(More from the mayor’s forum last Friday night.)
On Urgent Care, Susan Samson, who has chaired the committee, said the town is in line for one of the new Family Care Clinics and a proposal was filed with Alberta Health Services by Oct. 1 outlining what that would look like. “We’re going to win on this. We can’t lose hope, lose momentum,” she said.
Sean McIntyre said while the goal is urgent care we “don’t need to stop at extended hours. My goal is to pursue 24 hour care. We can pursue that progressively. We need to be continually on the province’s door. This is the level of care Sylvan Lake and Area deserve.”
Melesa Starcheski repeated her statement that we should be asking for a hospital. “Take urgent care as soon as we can get it and ask for a hospital.”
Samson, in rebuttal, agreed 24 hour care is what’s needed but stated we’re not going to get a hospital because Alberta Health Services and the province feel we’re too close to Red Deer.
“One of the problems is we’re not forward thinking enough,” countered Starcheski. “Let’s tell them it’s not good enough, let’s tell them people have died, let’s tell them we need more.”