Northern Health Region CEO Helga Bryant told the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce yesterday the redevelopment of the emergency room at the General Hospital announced in the last election is in the planning stage and hopefully the funding announced will be enough.  She said the Region is working on priorities set by the province including the cancer patient journey from diagnosis to treatment, long term care which is becoming more important as more people are staying in the north, access to services and access to a physician for all by 2015, adding they no longer receive complaints about this in Flin Flon but it is a problem in The Pas.

              Bryant said they are challenged to create a more sustainable system.  She says wages have not increased in two years but they will soon enter negotiations on new contracts and the reduced Greyhound bus service is causing problems with their travel budget which is around 20 million dollars for the whole region.  She added they are doing more at their new clinic which continues to greatly reduce visits to the emergency room.