Staffing struggles at medical transport 

Wait times for transport to medical appointments might be longer than usual, the Kahnawake Fire Brigade (KFB) is warning. Staffing struggles are to blame.

The brigade shared the announcement in a notice to the community last week, saying delays in pick-ups and return trips may be unavoidable - at least until more drivers are hired.

“Unfortunately, we’re trying to fill the vacancies, but we just can't get there fast enough,” said interim fire chief Wihse Stacey. 

“A lot of them have been doing overtime,” he said. “Thankfully, we've still been able to fill the hours that need to be filled. It’s just that there’s a point in time where everybody has their breaking point, and they’re getting close to it.”

There are currently seven drivers on the medical transport crew. That’s not any fewer than usual, said Daniel Jacobs, coordinator of the program, but the problem is not all of them are working full time. Not enough spare drivers has also made it hard for their team to maintain a consistent service.

Community members are being advised to book their transport appointments at least 24 hours in advance to ensure there’s enough time to assign each a driver.

The medical transport team also took the opportunity last week to remind people there’s limitations to what kinds of medical appointments they can be driven to. Private clinics are excluded. The destination can’t be too far away either, say in Laval for instance, Jacobs said.

“There’s a contribution agreement we have with Health Canada, and in the agreement, the community member has to go to the closest facility to the reserve,” he said, otherwise their team isn’t reimbursed for the travel costs from the federal government. 

They can bring community members anywhere on the island of Montreal, and as far as Vaudreuil-Dorion west of the island. Their coverage on the south shore meanwhile extends across from Valleyfield and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Jacobs said. 

The funding agreement the brigade has with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) for the service is up for renewal this year. Under the current agreement, any unused funding the KFB receives from the federal government must be returned each year – it cannot be carried over to the next. It hasn’t been possible to offer drivers more competitive wages as a result, Stacey told The Eastern Door earlier this month. 

That’s why leadership at the fire brigade will be pushing to change that moving forward with a request for a “flexible” funding model instead.

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