Key items out of our June meeting with additional information in the press release.

Return of in-patient status to EVH (Elk Valley Hospital). The EVH surgical service might be more cost effective that a larger surgical theatre. We think that IHA should consider sending minor surgeries to Fernie so the larger surgical theatres can concentrate on more complex surgeries. This could help with the wait times for surgery in B.C. and reduce the costs for some surgical procedures.

LAB and XRAY services returned to the Valley.

Additional 4 LTC beds and 4 seasonal beds

24/7 emergency service for Sparwood/Elkford should be reinstated in Sparwood with additional 24/7 RN resources being available at the Sparwood Medical Center. There should be 2 observation/stabilization beds to reduce the trauma of patients being transported to Fernie or Cranbrook.

Return of house keeping to Home Care support as we have documented cases where Home Care workers are not allowed to provide a needed service and in some cases a Home Care worker might only talk to a senior patient for a hour.

Better communication with IHA, they should meet the community and medical professionals and listen.

news

release

  (June 24^th, 2005)

The Elk Valley and South Country Health Care Coalition (EVSCHCC) met Thursday night to refocus their attention by gathering input from local doctors as to what is needed to bring about their vision of adequate health  care service and for professional ease of mind in the  Elk Valley.

Communication and consultation between Interior Health  (IH) and the front line medical staff in the area had  pride of place the discussions, and at the top of the list was a five-year plan for surgical procedures that are considered appropriate for patients to receive at the Elk Valley Hospital (EVH).   EVH surgeon Dr. Colm Nally was one of the doctors on hand to give input, and said he is still looking for IH to discuss with him and other local doctors what is considered  appropriate procedures for the EVH. Despite the migration of surgical  services to Cranbrook–including last Springs’s administrative policy announcement that inpatient surgery would be removed from the EVH–local doctors have not been consulted as to what should remain available in Fernie.

"There is lots of stuff I’m happy to give to a larger centre," he  said, adding IH can consider that there could be cost savings by  scheduling minor surgeries at the EVH rather than in the surgical  theatre in Cranbrook at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital.  "It sounded like a good suggestion. It could mean the return of inpatient surgery status to the Elk Valley Hospital, but would also mean the resources in Fernie could be maintained and the resources in Cranbrook put to the best, most efficient use," said Patrick Burke,

EVSCHCC president. Burke added that the EVSCHCC would like to see the IH focus on bringing specialty surgical services to Fernie, thereby bolstering their operating room resources, by thinking out of the box rather than simply cutting services that have flourished because of a growing need over the last century.

Dr. Shelley Forrest pointed out that another avenue that could be considered for the EVH is to house surgical specialists like daycare specialty orthopaedics and genecology.  Other needs that could be relatively easily addressed by IH administration for the taxpayers and patients of the Elk Valley and South Country include providing more beds at the EVH, as there are regularly four (4) to six (6) long-term care beds being used by acute care patients; bringing true 24 / 7 / 365 emergency care to the Sparwood Health Centre (SHCC) by having an RN on duty there with the doors open and lights on at all times; an increase in the effectiveness of communication between IH and its communities regarding the concerns that come up; a reinstatement of home support, especially considering it mitigates higher costs of acute care later on; and bringing patient advocacy back to a local, third-party level.

All of these concerns, the EVSCHCC feels, can be addressed simply by recognizing the Elk Valley does not fit the cookie-cutter form of health care administration that has until now been practiced by Interior Health.

 "With the arrival of a new COO, we have some optimism  that our concerns will be listened to with a fresh perspective," said Burke.

Patrick Burke, President Elk Valley and South Country Health Care Coalition (EVSCHCC)