Manitoba flunks national wait time test for MRI's, closes in on knee replacement target

A quick overview of

The Canadian Institute for Health Information "Wait times tables, a comparison by Province, 2009",

Manitoba performance synopsis

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/products/wait_times_tables_aib_e.pdf

Wait times as reported by Canadian provinces for the period April-December 2008 -- note that trends are based on 3 year averages where suitably measured data is available

* Page 3- Summary Table 1
Overall benchmark performances in the 7 categories based on 182 day/26 week target
- Manitoba fails to reach benchmark of 75% in knee replacements within 26 weeks; this refers to Page 7/table 5, where the exact figure is 71%.

* Page 4 Summary Table 3
Provincial wait time trends for the 7 procedures that have benchmark targets
- Manitoba is the only province where wait time for MRI's increased
- Manitoba and Ontario do not track coronary artery bypass surgery recovery times
( Note: the data for Manitoba cataract waits is blank - not shaded, no arrow. It is blank. So who knows what it means?)

* Page 6 Table 4
Wait times for hip replacements (in Manitoba definition fo the procedure includes smoothing)
- 80% of Manitoba are seen by benchmark of 182 days/26 weeks, above the national median, and trending down

* Page 7/Table 5
Knee replacement
- Manitoba achieved only 71% of benchmark target of 75% within 182 days/26 weeks

* Page 9/Table 7
Coronary bypass wait time
- Manitoba is at 96% of benchmark, but the only provinces doing worse are BC, NB and NL

* Page 20/Table A6
Provincial MRI wait time trends (for Manitoba, defined as 'estimated maximum wait times")
Dec 06 56 days
Dec 07 42 days
Dec 08 91 days
- Manitobans' wait time for MRI's has more than doubled in the past year.

(Note this area seems a bit of a mess nationally except for Alberta and NS , with some provinces not reporting at all, and others having huge waits of over 100 days because of different definitions of "wait", and other factors.)

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Today at 4 PM,

- Our analysis and your calls about the wait time report, and the nursing shortage;

- Spirited Kenny will have some new insight into the 511 system and about a weather event that precipitated his investigation which sparked action by bureaucrats and politicians to act on the file;

- more about CBC's As It Happens broadcast this past Tuesday (Yom Hashoa/Holocaust Memorial Day) that glorified the virtue of Nazi Germany's obsession with breeding extinct cattle; and

- At 5.20 PM, Jon Waldman of Slam!Sports updates us on the Stanley Cup playoffs and answers the question, why does San Jose even bother trying to win the Conference and get into the playoffs if they're going to play so lousy?

Next Monday at 4 PM, Mayor Sam Katz appears for the first hour.

and ... Hail Aurtarlia !

(On a personal note, today is the 15th anniversary of the inaugural Rough House Rasslin' theatresport production, a venture that eventually led to the freeing of 'performance wrestling' in Manitoba from the oversight of the white-out wielding, incompetent, and corrupt Boxing Commission of that long-ago era. Always produced in association with the Osborne Village Inn, most notably as part of the Canada Day Festival in the Village, RHR also originated the NIMBY campaign against dangerous backyard wrestling with the support of the Manitoba Safety Council.

The events have always been a source of deep pride for those involved. On behalf of myself and Chi Chi Cruz, our deepest thanks to the many fans of the shows for your support over the years, and for your support of Canadian professional wrestling.)

The 511

The July 31 2006 News Release headline reads as follows;

‘Environment Canada Welcomes 511 Weather and Travel Information Service.’

The promise is to provide up-to-date information to travelers about road and weather conditions so that they can make knowledgeable decisions about their travel plans. Since Environment Canada is moving quickly towards implementing this 511 service, it will be rolled out in 2007.

So if you were to phone 511 right now you would get the up-to-date information about the weather right?

No.

It is hard to imagine that almost two years after this press release, there is still nothing. Environment Canada is very tight-lipped about the whole matter. Inquires about the most basic of information about the 511 service, are replied with:

“Environment Canada is working both within and with other government departments on both the technical and financial requirements of such a service. Environment Canada has been working with Industry Canada and Public Safety Canada and the 511 system will be designed to be compatible with any future National Public Alerting System.”

This, however, was only after about two weeks of “back and forth”. This is also quite a different story then what they first told me. Before the email from which the above paragraph is quoted, I was told only Environment Canada was working on the 511 system, but was examining the technical aspects. The press release stated that Environment Canada was going to be working with, of course, private and government agencies like Transport Canada, and provincial and territorial governments. It seems like when you’re talking weather, and you’re working with multiple levels of government your deadlines will not get met.

The National Public Alerting system will not be alerting anyone until maybe 2010, and has only been in development for about 10 years. To even find out who is working on updating the 511 service is impossible, or at least Environment Canada isn’t telling me.

Does 2010 seem acceptable considering it was suppose to be useable in 2007? And is it ok that they have provided the public with no explanations for the delay aside from examining technical requirements? Technical requirements that could easily be resolved by phoning the United States of America where they already have this service available for their citizens, as stated in the press release.

Just what would be the ‘financial requirements’ for updating the already available highway conditions that anyone can now obtain from calling 511, to include vital weather conditions? I don’t know, but if it has taken over a year of counting, the bill is going to be huge.

Once you know what type of hardware and software are required, along with staffing needs, the financial requires should be a breeze. Then you have a two-week bidding period for equipment suppliers, installers, trainers, and building space. Since Winnipeg is the center of North America, and is the most logical place for server banks that might be required for holding all the recorded phone messages, it would make sense for the majority of the hardware and software to be set up here. We have lots of vacant building space downtown that I’m sure center venture would kindly show the Feds.

Then while the equipment is being installed, start some on-the-job training with the new federal employees that will be paid salaries according to union scale.

Maybe I missed something, a meeting perhaps. I always forget about the inter-government lunch meetings, dinner meetings, all on the taxpayer dime.

On a serious note, I would suggest you do two things.

1) Get a weather radio and set it up.
2) Go to get www.getprepared.ca, and start getting prepared.

Because it is becoming more and more apparent that the even though more then 50% of our total incomes goes to the government, they are incapable of doing anything more than using this warning system, and emergency preparedness for anything more then political posturing.

And they refuse to be honest with us about what the delays are.

Again, another story that is only be taken seriously on The Great Canadian Talk Show, only 92.9 Kick FM.

Happy Canada Day!

RIP CanAlert.. Hello Mister National Public Alerting System.

AKA: Lets get some safety already!

Let’s not break out the Half Pints yet - there is still a lot of work to do. But if we have a national public alerting system in place by 2010, I will take Chuck Sanderson out for a Half Pints at the King’s Head Pub.

CanAlert is no more; it is now the National Public Alerting System. But let’s not be fooled, industry Canada was still given the project of creating a national warning system in 1995. So if the system is established by 2010, it will have taken 15 years to get this up and running.
Back in 1995, things like cell phones, and blackberries were not as prevalent as they are now, if not just concepts on a drawing board. It would have been pretty expensive to have a public alerting system that would notify you on your cell phone, and even then how many people would it reach? Not very much. The other option is TV and radio, and for that to happen legally, they would need to change their licenses.

Fast forward to now.

Everyone and their dog has a cell phone (except for those few holdouts like me) and broadcasters are voluntarily changing their licenses so they would be in compliance when they are broadcasting warnings. This is good, as the Feds have asked them to change it by 2009, or else… I don’t know, most likely fines. As far as the warnings you currently see, it’s only been out of the goodness of our broadcaster’s hearts that they broadcast any weather warnings. And lets face it, if you know CKY warns the public of a emergency and some other station doesn’t, you are more likely to watch CKY when the skies darken.

What, in theory, is going to happen when there is an emergency such as tornadoes, floods or chemical spills, is you will get notified on your cell phone. Hopefully it will be like an alarm that will keep chirping and chirping until you turn it off. This service should be coast to coast to coast. Then it breaks down to what the individual municipalities think they need. Trained people will be working across the country 24/7 to ensure that when a warning is needed, it will be provided.

There will also be an Internet service to alert people. You’ll be able to sign up to get warnings sent to your email.

But this doesn’t help low income families. Families that don’t have cell phones or black berries, What about these people? What about anybody at 3 AM, your cell phone, if you have one, has died and you are charging it while it’s off. Living in a major municipality how are you going to get warned of that midnight tornado? Maybe air sirens? A reverse 911 system? These are the important little details that need to get address by the municipalities.

And now that you have been warned, what do you do? Does your four-year-old child know what to do in an emergency? Chances are you have a good idea what to do in case of a fire, or flooding. We already teach our kids in schools what to do in case of fire, flood, or extreme cold. Now all we need to start teaching them what to do in case of tornados.

We have two years to create the system and train the people and standardize the messages that get broadcasted to cell phones. Two years to teach our kids what to do in case these warning pop up one day while they are out playing a pick of game of soccer in the park. Two years, and its only taken us 13 years to cross the starting line.

The cost should be around 16 million. That will be split 50/50 between the fed and provinces and territories. Then the 8 million will be split among the provinces on a per capita basis. Leaving Manitoba to pay somewhere around $350,000. A price tag I think we are all too happy to pay.

Just remember that this is a story that affects all of us. And it is a Great Canadian Talk Show exclusive! No other news outlet, mainstream or alternative has had the drive and determination to jump through every hoop. Go back and forth between the feds and provincial government, for months over and over again. No one else has tried to get opinions from other provinces and territories. No one else feels that a common sense public alerting system is needed, or is worth any space on any page in any newspaper. CanAlert, just another story the mainstream media chooses to ignore in favor of the most recent pictures of Britney Spears.

I plan to keep in contact with the EMO, and Chuck Sanderson to find out what the progress is. If I find out that some one is dragging their heals on this one, I will be calling attention too it. We have the momentum to change things for the better, to make our kid’s Canada a much safer one.

Just reminder, the reply to Dan Lett’s ‘On going debate’ has been posted up at Spirited Kenny the blog

To read about the history of CanAlert, a Great Canadian Talk show exclusive, just click the link.