Leaf Rapids residents weigh in on access to health care after weeks-long closure of health centre

Leaf Rapids Health Centre. (Submitted: Dennis Anderson)

Winnipeg -

A staffing crunch that left a northern community’s health centre inaccessible for over a month has stakeholders throughout Manitoba’s north demanding better access to resources.

The Leaf Rapids Health Centre had to close between December 2021 and January 2022 because of staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, people in the town of 600 took part in a special online engagement session on the need for more reliable access to health care.

Doctor Barry Lavallee is the CEO of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc., a health and wellness advocacy group for northern First Nation communities formed in 2020 by the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO).

Commenting during the forum, Dr. Lavallee highlighted one factor that reduces access to health care for residents of the Leaf Rapids area.

“Lack of access to a 24-hour medevac airplane…that is completely, completely unacceptable,” Lavallee said.

MKO organized the forum, which is the second in a series of sessions designed to share information and get feedback from Leaf Rapids residents.

Lavallee said Thompson, which is about a four-hour drive northwest of Leaf Rapids, has a central role to play in improving health care in much of the north.

“We'll be doing most of our meetings for Leaf Rapids and some of our other communities in Thompson and really, Thompson as the hub of resources is really quite important for us as we start formulating plans to develop peer systems, for health in the north with communities that have much less resources," said Lavallee.

MKO said it will provide guidance to the Northern Regional Health Authority with the ultimate goal of transforming health care across northern Manitoba.

According to the MKO website, the first Leaf Rapids engagement session took place on January 26, 2022.

It can be viewed via MKO’s YouTube channel.