Efforts are being made for coastal hospital districts to work together.
At the Powell River Regional Hospital District meeting on March 1, chair George Doubt said the hospital board passed a motion in September 2022, and the motion was that the board communicate with Sea-to-Sky and Sunshine Coast regional hospital districts and request a strategic planning meeting. The motion also stated that the board extend an invitation to the qathet General Hospital facility engagement initiative division of family practice, and Powell River Hospital Foundation, to discuss opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
Doubt said in November 2021, the board passed a motion directing staff to prepare a report on board engagement options on what current local health facility needs are. A meeting with chairs of the other regional hospital boards was set up and they had a good Zoom meeting, he added.
“The agenda for the Zoom meeting included future collaboration between the regional hospital districts, community issues around access to health care, and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) cost share requests,” said Doubt. “It was a very good discussion. The other hospital districts are in the same boat that we are, wanting to get more two-way communication with VCH about the annual cost-share requests.
“We want to get that together on a coordinated basis so all three hospital districts together, who have the same issues and problems, can deal with VCH as a group, as opposed to individually.”
Doubt said in discussions around community issues around access to health care, the hospital districts talked about a model in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, where a big coalition of people are affected by hospital services.
“They consult with the community and try to deal with Vancouver Island Health Authority, in their case,” said Doubt.
He said he plans to have regular meetings with the other two hospital districts on the coast, and they had planned a joint meeting with VCH. Doubt said he expects that later, VCH will be making a presentation to Powell River Regional Hospital District.
“I’m pretty excited that the other hospital districts were seeing the value of working together,” said Doubt. “It might give us more influence with what’s going on. A big issue was travelling and connections to the big institutions in Vancouver. Vancouver Coastal Health is concentrated there and that’s the bulk of where their expenses and money and patients are, frankly.”
Doubt also said it might be important to look at legislation and terms of reference to see exactly what the hospital district is to be doing according to its mandate.
“There’s some research that needs to be done,” added Doubt. “This is an opening step to try and get a bit more of a grip on what’s going on rather than being a rubber stamp, saying you’ve asked us for money and we’re going to pay it. We want the best health care we can get but I think we need to have more input on what’s going on.”
