Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Is the Minister willing to review the decision to end long-term care at the Joe Greenland Centre and come up with a plan that meets the needs of elders in the Mackenzie Delta? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The long-term care facilities need to be located near larger centres where we have physicians and nursing care and so on. Right now it makes it very difficult to put long-term care in the smaller communities where that service is not available 24/7. That’s been the issue in the past. Because physicians are not available 24/7, it’s difficult to keep long-term care in the smaller centres like Aklavik. Thank you.
Is the Minister going to increase the amount of home care workers as an interim measure until we receive a long-term care facility? Thank you.
Yes, we have. In the difference between the year when last year when the Joe Greenland Centre had housed the eight people that were level 1 and 2 in the facility, we had 139 home care visits into the private home or into the units that are allocated in the Joe Greenland or around the community from the Housing Corporation, to just under 700 visits the year after that portion of the facility was changed to independent living. Thank you.
Thank you. At this time I have no further questions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
