Culturally sensitive long-term care beds needed in Sioux Lookout

The Registered Nursing Association of Ontario (RNAO) held a ‘Take Your MPP to Work” event May 10, where Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell toured the Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Northwestern Health Unit and the William A. George Extended Care Unit in Sioux Lookout.
Emily Monaco, a registered nurse and RNAO’s political action representative for the Sioux Lookout chapter said the region is experiencing a shortage of long-term care beds.
“More specifically, culturally sensitive long-term care beds needed by Elders in our catchment or service area,” said Monaco.
She said that provincial benchmarks show that for the size of Meno Ya Win Health Centre’s service area, they would need 80 to 100 more long-term care beds.
The centre services 28 First Nations communities in the region.
“What happens because of that is we have 40 per cent of the beds in the hospital right now that are occupied by alternate level care patients who are basically awaiting placement in a long-term facility,” said Monaco.
One such patient is Elder George Ignace of Lac Seul First Nation. Ignace is residing at the hospital as he awaits placement at a long-term care center.
Monaco said that Meno Ya Win feels that they are in the best position to meet the needs and care for the First Nations people in their service area because they are equipped to support the cultural and linguistic requirements of First Nations—including interpreters who are available on a 24/7 basis.
Cynthia Dwyer, a registered nurse working at Meno Ya Win, said one of the things that RNAO is focusing on is the need for long-term care beds, especially for those in the northern communities.
“So an Elder will come and stay with us and eventually if they decide or the family decides they go to long-term care and they get on this list,” said Dwyer. “And this list, if they want to stay here in Sioux Lookout can be up to eight years wait.”
Dwyer said Meno Ya Win’s service area contains almost 35,000 people.
Campbell said she was surprised to find 12 rooms closed at the Meno Ya Win Health Centre.
“It really struck me too that there are so many people in the hospital who are there because they don’t have access to either home care or they don’t have a long-term care bed,” said Campbell. “There’s really no reason for that, there’s such a tremendous cost, especially with homecare.”
Campbell said the challenge would be to bring more long-term care beds to Sioux Lookout – she said the issue needs to be constantly pressed within the government so they recognize the importance of the matter.
Barb Linkewich, vice president, clinical and research at Meno Ya Win said a proposed site has been picked out for an added facility, which would house 80 to 100 beds for long-term care patients. The area would be adjacent to the Meno Ya Win health centre.