We Need Your Help - Part 2

Dear Executive Member:

RE: Request for Letter of Support - Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Facility

The Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District has made an application to the Province of British Columbia, through Interior Health, expressing great concern about the deteriorating state of the undersized Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH).  This hospital consistently operates at 110% of its capacity and serves a population base of approximately 90,000 citizens.

PRH opened in 1951 to serve the acute health care needs of a population of 10,500. Back then, there were few medical services available, computers had not been invented and the “Baby-Boomers” were in their infancy. There have been many incredible technological changes in healthcare over the past 60 years along with the inclusion of the entire region’s population and the natural aging of the residents.

Currently a number of the core PRH programs, including ambulatory medical day care and clinics, inpatient surgery, endoscopic and minor surgical procedures, central supply and outpatient diagnostics do not have the physical space to safely handle the patient volumes that arrive from the entire hospital district of the South Okanagan and Similkameen region. 

Due to the lack of physical space in the ambulatory care area, numerous clinics have had to be wedged onto inpatient units scattered throughout the facility. Access, flow and wayfinding for patients requiring these services is very difficult and impacts infection control issues with outpatients travelling through inpatient surgical and medical units.

Patient confidentiality/privacy is extremely important and a challenge for the various clinics spread throughout the inpatient units, particularly where waiting areas are a series of chairs in the hallways.

The access and flow of ambulatory patients at PRH is severely compromised by the split of medical and procedural functions and the clinics scattered throughout the inpatient units. As well, it negatively impacts any efficiency that could be made in patient processing, supply utilization, storage and is significantly inefficient. In a profession where staffing resources are so important, the flow and configuration of PRH is the poster child of what not to do!

Finally, experience has shown that congestion, the alternative use of rooms not designed for their current use, compromised traffic patterns and the deteriorating facility make it impossible to control the spread of disease within the facility to those that are in a weakened condition.

Interior Health has identified that the Patient Care Facility expansion for Penticton Regional Hospital as their highest priority in their Capital Planning.

PRH requires a purpose built patient care centre that includes all ambulatory services such as, medical day care, inpatient surgery, day surgery, endoscopies and minor surgical procedures. It also requires space for general clinics, including Wound Care, Cast Clinic, Paediatric Clinic, Primary Care Maternity Clinic, Pre-surgical Screening Clinic, Transplant Clinic, Colonoscopy and the UBC Medical School student space.

The expected benefits include innovative new medical technology, improved access and flow for patients and staff, increased safety and reduced risk and the more efficient use of operating costs and staff time.

Funding partnerships include the Regional Hospital District of the Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS – RHD) and the South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS) Medical Foundation.

Finally, the human resource efficiencies in staff utilization will be realized with a consolidated facility. This will include the extended training of new doctors, nurses and technicians and improve our opportunities to have more medical staff available for the rural areas such as Princeton, Keremeos, Osoyoos and Oliver. What an expansion will do for the entire region is bring in more medical staff over the years to work with the increased health care needs of the patients over the next 50 years.

Health care, especially a strong hub to serve our outlying areas, is critical. Clearly, this is a project whose time has come. All of the political leaders in this region have formally asked for Minister of Health, the Honourable Michael de Jong’s support when Interior Health submits this project for his attention in the upcoming Provincial Budget discussions.

This issue is about health care, not politics, however, to achieve political attention, we are asking for your support. We realize with the upcoming provincial elections (May 2013) and tight budget restraints, more than ever major cities will be jockeying for funding from the Province. We must make our commitment to our hospital known to all of our Provincial leaders to make sure Penticton Regional Hospital gets the “go ahead” for construction.

We live in growing communities, an expansion to PRH will bring the largest economic boom this region has ever seen. While we tend to focus only on the five year construction phrase, we must remember all of the new doctors, medical staff and technicians that will come over the years because this hospital will have the highest level of innovative technology. Besides the highly paid, well educated staff coming, new families and seniors want to live in communities that provide excellent health care facilities and services. Penticton and the surrounding areas will be the prime choice for home relocation.

The urgency for this project can not be overstated. The current site is in over capacity. With the continued rapid growth in the local area and entire South Okanagan and Similkameen populations, the service need is escalating daily. It will take at least five years to construct the new hospital. We must begin, our time is now!

Please make your voice heard regarding your Regional hospital and the health care we all deserve in this region. Use the enclosed letter or your own version and immediately send a copy to the Premier, Christie Clark, the Honourable Michael de Jong, the Honourable Bill Barisoff, MLA Penticton, John Slater, MLA Boundary Similkameen and Mr. Norm Embree, Chair, Interior Health Authority. Envelopes are provided for your convenience.

If you would like more information about the Penticton Regional Hospital – Patient Care Facility, we would be pleased to come and give your organization a 20 minutes presentation about the project and the need. To make the arrangements call 250-492-9027 or e-mail janice.perrino@interiorhealth.ca

Sincerely,

Janice Perrino                                    Dan Ashton                               Walter Despot

Chair, Regional Hospital District      Chair, RDOS                              Past Chair, RHD

Mayor of Summerland                     Mayor of Penticton                      Vice Chair, 
                                                                                                             SOS Medical Foundation