With regards to a recent announcement by Air Canada to remove flights in and out of Central Newfoundland, Central Health would like to express its concerns around this reduction in service.
Central Health relies on the services of health care workers and vendors who travel in and out of Central Newfoundland to effectively and safely serve our communities.
Specifically, Central Health relies on temporary physicians and locum physicians to maintain safe and reliable services throughout the region. By virtue of where we live and who we employ to provide health care services to our region, we rely heavily on travel.
With the reduction in flights in and out of Gander International Airport, we anticipate a negative impact on the timeliness and the ability of health care workers to get to the communities when and where their services are needed most.
COVID-19 has increased complexities around travel for locum and temporary health care workers and service providers. Reducing the travel options out of Gander will only increase these complexities and make it additionally difficult to provide the right care at the right time for the patients and families of Central Newfoundland.
Central Health would ask that Air Canada re-evaluate its decision to remove flights from Gander International Airport given the impact this will have on our provision of services.
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Media contact:
Gayle St. Croix
Director of Communications and Government Relations
(709) 572-1165
gayle.stcroix@centralhealth.nl.ca
