There is light at the end of the tunnel for rural communities struggling with service delivery and even basic access to those services, said an advocate to the Town of Bashaw council at their regular meeting Apr. 1.

Jackie Northey, speaking on behalf of the Canadian Rural Communities Wellness Institute, gave a presentation to council on restoring the health of rural systems and based this on early outcomes from Bashaw’s very own “model of deep integration.”

Northey, also a former town councillor, began her presentation by stating rural systems that include things like health care are struggling and fragmented, with no mechanism for them to work together.

She said service delivery in a rural community is complex, citing mental health issues as an example, and described much of the issue as a “rural access gap.” Northey stated many rural residents don’t have transportation, for example, so if they must attend an important health appointment in the city where most specialists are located, it is very difficult to attend. As well, the travel time involved means rural people often have to take a half or full day off work for city appointments.

Northey stated that when the clinic opened in Bashaw, there were clients coming in who hadn’t seen a doctor in 15 years.

As these issues linger, local service providers may end up picking up the slack, resulting in front-line burnout and a loss of focus for some service providers as they end up assisting with other organizations’ mandates.

Northey noted the Bashaw approach to these critical rural issues revolved around one word: collaboration. She said meaningful collaboration can reduce duplication.

She said another major part of a successful approach is a system that works together as one team, pointing out that in Bashaw, systems have been interconnected. That way, when a client comes through one door, they have access to all the doors the team offers. “The individual doesn’t have to go through every door,” said Northey.

She also stated that some people may not ask for the help they need because some find it difficult to do so.

The Bashaw organization engages in referrals within its organization and also advocates for community members, with Northey noting the local experience has gone so well that it is mostly in the fine-tuning stage now. Northey noted there has been a lot of positive feedback and outcomes from the local model of deep integration. “I think as a community we should be really proud of what we’re achieving,” said Northey, adding that the model has made waves at other levels of government with talk of it being adopted in other parts of Alberta and even Canada.

As councillors discussed Northey’s presentation, they voiced support and pride in the model and its achievements, describing Bashaw as a “community of leaders.” Councillors agreed the community stepped up to address service delivery shortcomings, also including surrounding areas and the RCMP district.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller asked if the wellness institute could produce a pamphlet or brochure describing the model of deep integration. Northey responded the topic has been broached.

Coun. Kyle McIntosh stated that he liked the model’s approach of enabling people to move themselves up rather than directly doing things for them.