By Sheri Monk

The lobby was full and a line up outside Maple Creek town hall as residents waited to for the public session of the Jan. 12 council meeting to begin. Standing in the centre of the crowd was Cypress Health Region CEO, but the health region’s chair of the board, Tyler Bragg, answered most of council’s questions as to the future of a new integrated healthcare facility at Maple Creek.
Bragg had been invited to attend a meeting in December to shed light on the cause of hospital delays and recent strife expressed by hospital employees related to a lengthy hospital closure, which was later averted. Bragg would answer for nearly an hour, with an audience nearly fifty strong observing the exchange.

Councillor John Andreas speaks with the health region's chair of the board, Tyler Bragg (right)

Nearly a year ago, the province announced its share of the funding required for a new facility, but after two studies, countless meetings and a perceived power struggle between the health region and the hospital steering committee, the project has been at a planning standstill since September.
Bragg said the ministry has offered a commitment to 24 acute care beds and 48 long-term care beds, but 10 of the acute care beds are considered swing beds, which means they could be converted to additional long-term care beds. Maple Creek already currently operated 48 long-term care beds.
In addition to a debate over the number of beds, the steering committee – which represents the project’s funding partners in the Southwest – are adamant that increased services are guaranteed to be planned for both in construction and in practise before construction can begin. Such services include oncology, labour and delivery and cardiac care.
Bragg said if the bed numbers cannot be agreed upon, the ministry of health will have to meet with the authors studies completed last year on the viable scope of a new hospital. The first study called for a shrinking population and a downsized hospital. The second study was completely opposite and predicted growth and increased need for healthcare, especially if increased services were offered.
“I guess where we’re at is a bit of a crossroads,” said Bragg. “We have 24 acute care beds, 48 long-term care beds, with the 10 flex on the table, If we want to go ahead.”
Mayor Barry Rudd said the committee won’t budge from the numbers contained in the Stantec study – 56 long-term care beds and 26 acute care beds.
Rudd also said the committee needs to know the building won’t be built without planning for the eventual incorporation of increased services and Bragg committed to ensuring the building will come with whatever bells and whistles desired.

The chambers were packed with residents concerned about the healthcare situation at Maple Creek and area.

Bragg also cautioned against delaying too long as the province may scale back its original offer on the number of beds at the facility. He also said for each new (or restored) service the community wants, it will have to build a business case to ensure the service is warranted. But to do that, he said, will take time.
“I mean, there is a process we have to go through before we can provide the services.”
As the discussion continued, Rudd said the health region needs to improve its communication with the town and with employees. He said the people are frustrated by a lack of information from the health region as to the causes behind the project’s delay.

“That’s some of the stuff we need more communication on. We can get on our MLAs, we can get on our MPs if we have to – something – people are getting tired of this stuff. It looked like the intent of the last government was to dismantle the rural healthcare system. What the intent of this government? Because up to this point, we haven’t made much headway.”
Rudd’s address – his first as mayor questioning the health region at a council meeting – increased in intensity and the large crowd silently listened.
“The whole big question again – which you have probably answered before – are you destroying the healthcare in rural Saskatchewan?”
Bragg interjected softly, answering, “Absolutely not,” as Rudd continued to speak.
“We’re a footprint out here. We’re one of the stakeholders in Maple Creek, in southwest Saskatchewan. And obviously the communities around here are supporting us. Because they’ve already been destroyed and torn apart. Their schools are closed, their stores are gone, everything is gone. And so now they’re grasping onto us and we’re here as a crew. That’s why it took us the short time it did to raise the $12 million, because we don’t want to go to Medicine Hat, we don’t want to go to Swift Current.”
Bragg reiterated his support for healthcare services in the Southwest and said Cypress Health Region is holds the same strong convictions, but urged council to get moving on the project because it would be a healthy start on improving healthcare in the area.
Rudd also addressed staff issues at the hospital and urged the region to improve its communication with the hospital and its people and the health region said several channels are in place to ensure feedback from staff and to inform everyone fully of emotional situations like hospital closures. Rudd also referenced the belief that employees of the hospital are prohibited from speaking publicly about the hospital or related issues.

Health Region CEO Jim Hornell address a member of the public before the mayor calls a point of order.

CEO Hornell had been standing against the wall, letting Bragg engage the council, but he interrupted the conversation with the mention of the gag order.
“I’d like to address the idea of a gag order. It comes up in the media, I’ve had people when I go to staff meetings at Maple Creek say, ‘We’re not allowed to say anything.’ And I say, ‘Who says that? Where does that come from?’ Because I’d like to know. We’ve had staff who have written letters to the paper, we’ve had staff who have spoken up at public meetings in the Armouries and asked me questions about meetings that I had with them two days before. No recriminations – nothing. So I don’t know where that’s coming from. They may assume that there might be recriminations, that’s not the case. We have not disciplined one person for that,” said Hornell, adding that staff violating patient privacy or speaking about a process of business would not be tolerated. “So it’s not fair to say there’s a gag order on our staff. There are the normal rules and regulations that any organization would have about how to talk about what goes on in an organization.”
Hornell then turned to the audience addressed a spectator in – ordinarily, the public is there to observe only.
“Sir, you’re shaking your head,” said Hornell. “Is there something I’ve said that’s wrong?” he asked.
The man answered and a brief, but heated exchange ensued.
“Yes. I was at the Armouries at that meeting and you had one of your staff approach the microphone and you specifically told her that she couldn’t talk,” said the man angrily. “You were at the microphone and she came up and she was gonna talk and you explicitly told her not to. And she did not. She turned around and left.”
As the man finished his sentence, town administrator Mark Caswell whispered softly for a point of order to be called to silence the outbursts. Councillors Ellaine Hawrylak and John Andreas called out before Rudd echoed the request for the formal point or order to be called.
“This isn’t an open meeting,” said Rudd, suggesting the town hold a moderated question and answer period with the health region in a larger venue for public to voice their concerns.
A date for the public meeting has not yet been announced.