Right in the centre - We need to stand up for ourselves

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Published on Thursday, May 4, 2017

By Ken Waddell

The Neepawa Banner

I apologize if this column is a bit too personal or a bit too centred on Neepawa. However, there is strong message here for all communities.  As I write this column on Tuesday morning, I am sitting with my wife Christine, who is less than 24 hours out of surgery. The operation went well and she is recovering OK. Not sure how long she will be in hospital. Anyway, Christine has had wonderful care from diagnosis, to meeting a specialist, to the surgery.

Health Science Centre is a maze of tunnels, towers and bureaucracy. It is inhabited by thousands of workers who realize that they can’t change the whole system. They know they can affect their little piece of the medicare world we all depend on.

I see a list of things that could be improved and dozens of things I don’t understand, but I am encouraged that everyone I met seems to want to help and improve their part of the system.

But here’s a local message and it is the same theme that I observed at HSC. Chris had a very quick diagnosis because we have a good group of local doctors. It is only locally that we can change our world. I doubt that even given decades of very direct political involvement, Chris and I will have much influence on the big system. However locally, we and everyone who lives in small local community can take our destiny in our hands and make a difference for ourselves and our future. Neepawa, or more precisely, the Neepawa Area Development Corporation (NADCO) has bought, renovated and expanded the Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic. Now they have bought more land, two pieces in fact, to make room for another large expansion. There are several doctors at the medical clinic and more to come. It is a success story. Without a clinic, there are no doctors, without doctors, there is no clinic. Without NADCO stepping up there would not be a successful clinic in Neepawa today. There is no way around it, Neepawa is the medical centre of our region and it is largely because we have a number of doctors.

Here is what we can do in the short run. The Beautiful Plains Medical Clinic Lottery is on right now and it is the only money that has gone into the clinic renovation and expansions, except for the original purchase price. We need to push a little harder, as the medical clinic lottery has never sold out. The Neepawa Natives lottery sold out in 2016 and it came close in 2017. I think this year, the medical clinic lottery needs to sell out. As a community, we need to stand up for ourselves. The Town of Neepawa isn’t likely to put more money into the clinic, the RMs aren’t likely to put more money in. The province is broke and so there’s no point in looking there for money. We, us, the people of the local areas served by the Neepawa medical clinic have the power in our hands to make it happen. Yes, buy a ticket, or two or three. This year’s lottery needs to sell out.

And, yes, there are issues. Many Neepawa people still don’t have a local doctor. That needs to change but the only way that situation is going to change is if we expand the clinic and get even more doctors. We have to do it. The regional health authority is trying to do their thing, but it has been local recruitment efforts and the local clinic building that has made the biggest impact.

Readers familiar with my views will not be surprised when I say a community has to make its own future. If we passively wait for governments or corporations to help us out, it may not happen. Over the years, we have seen hospitals and schools close, machinery and auto dealers migrate to larger centres, we have seen schools close. Figuring out our own community’s purpose and destiny is the key to success.

In one small (big) way, the Neepawa region can build on strengths and success, let’s sell out the lottery this year and every year going forward. The benefits are immediate and obvious. The alternative to a strong local clinic is to have everyone drive to Brandon, or Portage, or Winnipeg for regular doctor visits and many other medical services. We can look after ourselves folks and we all need to step up to do so.

Look for the lottery posters and ads, the deadlines are coming up fast. If we band together, we can build on our success and together achieve even greater things. It’s time to dig in folks. The alternatives aren’t good and buying a lottery ticket is a pretty painless way we can help to insure the medical viability of our town and the region.