They Need Nurses

[indigo girl]

Ottawa raises prospect of closing clinics at epicentre of Mba flu outbreak

Need a job? Here is a place that is in dire need of nurses:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5htAgQ3MOn5RVhBYvt_aQ78LJbvYQ

Health Canada says it may have to close some medical stations in remote northern Manitoba reserves struggling with a severe flu outbreak if it can't find more nurses willing to work there.

The department has put out a tender for nurses to work in 24 isolated reserves, saying it is having "great difficulty" finding nurses to work up North.

"Health Canada is having great difficulty recruiting and retaining employed nurses in the nursing stations and two federal hospitals located in northern Manitoba on reserves," the tender states.

"Without adequate service, the nursing stations and hospitals may have to close for periods of time which could result in severe medical liability."

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

There are good reasons why they're having trouble finding and keeping nurses in these communities. Few people have any idea how very isolated they are. Many of them are cut off from the rest of the world for months at a time; the weather is their enemy. If it doesn't get cold enough and stay cold enough in the winter to freeze the lakes to an adequate depth, the winter roads can't be opened. Some reserves are fly-in year round. These factors make the cost of living extremely high. Many of the reserves are supposed to be "dry" but the locals will find a way to make intoxicants, or else they'll inhale solvents. Of course, these people are in the minority but they make it difficult and dangerous for everyone. The nurse is often the only health care provider in the community, with a huge amount of responsibility. Imagine being completely alone except for a short-wave radio in a poorly-equipped clinic when a man arrived on a snowmobile having nearly amputated his foot while cutting wood. He's hemorrhaging, shocky and needs a medivac. It can be very frightening to be the one holding the bag. It takes a truly special, skilled and confident person to take on that kind of job. In a perfect world, there would be adequate and accessible health care in every community inthe country, but that's not realistic. And unfortunately it's the native population that suffers.

[indigo girl]

Thank you, janfrn for your clarification of the conditions there. I do not doubt that this is all true. These are the conditions of the developing world. That is why we are seeing more severe cases there. And, this is why we are reading these kinds of reports in the middle of June.

Very alarming. I would not feel comfortable being the only nurse dealing with all of these cases before transport.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jiEhxWUiH_XUQapgsZTTYelXFQKw

Six pregnant women in Manitoba are reportedly on ventilators because they are severely ill with the virus.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/flu-patients-clog-intensive-care-think-you-have-the-flu-heres-what-you-should-do-47297162.html

As of Sunday night, there were 26 such people in hospital -- more than half of them aboriginal. All were or had been on ventilators due to influenza or of an influenza-like illness. Eight persons with severe cases required hospitalization in the past week alone.

[gambutrol]

the illness has been elevated to a pandemic status 6..