In recent editions of RidgeLines I have provided examples, from my medical perspective, of why access to care in our own ER after hours is so important, and what another health authority is doing its best to keep small, remote ERs open. I have also reiterated the grave threat to our lives as a result of the after-hours ER closure in Tumbler Ridge. In recent weeks, there have been examples that show why this is such a concern. With the permission of the people involved, I can provide some details about two cases that I have learned about.
At the Open House hosted by Northern Health on September 7, and again at the rally on the steps outside Town Hall on October 4, I stated that some of us would probably die as a result of the after-hours closures. I had no idea that our Mayor would come close to being in that category, or that one of our Town Councillors would also fall seriously ill, and all on a single evening.
In both cases, they chose not to call 911. In the case of Mayor Darryl Krakowka, not realizing how sick he was, he chose to wait for morning. He was then sent on an emergency basis to Fort St John (there being no surgeon in Dawson Creek) where he underwent emergency surgery. My understanding is that he was lucky to escape with his life, and spent two weeks admitted to hospital.
In the case of Councillor Nicole Noksana, she was fortunate in having a family member who could take her straight to Dawson Creek. As she explained at the recent ‘Let’s Talk’ event (at which Northern Health declined the invitation to attend), she knew she was sick but did not know how sick, and did not want to reduce the number of available ambulances in case someone else was sicker. She, too, ended up having emergency surgery.
Both cases involved abdominal pain. Northern Health leadership publicly told us on September 7th that in their view there are too many ER visits, and that the ER should be reserved for dire emergencies such as shortness of breath or chest pain. The moment I heard this, I publicly called it out as irresponsible advice, as most patients have no way of judging how sick they are. At the same time, I countered the advice from Northern Health leadership that closure of our ER after hours is actually good for us because supposedly we will get the care we need faster. (In my view, the opposite is true, as it eliminates the ‘Golden Hour’ in which accurate diagnosis and treatment can be life-saving.)
In these two cases we see the potential effects of the Northern Health after-hours policy for the Tumbler Ridge ER. In both cases, my suspicion is that timely assessment in our own ER could have been a game changer. For Mayor Krakowka it might have saved him the need for emergency surgery. For Councillor Noksana she could have had the emergency nature of her condition diagnosed, and she could have been cared for by our paramedics on the bumpy ride to Dawson Creek after being given appropriate medication.
It seems, then, that while some of us will die, others will get sicker than we need to. We may survive, but at the risk of needless complications.
I also want to reassure residents that we are not going to die in droves because of the closure of our ER after hours. From my own experience, I suspect that a responsible estimate of the number of extra fatalities that could be expected might be a few a year, not dozens. But that is, quite simply, a few too many. And over the course of a decade that number would need to be multiplied by ten. Plus, many more of us will have close calls but survive, or will simply be denied the right to receive timely ER care close to home.
The solution is so simple: we ask Northern Health leadership to commit to re-opening our ER after hours, and if staffing shortages make that challenging in the short term, then please give us virtual ER coverage through VERRa, which has a proven track record in situations like this.
I am so grateful that Darryl and Nicole are recovering well, and are back at work serving our community. Their dedication to Tumbler Ridge in this time of adversity is remarkable and is worthy of our highest appreciation.
