For all intents and purposes, the Wakaw Hospital is no more.
Despite an exhaustive search, which apparently included pursuing leads and contacts around the globe, the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) has been unable to hire either a permanent or interim physician for the Wakaw Health Centre (WHC). That means the facility will no longer be able to offer any inpatient services.
"This is a devastating blow," Wakaw mayor Ed Kidd told the Humboldt Journal. "I mean, for God's sakes, this affects all our folks who live in the community and in surrounding communities, as well as our staff. It's all in jeopardy."
The SHR had hoped to have a new physician in place for the town starting April 1, when the contract for the current locum (interim) physician, Dr. Adarine Anderson, expires.
Now, instead of operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the facility will be open only on weekdays, and with services greatly reduced.
"Basically they're going to close the hospital, and change the status," said Kidd. "They'll have some out-patient service, but there will be no inpatient services at all."
The search for a replacement physician for Wakaw has gotten more desperate following Dr. Fred Cenaiko's retirement at the end of last December, and Dr. Patricia Campbell's move to Prince Albert at the end of January. Previously a husband-wife team of doctors was also in the community, but they relocated to Arcola in the spring of 2010.
Dr. Anderson has been filling in at the WHC since Feb. 1. When she leaves, Wakaw will no longer be served by any doctors, thus forcing the facility's change of status from a hospital to a "health centre."
Saskatchewan Ministry of Health guidelines require a physician to be on-call and within 30 minutes of a hospital in order for patients to stay overnight.
The doctor shortage had already forced the closure of the hospital emergency room last June.
Arlene Eckert remains on staff at WHC as a full-time nurse practitioner, and a second nurse practitioner will be joining her in the community part-time.
Shan Landry, the Vice President of Community Services for the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR), noted that a nurse practitioner can still provide many of the same services as a family physician, including prescribing many common medications. And she stressed that the SHR is "still actively recruiting for a physician."
"I had anticipated a positive response from at least one of the many physicians we have contacted," she noted in a prepared statement last week. "However, I'm sorry to report that at this time, we haven't secured (anyone)."
Kidd said the loss of the WHC's hospital status will affect Wakaw in several ways. For starters, he noted that although there are area hospitals in Humboldt, Rosthern, Prince Albert and Saskatoon, there isn't always time to travel that distance to seek care.
"I don't know if you've got 30-40 minutes to get to a hospital sometimes," he said. "And what about acute care, and palliative care, and services like that?
"We also have a lot of jobs at stake here."
Following obligations set out in their collective bargaining agreements, SHR has given the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) notice that staff layoffs may occur if a permanent physician or group of physicians is not in place by June 18.
Last Friday, Mayor Kidd and other representatives from the Town of Wakaw met with the SHR, as well as representatives from the Town of Cudworth and the RMs of Hoodoo, Fish Creek and St. Louis, to discuss possible new courses of action.
One strategy discussed was a move away from fee-for-service for doctors to a guaranteed salary, likely in the neighbourhood of $250,000 a year.
"Some doctors still like fee-for-service, and they're willing to put in long hours to see as many patients as they can to make their money," Kidd said. "But things have changed. Most doctors today want a life, too, and a family, and things like that. So a guaranteed contract is probably the better way to go."
Other options might be to offer paid accommodation, a car allowance, and other perks.
In addition to the SHR recruiting efforts, Kidd said the Town of Wakaw has hired an independent recruiting agency to carry out its own search.
Kidd noted that of the biggest obstacles facing Wakaw is the simple fact that not many doctors want to set up practice in a small town.
"Most of them are drawn to the cities," he observed. "This isn't just a problem for Wakaw. All of rural Saskatchewan struggles with that."
Meanwhile, Landry acknowledged that finding one or more doctors "willing to do clinic work and primary health care" would be much easier than finding ones willing to staff a hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Still, she stressed the health region hasn't given up.
"We are absolutely committed to finding physicians for Wakaw and will continue to work towards that goal," she said. "But at this time we are not able to keep the hospital open for inpatient care. We will continue to work to provide primary health care to the community on an ongoing basis."
In the event of an emergency, residents of Wakaw and area are advised to call 911.
For professional health advice, residents should continue to visit the community health centre, their family physician, or phone the provincial HealthLine at 1-877-800-0002.
The provincial HealthLine is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
