As birthing unit slowly reopens, many parents still expected to give birth in Edmonton until April

The N.W.T. health authority is estimating by March 31 a total of 86 residents will have traveled to Edmonton to give birth. Thirty five of them from communities outside Yellowknife.

Service reductions at the Stanton Territorial Hospital birthing unit since December has forced dozens of expectant parents to travel for their babies delivery.  

However, the health authority is working in phases to restore birthing services for some expectant parents by Feb. 21.

This excludes 13 first-time parents and Nunavummiut who will still be sent to Edmonton from Feb. 22 to April 1. Five of them are from communities outside Yellowknife.

This number was originally higher – 20 people – but has since dropped because of residents who left the territory or were shifted to regional delivery within the N.W.T.

There are 35 people who are giving birth for a second time or who have scheduled Caesarean sections that take place in Yellowknife between Feb. 21 and March 31, wrote Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority spokesperson David Maguire in an email. 

This is expected to alleviate some of the child-care challenges patients struggled with when their deliveries were shifted to Edmonton this past December, he said.  

Continuing to Edmonton 'case-by-case'

Two people who could have delivered in Yellowknife for the initial reopening of birth services are still planning to proceed with plans to give birth in Edmonton. 

If people have established new supports in the Edmonton area and wish to proceed with that plan, it will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, said Maguire. 

Maguire said Alberta Health Services, the N.W.T. health authorities partner in the Edmonton area, have "truly gone above and beyond and rallied to support our residents in this time with both clinical and associated supports. We thank them or their great work." 

The health authority said it was not aware of any known issues that affected prenatal and postpartum health, but acknowledged the child-care challenges that birth evacuations presented to families who already have children. 

"We are aware of the inconvenience and logistical challenges this has presented for some families," Maguire said.

The Northern Birthwork Collective, an advocacy group for reproductive justice and birthwork has been raising awareness of how birth evacuations affect birthing persons and their communities.

The collective continues to connect people who are being transferred to Edmonton.

Union responds to TikTok video

During the closure in mid-January, Northern News Services reported on travel nurses shown in a TikTok video playing with birthing balls using the "I know something you don't. I know something you will never know" audio.

The TikTok's text reads, "When you accept a travel nursing contract for eight weeks. Show up and the unit is closed. But now you're getting paid substantially more to do much less."

In a Jan. 21 email, Union of Northern Workers President Gayla Thunstrom wrote that the social media posts about the obstetrics unit "adds even more to the burden our healthcare workers are carrying."

"We've heard from members who feel demoralized, who are working very long hours and many back to back shifts. Our members are also upset for the mothers who have had to go south for delivery, and how this will make them feel."

Thunstrom said the union contacted the employer, which said the situation had been "dealt with."

"We hope that the employer has brought the issue to the attention of the agency who they contracted through," said Thunstrom. 

Cost of running obstetrics during closure

The N.W.T. government will have spent $606,000 (or $202,000 per month) on compensation and benefits for the obstetrics unit from Dec. 10 to Feb. 21. 

During that time period, the territory will have spent $42,000 (or $15,000 per month) on operations for the unit. 

During the closure, the territory brought five locum nurses and doctors from out of the territory to keep a limited number of services available.

From Dec. 9 to Jan. 21, the obstetrics unit had five casual registered nurses, and four agency nurses scheduled to work, Maguire said.

The health authority did not hire physicians to specifically cover the obstetrics unit, but hired five locums who had obstetrics in their skill set.

Locum physicians typically cover 22 per cent of obstetrical shifts every year.

The majority of the five locum physicians' time was spent covering family practices, Maguire said.