Dear Mr. Long,
As a community of Senior Citizens, we write to express our very real concern regarding the rapidly growing decline of the Provincial Health Service and its impact on Hinton.
Hinton has had, for many years, the peace of mind of being able to rely on a vibrant and hard-working group of dedicated healthcare professionals, supported locally by an equally dedicated health care foundation.
Today, however, we are becoming increasingly aware of the fragility of that safety net. Apart from acknowledging extended wait times for appointments, relatives being expected to attend patients in hospital and the need from time to time to rely on our very proficient pharmacists for prescription renewal, our latest shocker – the closure (temporarily we believe) of a number of beds in the local hospital.
With retirements, exits from the community, professionals leaving the healthcare service because of burn-out and an aging population it is “cold comfort” that our plight is consistent around the province. Many of our residents are without a family doctor and must wait, in long line-ups for “drop in” opportunities resulting in less than satisfactory consultations. We know we are not alone in the situation, but surely this ubiquity must be the major reason for the Provincial Government to act definitively and positively therefore to be seen effectively working on rectifying the situation.
Please pay attention to and devote the necessary resources to, a life and death issue your constituents really care about. Why are we spending tax money overpaying contract nurses? Can we not make more use of the skills of L.P.N.s and other trained care workers?
On behalf of the residents of Pine Valley Lodge, Hinton, Alta.
Kathy Rees,
Hinton, Alta.
