Jobs, subsidies and more among casualties of Labrador-Grenfell Health cuts

Cuts to dental and orthodonticservices and fee hikesfor patients who travel by air are among theways Labrador-Grenfell Health is planning to save money.

The health authorityrevealed cost-cutting measures Monday, along with all other health authoritieswhich took big cuts to theiroperational funding in this year's provincial budget.

• MORE: Details of cuts to Eastern, Central and Western health authorities

"Earlier on in the year we were asked to put forward some options for what we could look at doing in anticipation of a very tough budget, so what you see today are things that have been approved," said Tony Wakeham, CEO of the health authority.

One cost-saving measure is cutting subsidized orthodontic services.

"It's not something that a health authority is normally involved in," said Wakeham, adding that service was originally partially subsidized by the orthodontist.

"We had to look at ways of reducing expendituresand getting out of subsidizing services that are really not our mandate to provide."

No more nurse

The changes are expectedto save $858,300 in 2016, and$1.39 million next year, and include the loss of 6.1 full-time equivalentpositions.

Among those is the loss of the only full-timeregistered nurse position inBlack Tickle.

"We have had a vacancy in our nurse position there since January 2015 that we have not been able to fill, and we've been using locums to cover that," said Wakeham.

A nurse will now travel to the community once a week, and a physician will continue to visit every six weeks.

Complete list

The complete list of changes and cuts are as follows:

• 6.1 full-time equivalentpositionswill be eliminated.
• Black Tickle community clinic to be seen by regional nurse once a week. Doctorsand community health nurses will continue with regular visits to the community.
• One dentist and one dental assistant will rotate services through four clinics Flower's Cove, Roddickton-Bide Arm, Port Hope Simpson and Charlottetown. Changes take effectOct. 1.
• Round-trip fee for residents on the north and south coastsis increasing to $80for patients who travel on chartered air service, known asschedevac, for appointments.
• Schedevacwill move to a twice-a-week service on the south coast only from July to December (when the ferry operates) and continue three times a week from January to June.
• Subsidized orthodontic service for residents of central, northern and coastal Labrador discontinued.
• Losing one senior executive position through attrition.