Powell River Regional Hospital Board will consider directing staff to research public engagement on what local health facility needs are.
At the November 10 regional hospital board committee of the whole meeting, City of Powell River director George Doubt said he was responding to some communication from members of the public who wanted to have some input on discussing with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), and with the hospital board, about what kind of services might be available or could be added to the hospital district that are not here now. He said he had hoped to bring a motion to ask the committee to recommend the board direct staff to prepare a report on options to engage with the public about what current local health needs are. He said he’d like to make that motion.
Hospital board chair and city director CaroleAnn Leishman said the regional hospital board only deals with health-care facilities and funding.
“It sounds a little bit like we’re getting into health care needs on a more operational basis,” said Leishman. “Are you suggesting this engagement with the public would be around what facility needs the community has?”
Doubt said that was the case.
Leishman said when Doubt moved the motion, it would be better to put in something about health-care facilities specifically. Doubt said the motion could be changed to integrate the words “health facilities.”
He said his motion comes out of discussions with a number of community members about the amount of travel that has to happen for people to get various regular procedures done, such as pacemaker battery changes and various tests that could probably be done locally with the right equipment and the right specialists available.
“I hear from members of the public that they would like to be able to voice their concerns in some kind of forum and I think it might be possible for the regional district to have a forum like that and give people an opportunity to voice their concerns,” said Doubt. “It’s an effort to give the public some kind of a voice in what local health-care facilities we have.”
Leishman said she wanted to ask chief administrative officer Al Radke if that sounds like the committee is getting more into operations as opposed to facilities.
Radke said he thought staff could draft a report and come back at a later date regarding this topic.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said a lot of what was being brought forward sounded like operational issues.
“We just deal with infrastructure,” said Gisborne.
He said, however, there are health care shortages in the community, such as lack of rehabilitative services, the loss of home birth options in the community and the maternity ward is understaffed.
“A lot of these problems that the community is screaming about, I hear you loud and clear,” said Gisborne. “But there are operational issues with Vancouver Coastal Health, and Vancouver Coastal Health has a board of directors, where they do public meetings.
“We’re talking about something that is provincial jurisdiction. We deal with the land and the buildings. I don’t see the point in necessarily doing this. We should use the proper channels of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities or the Union of British Columbia Municipalities to advocate to the province to listen to the needs of the community and provide the funding for the services we need.”
Leishman said she was fine supporting this to see what staff can come back with and clarify what would be within the realm of the mandate of the regional hospital board.
Brander suggests advocating with VCH
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander asked if it would be a better path to take to advocate with VCH and suggest it engages with the public on what operational services could be added, rather than the regional hospital district taking it on.
Radke suggested passing the motion so staff could provide the report. It will then be public domain, he said, and will spell out what the actual powers and authority are.
Gisborne said services are outside of the jurisdiction of the regional hospital district.
“I don’t like the idea of the regional hospital district engaging with the public about health care services, which are completely under provincial jurisdiction,” said Gisborne.
Electoral Area A director Patrick Brabazon said the motion is for staff to prepare a report.
Leishman said the motion does mention for the board to be engaging with the public.
“What I’m hearing is that we want a report on our options for the different avenues,” said Leishman.
Brabazon said he didn’t think the committee should second guess what the report is going to say.
“The chief administrative officer has heard us loud and clear, so he knows what the thinking is,” said Brabazon. “I would like to get the report and we can discuss what we are doing after that, which may be nothing.”
An amendment was introduced by Gisborne, which read: the committee recommends that the board direct staff to prepare a report on options for the board for engagement options about what the current local health facility needs are. The amendment carried, as did the amended main motion.
