Yesterday, we attended the hospital information session at the Middleton Fire Hall. There had been various rumours in the media about closure of the Emergency Room (ER). This was one of three sessions. While the emphasis was on the different services available through the Middleton hospital. My concern was the lack of family doctors in the region. With a shortage of family doctors, many citizens end up at the ER.
After the information session, I met with Carman Kerr, MLA Annapolis County, at his office. I wanted to understand his perpective, representing Annapolis County.
This gave me the opportunity to question the provision of doctors in the Lawrencetown area. I was well aware of the efforts of Brian Reid, Lynne Roscoe and Kurt, the pharmacist to attempt to find a family doctor for the village. Carman confirmed my understanding,
In the afternoon, I attended a meeting at COGS on Sustainable Development goals and Nova Scotia Quality of Life.
This included a panel discussion with diverse, active members in the community. While this presented a different definition of Sustainable Development, it offered insight into community outreach.
Driving home, I listened to CBC Ideas in the Afternoon. The topic was Wallace Stegner, The Geography of Hope.
It was a documentary on his writing and life, and his role in documenting the disappearing west, especially around the Cypress Hills.
This set off the following train of thought. Less than a week ago, we returned to rural Nova Scotia. In order to understand the present initiatives in the Annapolis Valley, we attended the three meetings: hospital information session, MLA, Sustainable development goals.
My reaction. I turned the Stegner quotation upside down. Instead of ‘geography of hope,’ let’s talk about ‘Hope of Geography’.
Individuals come to live in the Annapolis Valley because of the hope of Geography. The landscape offers a microcosm of variety: fishing, forestry, agriculture plus the opportunity to interact directly with the natural environment.
In addition, we have an education institution here dedicated to the geographic sciences. It is not only possible to enjoy the landscape diversity but also to obtain an education in the relevant technologies and sciences.
If we package up this story, work together, we can attract family doctors who would want to be members of this larger community.. There is an alternative to the ‘geography of Hope’. It is the HOPE OF GEOGRAPHY.
Acknowledgements
For Heather and myself, it was a busy day. And yet we need to evaluate the sustainability of our Geography. Edward, thanks as always for your contribution.
POSTSCRIPT
Here is the Geography of “Last Hope Camp” as noted in a previous blog post.
References
CBC Ideas in the Afternoon, February 6th 2023, Wallace Stegner: The Geography of Hope.
Ernest Blair Experiment 