NCHCF Chair Peggy George (right) informs two members of the public on plans for building a heliport beside Melfort Hospital during an information session at the Kerry Vickar Centre on Dec. 14 (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Melfort Heliport Plans

Plans for Melfort Heliport and other healthcare expansions

Dec 16, 2019 | 9:00 AM

The concept of the North East Centre for Rural Health Excellence originated years ago.

Former Melfort MLA, the late Kevin Phillips, assisted in developing the concept of a wellness centre. It’s now built on Broadway Ave. along with a pharmacy and dental clinic.

Now, the North Central Health Care Foundation (NCHCF) and Municipal Health Advocacy Committee (MHAC) are going public with plans to expand healthcare in the northeast, beginning with information sessions that took place at the Kerry Vickar Centre on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Some plans on their wish list include a heliport beside Melfort Hospital, a CT scan, and diagnostic equipment.

Rod Gantefoer is on the MHAC, a committee set up by the City of Melfort to look at ways to improve health care delivery in the northeast. He said when Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) began operating in Saskatchewan in 2012, they looked to improve the services of the helicopter in Melfort and surrounding area by building a heliport.

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“Currently, [STARS is] landing at the children’s hospital in Saskatoon,” Gantefoer said. “When we get this project done, the time of transport between Melfort and Saskatoon is 30 minutes, which is an incredible improvement in terms of timeliness and treatment. Even if the helicopter has to be called from Saskatoon… it’s still a golden hour of time; the difference between life and death.”

Peggy George, the NCHCF’s chair, said all the background work on the Melfort Heliport has been completed. Now they want to inform the public, get feedback, and hopefully get people, organizations, businesses, and municipalities involved financially.

“We can’t do this alone,” George said. “It’s going to take everybody to jump on board, just like when we built the Wellness Centre. It couldn’t have happened without the involvement and support of the surrounding R.M.’s. Health care affects everyone at some point in their life. It’s important that everyone supports this valuable, worthwhile project.”

The price tag for the heliport is approximately $500,000 and according to Lionel Lavoie – a retired physician who’s involved with the Saskatchewan Medical Association – nearly two-thirds of those funds are secured. While funding the heliport, diagnostic equipment, and nursing medical equipment will be the responsibility of groups such as the NCHCF and MHAC, he anticipates the CT scan will be funded by the provincial government.

“We’re one of the few areas in the province that doesn’t have a CT scan yet,” Lavoie said.

For practicing physicians in Melfort, the hope with these medical developments is to get patients in and out of the northeast area as soon as possible if that’s what they need.

“One family member told me she left Melfort when a patient was wheeled out of emergency from us, they left at the same time to go to Saskatoon for follow up care,” Dr. Olabode Ige told northeastNOW. “She actually got to the hospital before that patient because of the logistics of moving patients from the hospital, to the airport here, and in Saskatoon. If we have the heliport here, that delay will be eliminated, and the patient will go to where they require care as soon as possible.

“My personal experience is even though if we don’t use the service every day, we want to be in a position to have it. When it’s required, it’ll be available for us to use. I’m hoping more people look at it that way so we can get more support for this project. Melfort is a small area and yes, some people are concerned, but from the support we’ve seen so far we believe the community wants this project to go ahead.”

Milton Scott has been on the MHAC for nearly 10 years. He works as a farmer west of Melfort and has been living the farming, rural life for nearly 40 years. He said the introduction of the Wellness Centre – and how it helped Melfort have eight practicing physicians when he started on the MHAC to 14 currently – made it easier for him and other rural residents to access healthcare. He believes a heliport, CT scan, and other diagnostic equipment will do the same to make their lives easier.

“There are things we’ll have to end up [in Saskatoon] for, but when you get to be in my age group, we’d rather drive to Melfort than Saskatoon,” Scott joked. “I think that goes for everyone in the surrounding areas, especially the northeast. Our goal is to be able to provide these services in the northeast instead of having to go farther away to the big city.”

Gantefoer expects the heliport to be operational approximately three to four months after they break ground once the snow melts. It’ll be located east of Melfort Hospital.

George said plans for fundraising the heliport will be announced at the project’s launch at noon on Jan. 15 at the Kerry Vickar Centre.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow