Trauma help close at hand

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 13, 2002 - A3

PHYSICIANS HERE are $0 far satisfied with a dir- ect video connection from the emergency room at Mills Memorial Hospital to trauma specialists at Vancouver General.

Fully installed and acti- vated last month, Terrace is one of two B.C. loca- tions — the other is Cran- brook - where the video _ connection is undergoing a one-year trial.

. It gives physicians trea-

ting trauma patients live video and data transmis- sion access to specialists’ advice and recommenda- tions,

“It’s not just video. You can also call someone. In my situation, 1 was able to talk to the emergency doc- tor on call,” says Dr. Greg Linton, a local doctor who has pushed hard for tech- nological advances.

“If we need some assis- tance, it is beneficial to be able to get a hold of someone 24/7,”

The video equipment

LOCAL. FHYSICIAN Dr. Greg Linton stands with the newest technological addition at Mills Memarial Hospital. It’s a video connection from the hospital's

emergency room straight through to trauma spe- cialsts at Vancouver General Hospital. Trauma ad- : vice is now available around the clock,

consists of two computer

News In Brief

screens, three cameras and one microphone. Specialists in Vancou- ver can not only observe what is going on in the treatment room but physi- cians here can see the specialists in Vancouver, The three cameras in- stalled in the treatment room and can be operated by the specialists in Van-

couver.

“They can see what is going on,” said Linton of the remote control aspect.

“We won't have time to do that,” he added of the task of controlling the ca- meras.

Money for the trial comes from the federal and provincial govern- ments, both of whom are

interested in expanding telemedicine in northern and rural areas.

A successful trial here and in Cranbrook would then lay the foundation for expansion of the service elsewhere.

Mills also has a more portable camera and screen aption which can

be moved to other areas of the hospital such as the in- tensive care ward.

And there is another

‘video and camera combi-

nalion which is used for physician, nurse and para- medical training sessions. The combination of trauma advice when and where needed and sche-

duled lectures is also ex- pected to help efforts to recruit — and then keep — physicians in smaller centres such as Terrace. Linton said better local patient care will result from the video connection. “Over time we expect the number of medevacs to decrease,” he added.

Natives want more govt autonomy

NORTHWEST aboriginal groups think a fed- eral initiative to reform the Indian Act may not go far enough.

The Northwest Tribal Treaty Group has de- cided to work actively with the government on the proposed changes, however, and try to use them as a stepping stone toward more ad- vanced self-government.

“Let’s seize this initiative and widen it,” said treaty group official Nelson Leeson in ex- plaining the body’s strategy.

He said changes planned by the federal government will mean increased autonomy for native groups that operate under the Indian Act. Legislation is expected to be drawn up and passed in 2003.

The changes contemplated would alter the

legal status, election rules and accountability for bands. Legal status changes could mean bands could enter into contracts to a greater degree than in the past and develop bylaws more in line with a municipality.

Off-reserve native people are now allowed to vote in their band council elections.

Leeson said there is concern that could lead to bands being forced to offer more services now handled by Ottawa for off-reserve mem- bers.

“They’te concerned about offloading of re- sponsibility on their people,” he said. Ac- countability changes would force band coun- cils to report lo their members.

“But Leeson said aboriginal leaders also want the Department of Indian, Affairs,to be,”

“submit to Ottawa.

more accountable to band councils and mem- bers.

He said nalive groups in this region pener- ally favour increased powers beyond what Ot- tawa contemplates, but also more resources.

Change is important, Leeson said. “We’re caught in a cycle of dependancy,” he said. “Right now everything is subject to the federal government.” .

He also noted that the Indian Act is in- creasingly under attack in the courts. The Northwest Tribal Treaty Group includes native governments from Prince George to the Queen Charlotte Islands.

_ The organization has been meeting people

around the region to collect detailed opinion to

ee

Psychiatrist delayed

THE ARRIVAL date of third psychiatrist for the re- gional psychiatric. service network based in Ter- race is still unknown,

Dr. Phillip Donnell, an American now in Michi- gan, was due lo begin work Jan. 7.

But he’s still awaiting his certification paper- work from various medical college bodies in Cana- da and B.C., says Cholly Boland, the health ser- vices administrator for Terrace.

it’s nat a question af whether Donnell is coming, it’s a matter of when, he said.

“When it. comes -items such. as, they. have their own time frame,” said Boland.

The recruitment of Donnell marks a successful conclusion of an effort begun in early 2001 to hire three psychiatrists to be part of a revived in-patient and out-patient network of services for north- westem B.C. ; .

Part of that revival included a badly-needed re- novation to the 10-bed regional psychiatric unit at Mills Memorial Hospital. That project, worth more than $600,000, was completed and the unit re- opened last fall.

Also in the works is a video connection network throughout the northwest permitting psychiatrists to be in conlact with clients no matter where they live.

Still waiting ......

IT’S NOT just psychialrists having a tough time connecting with the northwest.

Nearly four months after the green light was given io replace an aged mammography machine at Mills Memorial Hospital, the paperwork allow- ing one to be purchased has yet to arrive from the provincial government,

The replacement has been tendered and a suc- cessful bidder chosen, says Cholly Boland who runs health care in Terrace and Kitimat.

“It’s a done deal, we just don’t have the paper- work,” he said.

The apparent hald up is the change in the health care management structure between old local health councils to the newer and larger Northern Health Authority based in Prince George.

It’s taking time for new systems with that author- ity and with the province to be sorted out, said Bo- land.

And more waiting ....

IT MAY be a few more weeks before the provincial government announces who it has chosen to be on the board of the Northern Health Authority.

Nine people are to be named to run the author- ity, based in Prince George, which this year will have a budget of approximately $330 million,

“We had close to 100 people who either applied or were nominated,” said Patty Stewart of the au- thority. It replaces a collection of smaller health care authorities and was created, along with simi- lar ones elsewhere in the province, late last year. ~

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