Offering assurances
Health minister insists IEMS changes are enhancements
A captain with the Tignish Fire Department says he is now looking forward to an enhanced rapid response system and the rollout of a mobile integrated health program.
That’s following a meeting in Tignish Monday evening between Health P.E.I. officials and representatives from the fire department, Tignish Seniors Home and Tignish Town Council.
“It was good, it was positive. I’m not coming out with a negative attitude of it,” Stephen Trail described the hourand-a-half discussion.
Trail does, however, maintain a wait-and-see attitude concerning changes that will see the rapid response unit that operated 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday in West Prince expanded to 12 hours a day, seven days a week and covering all of Prince County.
“We’re not sold on it that it’s not a deterioration until they roll it out and we start to see how things are going to go forward,” he said.
But, even on that, he has been offered some reassurance as Health Minister Robert Mitchell committed to a follow-up discussion within three months of the program’s May roll-out.
Mitchell, who had his deputy minister and Health P.E.I.’s director of emergency health and planning services in attendance with him for the meeting, suggested the meeting helped improve upon some of the information on the programs being rolled out.
“We had a great discussion tonight and we’ve committed to having a great discussion as it moves out and further assess things from the community perspective as well as the health perspective,” he said.
“I think the fire department in Tignish is a wonderful fire department, and they need to be supported, and we will continue to look for ways to do that.”
He felt representatives from the three Tignish groups in attendance were reassured.
“I think it was a great meeting. I think we had some great conversations, and it’s not over tonight; we will continue to have dialogue anytime they wish to have it.”
Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry said he was pleased with the dialogue.
“I wanted some clarity: everybody sits in the same room, asks some questions, they get some answers from the people who are making the decisions. So, I’m coming away from this more comfortable than I was going into this meeting.”
Mayor Allan McInnis had a similar assessment, but he said he would be prepared to organize another meeting before the first three months of the program are up if it is found the changes are detrimental to his community and the organizations and residents who rely on the Island EMS services.
The mayor said the Health P.E.I. officials heard the rapid response unit has been working out so well for his community that the department should be looking at duplicating that success elsewhere.
“I think the fire department in Tignish is a wonderful fire department, and they need to be supported, and we will continue to look for ways to do that.” Health Minister Robert Mitchell