Despite demand, N.L. hasn't upped its number of speech therapists in decades
70 speech therapists have served province for 15 years
More children require speech-language therapy in Newfoundland and Labrador, but it has been decades since the provincial government has kept up with the staffing needed to match demand.
Across Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services' (NLHS) five health-care zones, 70 speech-language pathologists (SLP) are handling cases on a full-time basis, with an additional seven SLPs working casually for the health authority in eastern Newfoundland.
Depending on a patient's location, the initial assessment can take between 30 days and 14 months. Then, children wait an additional 18 to 20 months for therapy, according to the Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP).
Ronda Halfyard has watched the system tighten firsthand. She was a clinical SLP for 25 years and now works for NLHS as a professional practice consultant.
"Over the past 30 years, I have most certainly seen the complexity of speech and language disorders and the referrals that are made to us increase dramatically," Halfyard told CBC News.
"So that, of course, requires more time, more resources and more intensity of service."
Earlier this month, CBC News reported the story of a speech therapist who couldn't get a job despite the lengthy wait list for her skill set, because the province wasn't hiring professionals in her field.
Decades without change
The AAHP said the number of SLPs working for NLHS hasn't changed in 15 years "despite the number of referrals nearly doubling in the last three to four years and cases becoming significantly more complex," wrote spokesperson Erin Curran.
She said SLPs across the province are being asked to do more with less.
Curran said the AAHP has sent the province repeated requests for more resources, including a formal briefing note over a year ago. They didn't receive a response.
Halfyard said jobs are available, but no one is applying.
"I would like to point out that there are at least five positions that have been posted in other zones throughout Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services that we haven't been able to fill," she said.
"One of those positions has been posted since 2023, and it's in place with incentives."
She said two additional SLP positions have been added in the past few years.
45 SLPs in schools
The shortage of SLPs means not all children requiring treatment will receive it.
Halfyard said speech therapists working for NLHS handle children from birth to when they enter school.
From there, they are passed on to SLPs working for the school district, where 45 SLPs serve over 200 schools. Of that, 20 serve schools on the Avalon Peninsula, according to the Department of Education.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association (NLTA) said those numbers haven't changed in 30 years.
"You might have a position filled, but the caseloads are through the roof," said president Trent Langdon.
He said SLPs in the school system can only offer so much.
"We're finding in the urban areas, people can't truly get the support they need," Langdon said.
"But when you're talking rural and you have an SLP that's spread over such a big area, once weather moves in, once other things interfere, transportation and so on, it could be days, weeks and months before a young person can be seen, especially when they're receiving direct therapy."
Both the NLTA and the AAHP want the province to invest in pediatric SLP services and hire more professionals in schools and the health-care system to deal with the backlog and prioritize early intervention.
"The health-care system needs to be complementary to the education system and vice versa," said Langdon.
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