HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2005-09-07, Page 9THE HURON EXPOSITOR. September 7, 2005 - 9
Funding boost unnecessary in Huron, midwife says
Susan Wilts will continue as Huron's only midwife as Stratford area sees increase of one midwife
By Jennifer Hubbard
Clinton News -Record Staff
A recent funding boost will
see 50 new midwives hired
across the province, but Susan
Wilts, of Huron Community
Midwifery Services, will
continue in her role as the
county's only midwife.
Ontario Health and Long -
Term Care Minister George
Smitherman announced $'13.8
million in funding to increase
the number of midwives and
expand support services
during a visit to Stratford last
month.
"We are continuing to
expand community-based
health care in Ontario,
particularly with the creation
of our Family Health Teams,"
said Smitherman. "With their
focus on prevention and
health promotion and their
collaborative model of care,
midwives are providing
important support for the
government's vision for
health care."
While she was pleased to
hear of the increase, Wilts
said as a full-time midwife
for 15 years she is not having
as much difficulty as some of
her younger colleagues.
"Based on the work I do
full-time I am already at the
highest level of funding, plus
we have the second family
income from the farm, so I
personally I haven't had a lot
of (funding) problems," the
Londesboro-area resident
explained.
"However, there are a lot of
midwives in Ontario who are
just getting out of university
with school loans to pay,
relocation costs and they are
starting at level one.
"It's really tough because
they don't have a full-time
client load yet. It'll be nice to
see them get the money they
need."
Funding levels have been
the same since midwifery was
first taken on by the province
11 years ago.
Wilts was among the first
pioneer inidwives in Ontario
to qualify for and pass the
provincially -regulated course
to become registered.
She currently oversees 40-
60 case loads — beginning in
early pregnancy and ending
six weeks after birth — each
year. More than half of those
case loads are orphan patients
without a family doctor.
"I work with a lot of
women who don't have a
family doctor," Wilts said.
"Not only do they not have a
doctor to deliver the baby, but
they are having difficulty
finding continuity of care."
Huron Community
Midwifery Services operates
out of Wilts' home and also
includes two smaller clinics —
in cooperation with the Huron
Doctor
questions
when CT
scanner
will be
functional
From Page 1
"It is really up to the
radiologists," says Strugnell.
The CT scanner is a special
kind of X-ray machine that
pinpoints problem areas,
including possible cancers.
Hay says whether using the
new equipment is feasible has
yet to be seen.
"I am just wondering if it
will ever happen unless we get
more recruits," he says.
In the written version of the
chief executive officer's report,
Andrew Williams states:
"With the new CT scanner, the
Alliance will see an increase
in the number of patients we
can scan within existing time
allocated to the CT scanner.
We expect volumes to
increase, however, only after
all necessary training is
complete and support systems
are in place."
County Health Unit — for the
Amish and Old Order
Mennonite communities.
Wilts has the credentials to
deliver babies at four area
hospitals including Clinton
Public Hospital, Seaforth
Community Hospital,
Goderich's Alexandra Marine
and General Hospital and
Stratford General Hospital.
The Aug. 19 announcement
committed $51 million for
midwifery services in 2005-
06, which is an increase of 38
per cent over last year.
There will now be up to
356 registered midwives
providing services to more
than 11,000 Ontario women
each year in community
clinics, community-based
agencies, at home and in
hospitals.
Stratford General Hospital
received $456,534 and one
new midwife.
Michael Heitshu, of the
Association of Ontario
Midwives (AOM) said while
Wilts will be "better
compensated for what she
does," Huron did not receive
funding for additional
midwives because Wilts did
not submit an application to
expand her practice.
The new funding will also
cover the cost of an increase
in midwifery fees and
operating expenses, resulting
from a new agreement last
December between the
government and the AOM.
"We welcome the
government's support for
midwifery, and to ensuring
that Ontario's women get the
maternity care that they
want," said Elana Johnson,
AOM president. "More
midwives means means better
care for women and their
babies."
Ontario was the first
province in Canada to
regulate and legislate
midwives. British Columbia,
Alberta, Manitoba and
Quebec have since regulated
midwifery in their health care
systems.
"Midwifery is the only
obstetrics service growing in
Ontario, all of the others are
declining," Wilts added. "A
lot of physicians are not
choosing to go into obstetrics,
so the midwives have been
picking up the slack."
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