After two days of travel I finally arrived in Moose Factory. After 3 flights, a 2 hour bus ride, and a 6 hour train ride, I finally arrived in Moosonee where I was picked up for the short drive across the ice road, over the Moose River, to Moose Factory located on an island.
I was picked up by one of the dietitians and her boyfriend, who took me to the grocery store to stock up before giving me a tour of both Moosonee and Moose Factory. Prior to coming all I knew of the area was from wikipedia and through Joseph Boyden's novel "Through Black Spruce".
The community of Moose Factory is divided up into three sections that come under different jurisdiction. There is federal land where the hospital is located, a small area under provincial designation, and a larger area of reserve land. One can only imagine how this complicates infrastructure projects.
The place I'm staying in is temporary housing for "locums", which are nurses and other health care workers that sign contracts for set periods of time in Moose Factory, while residing in Southern Ontario. Locums fill the gaps in permanent workers, and although many locums sign contracts regularly it still creates issues for continuity of care.
Patients suffering from chronic conditions may have to see a new healthcare provider on each visit. Making it difficult to build trust and rapport with patients. This may also act as a barrier for some people to come in and receive the care they need.
Even with the turnover among health care workers, they make up an interesting and tight knit community in Moose Factory. I've only met a few people so far, since the freezing rain kept me mostly indoors, but I'm looking forward to an interesting 3 months in Moose Factory.
JK
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