It is late Sunday morning, September 29, 2013. Yesterday I have canvased Hees Estates. Never realised that almost every house has steps and that the walkways are twice as long as the ones in my neighborhood. To make a long story longer, I have discovered that I have “extra” muscles that were dormant for a very long time. “No one should have to choose between medicine and other necessities. No one should have to use the emergency room every time a child gets sick. And no one should have to live in constant fear that a medical problem will become a financial crisis.” Brad Henry With the above quote I would like to discuss the eight point of my election platform which directly relates to my comments about “dormant muscles”. It states that as your new mayor I will: “Together with the representatives of the Athabasca medical field, Provincial and Federal Governments work together on the improvements of the Athabasca Hospital and its service.” This point of my election platform has personal connections and has a special meaning to me not only as a local politician, or a newly elected mayor, but as a regular citizen of the Town of Athabasca and a tax payer. Someone who sees the great need for improvements in the hospital and general medical services. I am very much aware of the fact that our local physicians are overbooked, overworked with long waits for appointments, and due to political decisions made at the federal and provincial levels, are able to provide only limited services at the Athabasca Hospital which at one point used to be the most modern rural hospital in the province of Alberta performing various types of surgical procedures and treatments that today are no longer available. Yet, with all the limitations and shortages, the medical care and services provided, the dedication and commitment of the physicians and others who work in this field is second to none. The compassion and professional dedication of all, from the physicians, nurses to the remaining staff who are often overlooked and whose contributions to the overall operation of the facility are either seldom recognized or simply taken for granted, I take my hat off. On a personal note, had it not been for that “special care and dedication” of the physicians and support staff at the Athabasca Hospital, I would be writing this statement as a widower, and not a husband. It is for the above mentioned reason that I have made this point of my election platform a personal one. As the new mayor I will continue to lobby and work hard to improve the working conditions for those directly affected by these conditions. I intend to remain an active member of the local Athabasca Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee and continue to attract new physicians, nurses and other medical staff to our community. In addition, as your new mayor, and hopefully a new member of the Health Advisory Council, for which I was recently interviewed, I will have a greater opportunity to continue my quest for better health and medical services not only for the people in the Town of Athabasca, but the region as well. Health Advisory Councils allow Alberta Health Services to hear from the public; they bring forward the voice of those who access health care and provide input to AHS on health care services in their communities. To date, I have been instrumental in securing $ 600000.00 for the renovations of the Athabasca Hospital, and with the new generation in mind, I have successfully lobbied for and established “Dr. Brown Memorial Scholarship” in the amount of $ 5000.00 that is annually awarded to the successful candidate who chooses to enter the education and/or training in the medical field and who hopefully, upon graduation will return to work and practice in the Town of Athabasca. Finally, I would like to get involved in the update of the landing area for the emergency STARS Ambulance by having properly constructed surface that would allow the STARS ambulance to land without any difficulties. This issue has been a topic of discussion and concern for the last sixteen years. In my humble opinion, sixteen years is far too long. It is time to make this project a reality. I know that together as a caring community we can make this happen. It is late Sunday morning, September 29, 2013. Yesterday I have canvased Hees Estates. Never realised that almost every house has steps and that the walkways are twice as long as the ones in my neighborhood. To make a long story longer, I have discovered that I have “extra” muscles that were dormant for a very long time. “No one should have to choose between medicine and other necessities. No one should have to use the emergency room every time a child gets sick. And no one should have to live in constant fear that a medical problem will become a financial crisis.” Brad Henry With the above quote I would like to discuss the eight point of my election platform which directly relates to my comments about “dormant muscles”. It states that as your new mayor I will: “Together with the representatives of the Athabasca medical field, Provincial and Federal Governments work together on the improvements of the Athabasca Hospital and its service.” This point of my election platform has personal connections and has a special meaning to me not only as a local politician, or a newly elected mayor, but as a regular citizen of the Town of Athabasca and a tax payer. Someone who sees the great need for improvements in the hospital and general medical services. I am very much aware of the fact that our local physicians are overbooked, overworked with long waits for appointments, and due to political decisions made at the federal and provincial levels, are able to provide only limited services at the Athabasca Hospital which at one point used to be the most modern rural hospital in the province of Alberta performing various types of surgical procedures and treatments that today are no longer available. Yet, with all the limitations and shortages, the medical care and services provided, the dedication and commitment of the physicians and others who work in this field is second to none. The compassion and professional dedication of all, from the physicians, nurses to the remaining staff who are often overlooked and whose contributions to the overall operation of the facility are either seldom recognized or simply taken for granted, I take my hat off. On a personal note, had it not been for that “special care and dedication” of the physicians and support staff at the Athabasca Hospital, I would be writing this statement as a widower, and not a husband. It is for the above mentioned reason that I have made this point of my election platform a personal one. As the new mayor I will continue to lobby and work hard to improve the working conditions for those directly affected by these conditions. I intend to remain an active member of the local Athabasca Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee and continue to attract new physicians, nurses and other medical staff to our community. In addition, as your new mayor, and hopefully a new member of the Health Advisory Council, for which I was recently interviewed, I will have a greater opportunity to continue my quest for better health and medical services not only for the people in the Town of Athabasca, but the region as well. Health Advisory Councils allow Alberta Health Services to hear from the public; they bring forward the voice of those who access health care and provide input to AHS on health care services in their communities. To date, I have been instrumental in securing $ 600000.00 for the renovations of the Athabasca Hospital, and with the new generation in mind, I have successfully lobbied for and established “Dr. Brown Memorial Scholarship” in the amount of $ 5000.00 that is annually awarded to the successful candidate who chooses to enter the education and/or training in the medical field and who hopefully, upon graduation will return to work and practice in the Town of Athabasca. Finally, I would like to get involved in the update of the landing area for the emergency STARS Ambulance by having properly constructed surface that would allow the STARS ambulance to land without any difficulties. This issue has been a topic of discussion and concern for the last sixteen years. In my humble opinion, sixteen years is far too long. It is time to make this project a reality. I know that together as a caring community we can make this happen. It is Sunday morning, September 29, 2013. Yesterday I have canvased Hees Estates. Never realised that almost every house has steps and that the walkways are twice as long as the ones in my neighborhood. To make a long story longer, I have discovered that I have “extra” muscles that were dormant for a very long time. Today I plan to put these muscles to another test and continue with my door-to-door canvasing. “No one should have to choose between medicine and other necessities. No one should have to use the emergency room every time a child gets sick. And no one should have to live in constant fear that a medical problem will become a financial crisis.” Brad Henry With the above quote I would like to discuss the eight point of my election platform which directly relates to my comments about “dormant muscles”. It states that as your new mayor I will: “Together with the representatives of the Athabasca medical field, Provincial and Federal Governments work together on the improvements of the Athabasca Hospital and its service.” This point of my election platform has personal connections and has a special meaning to me not only as a local politician, or a newly elected mayor, but as a regular citizen of the Town of Athabasca and a tax payer. Someone who sees the great need for improvements in the hospital and general medical services. I am very much aware of the fact that our local physicians are overbooked, overworked with long waits for appointments, and due to political decisions made at the federal and provincial levels, are able to provide only limited services at the Athabasca Hospital which at one point used to be the most modern rural hospital in the province of Alberta performing various types of surgical procedures and treatments that today are no longer available. Yet, with all the limitations and shortages, the medical care and services provided, the dedication and commitment of the physicians and others who work in this field is second to none. The compassion and professional dedication of all, from the physicians, nurses to the remaining staff who are often overlooked and whose contributions to the overall operation of the facility are either seldom recognized or simply taken for granted, I take my hat off. On a personal note, had it not been for that “special care and dedication” of the physicians and support staff at the Athabasca Hospital, I would be writing this statement as a widower, and not a husband. It is for the above mentioned reason that I have made this point of my election platform a personal one. As the new mayor I will continue to lobby and work hard to improve the working conditions for those directly affected by these conditions. I intend to remain an active member of the local Athabasca Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee and continue to attract new physicians, nurses and other medical staff to our community. In addition, as your new mayor, and hopefully a new member of the Health Advisory Council, for which I was recently interviewed, I will have a greater opportunity to continue my quest for better health and medical services not only for the people in the Town of Athabasca, but the region as well. Health Advisory Councils allow Alberta Health Services to hear from the public; they bring forward the voice of those who access health care and provide input to AHS on health care services in their communities. To date, I have been instrumental in securing $ 600000.00 for the renovations of the Athabasca Hospital, and with the new generation in mind, I have successfully lobbied for and established “Dr. Brown Memorial Scholarship” in the amount of $ 5000.00 that is annually awarded to the successful candidate who chooses to enter the education and/or training in the medical field and who hopefully, upon graduation will return to work and practice in the Town of Athabasca. Finally, I would like to get involved in the update of the landing area for the emergency STARS Ambulance by having properly constructed surface that would allow the STARS ambulance to land without any difficulties. This issue has been a topic of discussion and concern for the last sixteen years. In my humble opinion, sixteen years is far too long. It is time to make this project a reality. I know that together as a caring community we can make this happen.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:38:17 +0000