Saint-Avold. Carrière-Wenheck: the City wants to restore health dynamics

As in many areas across the country, the lack of a general practitioner is being keenly felt in La Carrière-Wenheck. Since ^Dr. Brasse's retirement last June, the Saint-Avold neighborhood and its 4,000 residents have been without a primary care physician. Nurses, who work closest to the population, are the first to witness these difficulties accessing care.

"In the space of ten minutes, I was stopped three times by residents about this," explains Élise Kieffer, a private nurse and city councilor. The lack of doctors is particularly problematic in this priority neighborhood affected by poverty, mobility difficulties, and sometimes the language barrier between non-native residents and caregivers...

Just like the nurses, pharmacist Clémence Barbier and her assistants play a central role in the life of the neighborhood, far from being limited to that of medication specialists. "We are public actors, a point of entry for the population. We make photocopies, we also direct people to the departmental center for administrative procedures or social support," says the professional.

To provide an initial response to the lack of a general practitioner in La Carrière-Wenheck, the City of Saint-Avold has taken over the lease of ^Dr. Brasse's former office. Thanks to the efforts of the CPTS (Territorial Professional Health Community) Vallée de la Nied, an assisted and augmented teleconsultation system has been available there since September 2024.

It only applies to scheduled care, such as renewing medication for a chronic condition. The teleconsultation takes place in the presence of a nurse who acts as the eyes and ears of the doctor connected to the platform.

^Dr. Brasse's former office is also expected to soon welcome a midwife, one to two half-days per week. The nurse will be required to perform screening smears as part of a preventative approach. "The goal is to begin interventions by September at the latest," explains Philippe Houpin, development coordinator at the CPTS Vallée de la Nied . By restoring health dynamics, this type of service helps make the area more attractive, according to the mayor of Saint-Avold, René Steiner.

"Healthcare isn't a direct responsibility of the City, but as an elected official, you're bound to feel involved. The Holy Grail is to bring general practitioners into a multi-professional health center," he says. The municipality is leaning toward building premises across from the new college. While waiting for this "long-term" project to materialize, several avenues are being explored, such as hiring retired doctors to work part-time.