A delegation from the BC Rural Health Network posing with rural researchers at the 2018 BC Rural Health Research Conference which took place in Nelson, BC

This grassroots organization may be young (it started up in December 2017) but has much wisdom to share.

The BC Rural Health Network is a collective of small communities working collaboratively to advocate for improved health service delivery in rural BC. 

The idea to create this group came after a presentation by the Princeton-based Support Our Health Care (SOHC) group at the BC Health Coalition Conference in 2017. SOHC presented a “how-to” workshop on organizing a Community Consultation on Health Care. 

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“This is the most modern arthroplastic program in the world,” says one of clinic’s 4 orthopedic surgeons

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dave Puskas (far left), Rapid Access Clinic program director Caroline Fanti (left), patient Laurie Horlick (centre) and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Travis Marion (right) stand in a treatment room at the innovative new clinic at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. (Cathy Alex/CBC )

The new rapid access joint clinic at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is cutting wait tijmes for hip and knee replacements from years or months, to weeks or even days. 8:00

The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is leading the province with its Rapid Access Clinic, an innovative new central intake and assessment model for treating people with hip, knee and spine conditions, says Caroline Fanti, the program director.

“This is the most modern arthroplastic program in the world, it really is,” says Dr. Dave Puskas, one of the northwestern Ontario clinic’s four orthopedic surgeons, and the co-founder of the program with Fanti.

Patients are referred by their family doctor to the clinic, which then acts as a one-stop shop for consultations with orthopedic specialists and ultimately surgery if required.

Once enrolled in the program, the patient is assessed and then agrees to be cared for by the next available doctor from a pool of orthopedic surgeons, who also take turns working in Dryden, Fort Frances and Kenora.

‘More streamlined care for patients’

Putting aside the natural competitive instinct between surgeons was key to developing the program, said Puskas.

“We’re kind of territorial but my partners are very progressive and they listened to this as an idea and they chewed on it for awhile and it became acceptable, and we really have been able to provide more streamlined care for patients,” he said.

The program has cut the wait time for a consultation from nine months to just two to four weeks, with 90 per cent of surgeries being completed in less than six months, as opposed to two years.

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Responses on Health Matters From Candidates for Princeton Municipal Office:  Warm appreciation to all.

The Responses below are printed with the content as received. No editing has been done. They are listed in alphabetical order under Candidate name.  The numbers correspond to the following questions:

1. If you become mayor/councillor, where would you place the health care issue on your list of priorities for Princeton?
2. In your opinion, what are the main health care issues for Princeton?
3. What suggestions can you offer to improve our community’s health care model?
4. Two of the social determinants of health are poverty and lack of housing. What is your position on this issue? Would you be in favour of establishing low income housing in Princeton?
5. What is your view on the Ministry of Health initiative to establish Primary Care Networks (PCN) as a way to improve access to primary care in BC? What are your thoughts on the Community Health Centre and Patient Medical Home models and their role in the PCN initiative?

Candidates for Mayor

Frank Armitage:

1. Health Care is, and must remain a top priority for our Town Council

2. Ensuring we have the allotted number of Doctors  (6) in our  Community

3. Work with Interior Health and our Doctors (as we do) to insure a positive progressive relationship

4. Low Income Housing is managed by our Community Services Group and I am working with Executive Director Connie Howe for more Low Income Housing Units

5. These are good plans that are now being implemented in the Rural Communities. The Ministry of Health and Interior Health are working with the Doctors on these plans to increase the levels of Service available

Leona Guerster:

I believe Council should maintain an open and respectful dialogue with the Province in regards to Health Care. Healthcare is a priority. I would love to see our Hospital become more than just Primary Care, I lived here at the time when babies were delivered and operations including elective surgeries were performed. Municipalities, unfortunately, are not the governing or decision making bodies when it pertains to Healthcare.

Spencer Coyne:

1. Health care is high on my priority list. I would maintain the Town’s commitment to the Steering Committee, stay dedicated to maintaining our doctor numbers and start looking at ways to increase mental health and drug & alcohol resources for our community.

2.

1. Shortage of mental health workers

2. The opioid and drug problem in town

3. Maintaining service levels

3. There are two answers to this question. First I think communities need more direct input into what is needed in a local health care model. Secondly, I think we need to do more to increase and improve access to metal health. We also need more drug abuse assistance. We need outreach, counseling and maybe even a way to detox our residents at home and have more spots in a treatment centre once they are out of detox.

4.  I have talked to the housing manager for Princeton’s low income housing we have a waiting list for low income senior and family living units. I believe we need to lobby Victoria to build more units or find an alternative way to have more low income units built in Princeton. There is an old saying that “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” if we consider this when we look at the community when we have vulnerable members of our community that cannot access basic necessities like housing we must ask ourselves how strong is our community.

Tackling poverty is a complex issue and is not something that you jump into without understanding it. In order for a true poverty strategy to be successful you must have mental health supports in place, you must have affordable housing in place and you must have support mechanisms to make sure that people do not fall through the cracks. We need to do more to support the local food bank and Princeton Crisis these two organizations are on the front lines along with social workers, school teachers and mental health workers we need to look at a collaborative approach to dealing with the overall issue of poverty. Continue reading →