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Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Prepare for rural ER crunch in summer, Manitoba doctors advise
As Manitobans take summer holidays, Doctors Manitoba is urging them to be prepared for rural hospital emergency room closures and staffing shortages before they hit the road. 'This year we're expecting more travel within our province as many Manitobans are choosing to avoid travel to the United States,' said president Nichelle Desilets, a family physician in Neepawa. 'This is a great thing, of course, but we physicians want to ensure that Manitobans are prepared to access emergency medical help across rural Manitoba no matter where we are,' Desilets said in an online news conference Thursday. TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN FILES Family physician Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN FILES Family physician Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba The organization that advocates on behalf of doctors issued a public advisory about services in rural Manitoba. Changing hours of operation and periodic closures in the summer can make it difficult to anticipate whether — or when — a rural ER will be open. 'It's a bit of a guessing game,' said Desilets. She recommended Manitobans consult its website for answers. 'This isn't a new problem — it's been building for many years,' she said. In August 2024, a Doctors Manitoba analysis showed just 18 rural hospitals were reliably open 24-7; 25 were open part time or had frequent gaps in coverage; and 25 were closed due to temporary or long-term suspensions of service. This year, 'the prolonged uncertainty and short-staffing is taking a toll,' Desilets said, referring to a members' survey taken by the organization earlier this month. 'We found high levels of burnout and distress, with nearly a third of emergency room doctors indicating that they are considering reducing their working hours or resigning their duties completely if their work conditions don't change,' she said. With reduced ER hours and closures expected across the province, Doctors Manitoba is advising Manitobans to be prepared: • Know the closest and second-closest ER to where you live or where you will be travelling. With reduced ER hours and closures expected across the province, Doctors Manitoba is advising Manitobans to be prepared: • Know the closest and second-closest ER to where you live or where you will be travelling. • Find ER hours and schedules — some are operating on reduced hours and some may be temporarily or permanently closed. Schedules can change with little notice. Check which health region you are in or will be in, and where the regional health authority posts current information about ER hours and closures. • Know how to call for emergency care. In most parts of Manitoba, you can call 911. In some smaller communities or parks, you may have to call a local number to get an ambulance. • Know your location — address, intersection or landmark — and know the number you are calling from. • If it is urgent, go to the closest open ER or urgent care centre. • Consider alternative options for non-urgent care, such as local doctor offices that accept walk-ins or appointments. Call Health Links at 1−888−315−9257. • See for more information. — Doctors Manitoba Doctors Manitoba forecasts that 28 ERs are expected to be fully closed, including five considered a temporary suspension, after reviewing physician feedback alongside this summer's rural ER schedules. 'Twenty, or about one-quarter of rural hospitals, will have their emergency rooms reliably open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; 24 more ERs are expected to operate with reduced hours of operation or periodic closures, and this is often due to physician or nurse shortages,' Desilets said. Several ERs that used to be reliably open 24-7 are experiencing periodic closures, including communities such as Gimli, Minnedosa, Carman and Crystal City, she said. Three of the largest ERs outside Winnipeg — Brandon, Morden-Winkler and Steinbach — have high vacancy levels, she said. 'While these ERs are still expected to be open 24-7, the reduced physician coverage will likely lead to increased workload for staff and longer waits for patients,' the family doctor said. TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN FILES Brandon Regional Health Centre has a high vacancy level. TIM SMITH / BRANDON SUN FILES Brandon Regional Health Centre has a high vacancy level. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said that since the NDP formed government in ;ate 2023, the province has hired 50 net new rural physicians for emergency rooms. 'We're moving things in the right direction while recognizing that the system is still incredibly challenged,' Asagwara said in an interview late Thursday. Under the former Tory administration 'the closures were greater than they are under our government,' the minister said. In June 2022, Doctors Manitoba forecast closures and temporary suspensions of ER service in about 60 per cent of the 68 hospitals in northern and rural Manitoba. 'There are still a lot of pressures on emergency departments across the province,' Asagwara said. 'That is what happens when you cut health care and close emergency rooms over seven and a half years.' Prairie Mountain Health, based in western Manitoba, said in a statement Thursday that scheduling gaps that may arise at its largest ER in Brandon are being managed, and that wait times 'have many factors and are not strictly tied to staffing.' 'It's important to note that physician, nursing, and diagnostic services are all critical components of a functioning emergency department — all three must be in place to ensure safe and effective patient care,' it said. 'We continue to closely monitor and co-ordinate these resources to ensure stable coverage,' the health authority said. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Jason Linklater, Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Jason Linklater, Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, said the province needs a 'real plan' to retain, train, and recruit more staff, including lab and X-ray technologists and paramedics. He said there are 45 open lab and X-ray positions and 200 vacant paramedic positions, resulting in some 911 callers waiting an hour or more for life-saving care to arrive. 'Closed ERs force paramedics to transport patients further distances for care, taking ambulances and the skilled professionals who staff them out of rotation for longer, and compounding the staffing shortage,' Linklater said. PC health critic Kathleen Cook accused the NDP of breaking its campaign promise to fix health care. 'This situation in rural ERs is particularly troubling this year as we expect to see more people travelling within Manitoba or within Canada instead of leaving the country,' the MLA for Roblin said. If regional centres such as Brandon, Boundary Trails and Steinbach, which typically have two or three ER doctors per shift, are down to a single physician, it's worrisome, Cook said. 'That's going to result in longer wait times for everybody and it's also going to burn out their staff. It's not a good situation to be in.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Business Wire
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Dallas YMCA Unleashes Workforce Efficiency, Saves 600+ Hours a Year with AI-First UKG Suite
LOWELL, Mass. & WESTON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, workforce management solutions, today announced that the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, a UKG customer that continues to enhance its solution for more than a decade, has boosted efficiency and created a flexible and engaging experience for its multigenerational, seasonal workforce across 16 branches with the all-in-one UKG Ready ® HR and payroll suite. For 140 years, the YMCA has been an important bedrock of the North Texas community, promoting healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility to more than 240,000 people each year. The nonprofit employs 2,400 people — 90% of whom are part-time workers — and that number climbs to more than 3,000 in the summer. With the UKG Ready suite, the Y can easily scale its workforce up and down with the seasons and hire, rehire, onboard, schedule, and manage its fluctuating workforce while providing the same, consistent support to its members. 'With UKG Ready, we don't just manage a company, we support a community,' said Susan Desilets, associate vice president of human resources at the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. 'On any given day, we may have lifeguards stationed across the metroplex, camp counselors interacting with children at our two summer camps, and employees working in our fitness centers and classrooms. UKG ensures we have the right people in the right place to serve our community at large, while giving our employees the tools to succeed in their roles.' Those tools include the UKG Ready mobile app, which allows staff to clock in and out of shifts, request time off, see their pay, select benefits that work best for them, and access important announcements in the company hub, which acts as a one-stop shop for employee information. Additionally, one of the YMCA's greatest achievements and time-savers with the UKG Ready suite is the ability to fill roles and quickly onboard new employees and rehire boomerang workers, specifically ahead of the busy summer season when the Y hires hundreds of extra staffer members to support its additional programming. 'We know when there's going to be a hiring crunch, and UKG makes it easy for managers to build and post jobs online and track applicants in real time. The 'quick apply' option in UKG Ready is a great way to attract candidates because they can easily search and apply for any job,' said Desilets. 'Once hired, those new employees move seamlessly through our automated onboarding process, which saves us at least 30-minutes per employee — or about 300-hours total for the hundreds of people we hire each summer. We've also eliminated at least 300 hours each year on new-hire paperwork through efficiencies from UKG.' As a nonprofit, the YMCA is funded by various sources, including grants and donors, so it's imperative to maximize every dollar. To guide its strategic planning and budgeting, the YMCA leverages real-time insights in reporting and analytics in UKG Ready to make better decisions in support of its workforce. 'I can't understate the pivotal role of UKG in ensuring we're making sound fiscal decisions in service of our people,' said Desilets. 'For example, we can analyze trends and financial models for our minimum hourly rates in UKG Ready, which gave us the confidence to raise our hourly minimum wage over the last several years from $9.00 to $14.00 to better compete for talent and reward our hard-working staff members. We would never have been able to do that without the insights from UKG.' Another way the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas supports its workforce is by providing early access to earned wages, when and where their employees need it. Given the large number of part-time and seasonal workers whose hours and paychecks may fluctuate, the YMCA leverages UKG Wallet™, an earned wage access and financial wellness tool, which impacts employees' sense of security and economic well-being. 'We implemented UKG Wallet to give employees options when it comes to their pay. It's incredibly rewarding to provide for our workers' financial peace of mind, which correlates directly to the Y's core belief in fostering a spirit of belonging and support. UKG Wallet has also contributed to higher retention rates,' said Desilets. 'Taking that a step further, we've also streamlined payroll processing in UKG Ready, making it easier for us to pay hourly employees quicker — just one week in arrears as compared to the previous two-week-turnaround.' 'We take great pride in our long-standing commitment to supporting nonprofits by empowering them with technology that alleviates the daily stresses of today's workforce,' said Chris Kiklas, vice president of SMB product management at UKG. 'There is nothing more important than ensuring frontline workers feel supported, engaged, and inspired to make a positive impact on those around them. With efficiencies gained through UKG solutions, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas is able to focus on its mission to serve and uplift its community.' Supporting Resources About UKG At UKG, our purpose is people. We are on a mission to inspire every organization to become a great place to work through HCM technology built for all. More than 80,000 organizations across all sizes, industries, and geographies trust UKG HR, payroll, and workforce management cloud solutions to drive great workplace experiences and make better, more confident people and business decisions. With the world's largest collection of people data, work data, and employee sentiment data, combined with rich experience using artificial intelligence in the service of people, we connect employee and workforce insights with business outcomes to show what's possible when organizations invest in their people. To learn more, visit All other trademarks, if any, are property of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Gorham man dies in head-on crash in Shelburne
Mar. 25—A 65-year-old Gorham man died in a head-on collision on Route 2 in Shelburne Monday, according to New Hampshire State Police. Two people in the other vehicle were seriously injured, according to a news release. The crash took place around 5:15 p.m. near the Maine border in Shelburne. The Gorham man, Claude Desilets, was driving a 2004 Honda Accord, which was involved in a crash with 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The driver and passenger of the Cherokee were brought to Androscoggin Valley Hospital. Desilets was treated at the scene, but succumbed to his injuries, according to the news release. Both lanes of Route 2 were closed for approximately five hours while the scene was being cleared by emergency personnel. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Gorham Fire & Rescue Department. All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Brandon Girardi at or 603-846-3333.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Driver killed, 2 others injured in head-on crash in New Hampshire, state police say
A New Hampshire man has died and two people were seriously injured following a crash on Route 2 in New Hampshire, state police said Tuesday. Claude Desilets, 65, of Gorham, died from his injuries following the crash late Monday afternoon, state police said Tuesday. At 5:14 p.m. Monday, troopers responded to a report of a crash on Route 2 near the Maine border in Shelburne. A preliminary investigation found that a 2018 Jeep Cherokee and a 2004 Honda Accord were involved in a head-on collision. Desilets, the driver of the Honda Accord, was treated at the scene but later died, state police said. The unidentified driver and passenger of the Jeep Cherokee were taken by ambulance to Androscoggin Valley Hospital with serious injuries. Their conditions were not known Tuesday. Both lanes of Route 2 were closed for approximately five hours while the scene was being cleared by emergency personnel. Troopers were assisted at the scene by Gorham Fire and Rescue. All aspects of the crash remain under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Brandon Girardi at or 603-846-3333. Shelburne is a small town north of North Conway and close to the Maine border. The town's population was 353 at the 2020 census. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
