'The future of our community is in danger': Kamsack faces service disruptions amid staffing issues

Things just haven’t been quite right at the Kamsack Hospital and Nursing Home since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to Mayor Nancy Brunt, who fears the worst, as key services such as acute care and emergency services have begun to dwindle.

“We went from 20 beds to 10 beds to five beds and now we have no acute care beds,” she told CTV News.

The issues, Brunt explained, are centered on staffing the facility.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) issued another disruption notice on July 11th. The release stated that the services for Kamsack’s emergency department would be clawed back to 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 pm. during the week, with patients redirected to neighbouring hospitals in Yorkton, Canora and Preeceville.

“Without a hospital, the future of our community is in danger,” Brunt continued.

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The loss of services won’t just be felt by the community of Kamsack. It will also be felt in three Indigenous communities neighbouring Kamsack, along with the neighbouring Duck Mountain Provincial Park, along with several cities on the Manitoba border.

Those neighbouring communities include Cote First Nation, located just a short drive north of Kamsack.

Chief George Cote has concerns, but explained that Indigenous Services Canada has helped them with a bus to transport its members to and from places such as Yorkton and even Regina.

“Closing down some of these departments in Kamsack, its going to cause hardship for our community as well as Keeseekoose and Key First Nation,” he said.

“The three First Nations [in the area] really rely on the Kamsack Health Department.”

For business owners, it becomes a delicate situation when faced with running a business with dwindling healthcare.

April MacDonald is a health coach, and a business owner that’s been in the community for nine years, running the Duck Mountain Lodge.

“I’d be scared to say anything [to guests] because I don't want it to hurt my business,” she said.

“At the same time, people should know that. It makes me think, do I even want to be here? Maybe I should sell.”

In response, members of the community hope to use July 14th as a day of demonstrating to the provincial government how integral the facility is.

A rally is being held at the hospital, while Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health, Everett Hindley, tours the space.

The tour is set to include members from the SHA as well as the Ministry of Health.

Former Kamsack mayor Betty Dix is a co-organizer of the rally.

“Without the hospital, everybody will start moving away,” she said. “Because you have nothing here. You can’t even go see a doctor.”

The rally is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on July 14th.

A request for an interview from the provincial government was denied, and CTV News was directed to speak with Minister Hindley during his tour of the Kamsack Hospital & Nursing Home.