Child and family emergency after-hours care in four smaller NWT communities are getting a total overhaul, according to the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA).
As of June 30, all after-hours emergency on-call services in Fort McPherson have ceased, with calls being directed to an on-call worker in Inuvik. Child and family emergency services in the Sahtu, Dehcho, and Fort Smith will be amalgamated on July 14, with workers rotating between the communities.
A release from NTHSSA on Tuesday says the changes are needed to ensure long-term sustainability of the health care system.
"Beyond these operational adjustments, there should be no real impact for callers once these changes are implemented," says the unattributed July 8 press release. "While callers may not be speaking with someone in their region, they will still be connected to someone who is an appointed child protection worker capable of dealing with child protection emergencies and responding appropriately. Should an emergent response be required, one will be provided.
"This shift towards a more centralized on-call model aligns with models that have already been successfully implemented in other NWT regions and communities. It will not reduce the level of care that residents receive, or their ability to access emergency services, which will remain available 24/7."
Residents of Fort McPherson are still able to phone (867) 444-1142 and press SA国际影视传媒�9SA国际影视传媒� to access child and family emergency services. The same number applies for people in the Sahtu as in Fort McPherson. People in the Dehcho region can phone (867) 695-6585 and in Fort Smith, people can dial (867) 621-1122.
Impacts of the change will be monitored to ensure there are no drops in services to families and children in need, stated the press release.
