Prince Albert area ranked unhealthiest region in the country

The report goes in to detail on its’ lowest ranked region basing the bottom spot on a variety of factors.

“Endemic poverty, disadvantaged First Nations communities, an aging population and a lack of doctors all bedevil this community, and serve as a stark warning sign for the rest of Canada,” the website says. “Prince Albert, and its surrounding areas, are poor, with over 19 per cent of its residents living on a low income, along with a high rate of long-term unemployed. And poverty has a direct effect on health.”

The PAPHR hasn’t commented yet on the released information, but they were quoted in the report.

“Income and income insecurity, food insecurity, social exclusion [and] people living in poverty are significant factors in the population health status for this region,” according to a statement provided by the PAPHR.

The report also paints an eye-opening picture when it comes to the demographics in Prince Albert.

The aboriginal population in the region is at almost 40 per cent, compared to less than five per cent—the country’s average.

“Aboriginal households in PAPHR struggle with endemic food insecurity (as many as one in three Aboriginal households in PAPHR are classified as food insecure), low income levels (Aboriginal households earn 18% less than the average household in the region), and epidemic levels of diabetes (with an estimated one in four people living on reserves with the disease),” states the report.

Another matter tackled is the much-talked about issue of wait times. According to the website, StatsCan reports only 76.2 per cent of residents in the region have regular access to doctors.

“The challenge for access to physicians is actually worse in the City of Prince Albert, where wait times for an appointment can be as long as month. There have been recruitment challenges for the privately owned and operated clinics in the [region’s] largest centre,” explained the PAPHR in a statement.

If anyone is wondering, at the top of the healthiest list sits York Region, Ont., North Shore, B.C., and the City of Richmond, B.C.

Also in the top ten are Calgary (six), Toronto (seven) and Vancouver (10).

For a map detailing all the health regions in Canada, visit The 10 and 3 website.

asoloducha@panow.com

On Twitter: @alex_soloducha

by Alex Soloducha

Prince Albert area ranked unhealthiest region in the country

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