Medical patients flock to this northern community, but there aren't enough places to stay

Health-care workers in Sioux Lookout, Ont., hope a new hostel will ease the pressures of overcrowding among people travelling to the community for medical care.

Thousands of people from remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario go hundreds of kilometres from their home communities to Sioux Lookout for care at the Meno Ya Win Health Centre, which is the closest hospital, despite requiring a plane ride or a trip on an ice road to get there.

Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) serves 33 First Nations across the region. Of those, 28 are considered remote, without highway access.

SLFNHA provides accommodations for people staying in Sioux Lookout while accessing care. But since the start of this year, the organization has been unable to house an average of 1,222 clients a month, forcing people to stay in hotels as far away as Dryden, Ignace and Lac Seul. Sioux Lookout's permanent population is around 5,800, according to the 2021 census.

"The communities that we're talking about, all they have is nursing stations. They have no hospitals, no long-term care homes, no pharmacies, no health-access centres — nothing. So they have to leave their homes to access health services in Sioux Lookout, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay," said James Morris, SLFNHA's president and chief executive officer.

"When they're in Sioux Lookout accessing services, they need a place to stay, and that's where accommodation comes in."

That's why the health authority bought a third hostel to accommodate people travelling to the town for medical appointments.

"It's going to ease the pressure on finding accommodations," said Morris.

SLFNHA owns two other hostels:

The third hostel, which has yet to be named, is expected to open this month, providing an additional 89 beds.

"This was a dire issue as our clients are sick, elderly, children, have restricted mobility, cancer clients and [have] a wide range of other health issues. Our staff, as well as myself, constantly felt the pressure of this situation," said Sandra Linklater, SLFNHA's director of client services, in a media release issued Tuesday.

The 2022-2023 year brought in 83,296 overnight stays, confirmed Karen Costello, associate director of SLFNHA's administration client services department. Nearly 82 per cent of those stays were in the two hostels, with the remaining 18 per cent in hotels.

People are typically referred by health-care professionals in their home communities to come to Sioux Lookout for medical appointments, surgery or prenatal care. 

Registered First Nations people and recognized Inuit people can receive coverage through the federal government's Non-Insured Health Benefits Medical Transportation Program for transportation and accommodation.