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Construction to begin on Sahtu long-term care facility
Norman Wells facility expected to bring new jobs to community

Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Published Monday, May 12, 2014

LLI GOLINE/NORMAN WELLS
Construction on the new Health and Social Services Centre and Long Term Care Facility in Norman Wells kicked off with a fire feeding ceremony and community feast on May 7.

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Violet Doolittle, member of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, participates in a fire feeding ceremony to commemorate the construction of the new Health and Social Services Centre and Long Term Care Facility on May 7. Residents, government representatives and Sahtu region chiefs gathered in Norman Wells for the event for the facility, which is expected to be completed in 2016. - photo courtesy of Dorothy Westerman

The new centre, which is expected to cost $35 million, will replace the town's existing health centre and bring the community's health staff together under one roof, said Derek Elkin, assistant deputy minister of corporate services with the Department of Health and Social services.

The facility will also provide 18 long-term care beds. The long-term care component will primarily accommodate Sahtu region residents, Elkin said.

Both operations are expected to have a total of about 88 staff. Elkin said 29 of those will be new positions once the site is fully running.

"The long term care we will be adding, once it's fully up and operational, around 29 new positions to the community," he said.

Elkin said the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority was working with Aurora College to determine training opportunities for potential local staff.

Courses are expected to be available this fall and will include preparation courses for the personal support worker program and medical terminology program, as well as food safety and first aid programs.

Gregor Harold McGregor, Norman Wells' mayor, said a request for proposals will soon be issued to look for developers to construct and manage staff housing on a property owned by the town.

"We have the property and we're looking for somebody to develop and build housing on it," he said.

McGregor said he believes the project, which would include one or two multi-unit apartments, would be finished in time for the centre's opening.

"There should be enough time to get this done," he said.

McGregor said the town's sewage and water systems are being upgraded to service the new facility. The sewage lagoon is being emptied, which McGregor said is part of scheduled maintenance.

"We're upgrading our lagoon, it's basically just pumping it out and de-sludging it and making it have enough capacity to handle everything again," he said. "It's something that has to be done every 15 years or so."

A second water tank is being added to increase the town's water storage.

"We had quite a bit of advanced notice that they were going to have needs that were probably greater than we were expecting and so we have in the works a doubling of our water storage capacity," he said. "So that won't be a problem."

The long-term care facility will primarily accommodate Sahtu region residents, Elkin said.

McGregor said the town was also looking forward to the possibility of having its own doctor.

"I believe they're hoping to attract a full-time doctor and you can imagine how we will appreciate that," he said.

The decision about a doctor is the responsibility of the regional health authority, according to the health department. Patricia Kyle, chief executive officer of the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority, was unavailable for comment as of press time last week.

In the meantime, McGregor said the community is looking forward to

"It's going to be a Godsend," he said. "It's going to be an economic boost to the town, plus it's going to be very, very good for our aging population."

Construction is expected to finish in 2016.

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