Moe shoulders blame as rural ERS set to reopen

Premier Scott Moe accepted that the “onus” was on him to communicate better about the temporary closure of 12 rural emergency rooms, nine of which are targeted to reopen over the next four to six weeks.

The Arcola Health Centre is expected to be the first to resume emergency services, with a target date of mid-june, followed by facilities in eight other communities. But that will depend on “criteria” like training staff and maintaining low case counts, as the SHA balances against the risk of a possible surge in COVID -19 cases.

Three more facilities — in Broadview, Radville and Lanigan — will require “additional time,” according to a Tuesday news release from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). It said those facilities were facing pre-existing service disruptions and will reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so.”

The closures had faced widespread criticism from rural residents who worried about access to emergency care, as well as dissension from at least one Saskatchewan Party MLA.

Moe signalled that some of that could have been due to a “perception” that the closures might become permanent. He insisted that was never contemplated.

“This is where maybe some of the confusion is, and this is on me,” Moe said.

He used the term “temporary” at least 10 times during a Tuesday press conference explaining the plan to resume services.

“The onus is on me to communicate better that these are not being considered for permanent closures, these are temporary, these facilities will be reopened and this government will be making every effort to ensure that can occur,” Moe added.

He said he understands the “sensitivities” around rural hospitals, and has shared them in his own community of Shellbrook. Health Minister Jim Reiter, who called himself “a small town kid,” also accepted responsibility for any misapprehension.

“If there was some confusion about whether it’s temporary or not probably, we could have done a better job in communicating that,” he said. “Those ER closures are temporary and over the next number of weeks you’ll see them reopen.”

The announcement came as health officials reported zero new cases on Tuesday, but also one confirmed death connected with COVID-19 and one additional death under investigation.

The emergency room closures were first announced in the SHA’S response plan on April 8. But no specific date was provided for the closures until shortly before services were suspended in early May.

The move was meant to protect vulnerable patients and long-term care residents from infection, while freeing up space for “alternate level of care patients” from larger centres expected to bear the brunt of COVID -19 treatment.

But the thousands of cases and hospitalizations the SHA was initially planning for in its response plan have not materialized.

Kris Carley, a Carnduff town councillor and key organizer in the online mobilization against the closures, argued that the government mismanagement on the file went beyond perceptions about whether the closures would end.

He pointed to a “communications breakdown.” In his view, the government first fell short by failing to properly warning residents, and then by not reworking its plan quickly enough as case numbers stayed low.

Carley called the plan announced Tuesday “fairly open ended” and worried that it doesn’t move quickly enough.

SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said it takes time to put in place protocols, training and renovations to avoid “cross contaminating” from potential asymptomatic COVID -19 patients that arrive the emergency rooms.

“The time frame is being driven by how we safely bring those services back by making sure that we can,” said Livingstone.

Asked whether the government had “hurried” the reopening plan in light of public pressure, Reiter said there were never any specific date in mind for when the emergency rooms would reopen beyond generalities like “early summer.”

He warned that they could close again if cases surge, though Moe stepped in to say that is not expected to happen given how Saskatchewan people have been in containing the disease.

Carley said his group will announce on Wednesday whether it will continue with its plan to hold a protest at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in June.

But the announcement on Tuesday left one early advocate of reopening “overjoyed.” Judy Naylen, who suffers from asthma and spoke out to the Leader-post when the closure at Arcola was first announced weeks ago, penned a letter to Moe on Tuesday.

“Thank you for listening to me and the many concerned Saskatchewan citizens. I feel relieved to know that I will have my hospital back, if and when I need it. I appreciate you and your government officials who made this difficult decision,” she wrote.