Township of St. Joseph mayor understands urge to head east, but contends doing so could clog up an already strained rural system<\/p>\n
Published Jul 24, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0day ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n
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North Shore Health Network has recorded a 60-per-cent hike over the past three years in Sault Ste. Marie residents seeking emergency department care in Richards Landing. The rural service is currently closed for two days.Article content<\/p>\n
Jody Wildman digs why some Sault Ste. Marie residents would seek emergency department care elsewhere.<\/p>\n
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But the longtime Township of St. Joseph<\/a> mayor contends heading 60 kilometres east to Richards Landing\u2019s Matthews Memorial Hospital<\/a> could further clog St. Joseph Island\u2019s sole medical facility, yielding an unhealthy situation for all concerned.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Recommended Videos<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI understand this is occurring and they probably feel, with the wait times in the Sault emergency room and parking and stuff like that, it\u2019s maybe a better option for them to come down here,\u201d Wildman told The Sault Star in a phone interview Thursday.<\/p>\n In fact, North Shore Health Network, which administers the site, has recorded a 60-per-cent hike<\/a> over the past three years in people from the Sault seeking care in Richards Landing. A trend likely to swell given SAH\u2019s recently reduced ER physician coverage.<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cOur preference would be that they use the emergency room closest to home and, especially if it really is an emergency, they probably should be getting to the hospital as soon as possible,\u201d said Wildman, adding St. Joe residents are naturally concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t want to use emergency rooms, obviously, but they want to know that it\u2019s there if there\u2019s a problem,\u201d Wildman said.<\/p>\n A spike in seasonal residents also puts pressure on Matthews\u2019s ER.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, so hopefully, we get through the closure without any major difficulties,\u201d he added. \u201cThe point is you never know when you might need an emergency room.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed. And Matthews is suffering its own dilemma with a lack of locums, or temporary doctors, available to keep its ER doors open 24\/7. In fact, the latest in a string of closures is underway right now<\/a>, with the service shuttered from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n This may see Saultites heading even further east to NSHN\u2019s Thessalon site, some 90 kilometres along Highway 17.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand this is Canada and our hospitals are not exclusive to only the people who live in the immediate area,\u201d Wildman said. \u201cAnd so, we will have people coming from outside of the community to use the hospital. And I\u2019m sure they\u2019re going to get great service when they do come if the emergency room is available.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think they have to keep in mind, though, that closures occur from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n Wildman\u2019s concerns were echoed<\/a> recently by North Shore Health Network<\/a>\u00a0CEO Tim Vine, who also said that given SAH\u2019s sliced services, those needing beefed-up treatment at a network site \u2013 NSHN administers Blind River District Health Centre, Thessalon Hospital (Thessalon) and Matthews Memorial Hospital (Richard\u2019s Landing) \u2013 may not be as seamlessly transferred or referred west to SAH.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And Saultites seeking faster ER service by seek a NSHN site will only add pressure to what is already a severely clogged-up system.<\/p>\n \u201cAs people, for lack of a better term, emergency department shop for reduced wait times, we can see our volumes increasing,\u201d\u00a0Vine\u00a0told The Sault Star.<\/p>\n At the root of the Sault\u2019s most recent\u00a0problem\u00a0is the fact SAH\u2019s emergency department saw some 11 funded physician<\/a> coverage hours per day sliced, starting July 1. This, the hospital said, represents an approximately 15-per-cent decrease and would ultimately prompt all sorts of added pressure. SAH said the reduction resulted from the application of the Emergency Department Alternative Funding Agreement, negotiated between the Ontario Medical Association<\/a> and the Ministry of Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n There are currently 24 physicians regularly working in SAH\u2019s emergency department. The hospital did not say, in conversations with The Sault Star, if it fears vacant shifts and temporary closures, as seen with much smaller NSHN sites, but ensured it was \u201cactively engaging\u201d with the province to \u201cbest meet the needs of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n SAH\u2019s concerns were echoed by SAH emergency department chief Dr. Matt Solomon, who said funding changes would \u201csignificantly\u201d impact emergency care.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us be\u00a0clear: this decision is not based on patient needs or data from our region \u2013 it is the result of an inflexible funding formula applied without\u00a0meaningful\u00a0consultation or consideration of local impact,\u201d Solomon wrote to The Sault Star on behalf of SAH ER docs.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The province disagrees. Ministry of Health spokesperson Ema Popovic said the total emergency department Alternative Funding Agreement subsidy remains stable for Sault Area Hospital despite a reduction in hours-reflecting negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association. Additionally, the hospital will receive nearly $1 million to enhance its emergency department, she added.<\/p>\n \u201cPatient volumes at Sault Area Hospital decreased in the most recent year and, as such, the physician funding has been reduced,\u201d Popovic told The Sault Star. \u201cThese hours of coverage are calculated based on the previous year data, per the ED funding agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n A basic lack of family physicians is hindering health care across Ontario and Canada and, close to home, recent Ontario Medical Association (OMA) statistics showed there were 24 vacant physician positions in Sault Ste. Marie, six of which were family doctors.\u00a0OMA said there are now more than 12,000 people in Sault Ste. Marie without a family\u00a0doctor.<\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A recent association survey concluded 40 per cent of physicians are considering retiring in the next five years and, provincewide, at least 2.3 million Ontarians do not have regular access to primary care. The shortage is especially acute in Northern and rural areas.<\/p>\n