities and will likely try to recruit from the Aurora College nursing program. The tour also highlighted the need for improved dental care in the region, as well as updates to the Colville Lake School. "The Sahtu desperately needs permanent dental care," Yakeleya sad. "It's just like an automobile factory. You know, you go through, you wait for 45 minutes, you see the dentist and he says, 'Next!'" Currently, dentists on contract visit the communities for a week or more at a time, and work through the long wait lists that have accumulated since their last visit. Beaulieu suggested that recruiting a dental therapist to the region would help alleviate the issues and allow dentists to focus on more serious issues during their visits. In Fort Good Hope approximately 130 residents attended the minister's public meeting, with many of them expressing concerns about cancer rates in the community. Although the government has tested the community's drinking water and assured residents it meets guidelines, many are still convinced it is unsafe to drink. "People don't believe the government's reports. They want their own," Yakeleya said. "At the end of the day, people are dying of cancer in Fort Good Hope, and where the heck is that cancer coming from?" Beaulieu said that colorectal cancer, which is common in the community, can be hereditary and not just related to environmental concerns. "We're pretty comfortable that the water is not the key contributing factor to the high rate of colorectal cancer that's found right across the North," he said.
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