The Vancouver Island Health Authority last week promised new hospitals in the Comox Valley and Campbell River. The announcement drew mixed reviews.
As reported in the Campbell River Mirror, VIHA CEO Howard Waldner said both communities would get new facilities and more beds.
Local healthcare professionals and politicians were cautiously pleased. Dr. Aref Tabarsi, speaking for the Campbell River Medical Staff, said: “It’s a move in the right direction, but there are a lot of concerns.”
Campbell River mayor Charlie Cornfield was also cautious: “VIHA’s proposal is one that we are going to have to look at carefully,” he said. “There are many questions to be asked and answered yet and this is a good starting point.”
Waldner made an “optimistic guess” that construction might start on the new hospitals within three to five years.
The report said nothing about the 245-kilometre drive down Highway 19 from Port Hardy to Campbell River, which North Islanders must take to reach specialized medical care.
Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.
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realisticman
3 years ago
Well done Crawford
You managed to squeeze in a negative.
"The report said nothing about the 245-kilometre drive down Highway 19 from Port Hardy to Campbell River, .."
As Broderick Crawford would say, "That's a job for the Highway Patrol".
Port Hardy, Population: 4,585
By the numbers
* $500-600 million – the total amount VIHA is looking at spending on new North Island hospitals.
What do figure we should do, build a $100 million hospital in all the 4,000-odd populated communities?
realisticman
3 years ago
By the way
Port Hardy has a modern, fully-equipped hospital with acute care beds and a full-time medical staff. The hospital provides the region with emergency services, medical ambulatory, adult in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation services and medical imaging/diagnostics including general x-ray, ultrasound, and laboratory services.
G West
3 years ago
Careful reading
"The report said nothing about the 245-kilometre drive down Highway 19 from Port Hardy to Campbell River, which North Islanders must take to reach specialized medical care."
Things like:
Enhanced cancer care.
Cardiac medicine.
MRI procedures.
Renal (kidney) services.
Psychiatric emergency and intensive care.
High-level trauma care.
Higher-risk maternity and pediatric care (such as a special care nursery).
Presumably there was a point somewhere in that post....
realisticman
3 years ago
Long Term
Sure, anyone that thinks we should install an MRI in every village needs Long Term Psychiatric Care.
G West
3 years ago
With respect
That isn't what Crawford wrote.
I'll remind you that this is what he said:
"The report said nothing about the 245-kilometre drive down Highway 19 from Port Hardy to Campbell River, which North Islanders must take to reach specialized medical care."
You may think this is of neither importance nor concern. I assume you have no loved one(s) in a position where the 'problem' of that sort is a difficulty.
There are a great many services which residents of the megalopolis have access to and take for granted which are only imaginations in the minds of the citizens of the parts of this province that happen to be outside of the orbit of your concern...
This is not surprising; it is rather sad.
realisticman
3 years ago
I never said it was
I'll remind you that Port Hardy, as well as having a hospital, also had approximately 350 Medivac flights to larger or more specialized hospital facilities, in 2006.
That's all you can do in a tiny village of 5,000. There is a hospital and the Province provides free air evacuation services too.
What do you want, a $100 million hospital in each hamlet? I guess until that happens you'll complain. How many tiny towns are there in BC? How many hospitals should there be? I'm sure answers will not be forthcoming. Would you like a bullet train going there?
GJW
3 years ago
strange way to end the story
"The report said nothing about the 245-kilometre drive down Highway 19 from Port Hardy to Campbell River, which North Islanders must take to reach specialized medical care."
Yeah, that's because it's the CAMPBELL RIVER Mirror.
For those who are unaware, which apparently includes Crawford, hospitals are funded 60-40 by the health authority/province, and the regional districts. The hospitals referred in the quoted article will be paid for 40 per cent by taxpayers in the Comox Valley and Campbell River. Taxpayers north of Sayward will not contribute. They have their own regional hospital district, through the Mount Waddington regional district, which funds 40 per cent of capital costs in North Island hospitals.
The North Island has its own hospitals and everything! Wow, who'd of thunk it!
Of course North Island residents will be driving south for specialized services, but that's nothing new. Why would you put that paragraph at the end of your article?
Crawford
3 years ago
Highway 19
...is a long, long road through northern Vancouver Island's woodlot. It has very few resources between Port McNeill and Campbell River, and in winter it must be a real hazard.
No one's asking for the Mayo Clinic in Port Hardy, but for north islanders who need to see their oncologist in Campbell River, Highway 19 is just another health hazard.
Luke Skywalker
3 years ago
Port Hardy and Port McNeill...
Well, the folks in Port Hardy and Port McNeill voted strongly in favour of the incumbent Liberal government in 2005.
IIRC, only one new hospital was originally gonna be constructed for that entire region, which pitted the two areas against each other. It appears that politics has intervened in this new decision.