Richard Froese
South Peace News
A recent train derailment in High Prairie has added local pressure on the provincial government to build a helipad at the local hospital.
At its regular meeting Feb. 8, Big Lakes County council approved an updated briefing document to Health Minister Jason Topping and Alberta Health Services.
A temporary landing area for STARS air ambulance at the new High Prairie Health Complex was closed by Transport Canada in early 2020 after it opened June 29, 2017.
Since then, STARS has had to land at the High Prairie Airport.
However, the direct route to the airport on Highway 749 was blocked for three days after a CN freight train derailed Jan. 11 at the highway crossing.
“Luckily, no major transport was needed during those days,” the document says.
“But this railway emergency is a great example of what can happen during an emergency patient transport.”
At its regular meeting July 14, 2021, council was told by then-CAO Jordan Panasiuk that AHS says a helipad at the hospital is not a priority according to AHS criteria.
The hospital and airport are less than 20 km apart.
AHS considers a helipad when an airport is more than 20 km away.
After discussions recently with STARS, additional statistics and points were added to the document, says Brett Hawken, director of community and protective services.
Total STARS mission statistics from 2017-2022 have been included.
The document also adds statistics for total inter-facility transfers for the top three hospital in STARS Grande Prairie region.
High Prairie Health Complex remains the leading hospital in the region and the top hospital for inter-facility transfers.
Big Lakes urges AHS and the government to consider alternative options such as leased or community-owned and operated models.
“The Town of Innisfail successfully rebuilt and certified its community-owned helipad for hospital use in 2022,” the document says.
Big Lakes also recommends AHS and the government consider federal funding for the project since the region has a high Indigenous population.
With a large First Nations and Metis population that the hospital serves, Big Lakes County would like to explore federal funding options as well, as shown by the new helipad built in Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask. in November 2021, the brief says.