Oceanside Health Center
Background | What Do We Need? | Recommendation | Endorsement | What Can YOU Do To Help?
We Need an Oceanside Health Center
Do It Now
Over the past 20 years many studies have been done about the urgent need for a Health Center in the Oceanside area. In 2001, a study was completed that was inclusive of consultation with the public, health care professionals and the health board of the day. The mayors, RDN, MLA and even the Premier, Gordon Campbell supported and approved the recommendation of the 2001 study paper titled, Project Study – Part A of a Capital Plan for the Oceanside Health Centre in LHA 69: Qualicum.
Since then, we have not seen a Health Center in Oceanside even though we have a population in the Oceanside area of about 45,000 residents. As well, about 500,000 tourists stop or pass through and vacation in Oceanside annually.
A Primary Health Care Task Force was established in Oceanside consisting of the Mayors, RDN Chair, Hon. Ron Cantelon, and Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and others. The Task Force continues to meet and there is no dispute among the participants that Oceanside is underserved and is in urgent need of a Health Center.
The Task Force is well aware of the two new hospitals proposed for Campbell River and Courtenay/Comox and the Task Force also toured existing, and recently reconfigured, health centres in the much smaller municipalities of Chemainus and Ladysmith.
Return to the top of the page.
We support and encourage the Task Force to continue its pursuit of improved delivery of health care by accepting nothing less than the development of an Oceanside Health Centre patterned on a facility proposed in 2001 by the health authority of the day.
We see such a facility providing the following services, phased in if need be, on an appropriate property, in the following order of importance.
- Urgent Care – treatment of unscheduled patients requiring care for unexpected illnesses and injuries except stroke, heart attack and major trauma. Ambulance personnel will require top level Advanced Life Support (ALS) training to deal with heart/stroke/trauma issues.
- Primary Care Program – a group of family physicians, nurses and support staff providing a wide range of care over extended hours of operation. 3
- Ambulatory Care – an extension of primary care to include skilled practitioners in such services as heart health, pulmonary & asthma, diabetes education, foot care, women’s health issues and hypertension.
- Diagnostic and Treatment – clinics for palliative care, medical daycare, endoscopy, cancer program, pre-op anaesthetic and minor procedures. Modern diagnostic radiology and on-site laboratory facilities are necessary.
- Inpatient Services – a total of 45 beds for care provided by family physicians, short-stay assessment, convalescence and palliative care.
We feel strongly that such a facility, rather than being a threat to the retention and recruitment of doctors and nurses could be the catalyst to reverse the downward trend in the number of medical professionals in Oceanside.
Return to the top of the page.
We believe the Task Force, armed with this information, should be strongly insisting that VIHA provide an appropriately sized facility in Oceanside that will properly serve our population. We have a population (catchment area) of over 45,000 people and we deserve the services that could be provided by a well-planned and staffed health centre.
Return to the top of the page.
This document is supported and endorsed by the following community groups representing approximately 17,000 residents:
- Chartwell Residents’ Association
- Qualicum Beach Residents’ Association
- Eaglecrest Residents’ Association
- French Creek Residents’ Association
- North Qualicum Beach Homeowners’ Association
- Mapleguard Ratepayers’ Association (Bowser area)
- Oceanside, Owners Strata Plan No. VIS-2129
- Craig Bay Residents’ Association
Return to the top of the page.
We ask that you either send the following slogan to the Hon. Ron Cantelon (who was Co-Chair of the Task Force) either by e-mail or postal mail.
‘We need an Oceanside Health Center – Do it Now.’
- To email him click this link: ron.cantelon.mla@leg.bc.ca when the page opens, press “Send”. Nothing more is required.
- If by mail, send a post card with the same message written on it, sign it, and mail to:
Hon. Ron Cantelon
120B Middleton Avenue
Parksville, BC, V9P 1C9
Return to the top of the page.
Tuesday August 17th 2010.
Oceanside Residents Continue the Push for a Local HealthCentre
Things have been pretty quite on the Healthcentre front since the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Request For Proposal process concluded with the designation of Standford Holdings as the preferred proponent.
Further negotiations between VIHA and the proponent have moved behind closed doors until such time as a full agreement can be reached and, hopefully, a contract issued.
Throughout the proposal process the Federation of Oceanside Residents Associations (FORA) has been active is identifying the healthcare needs of Oceanside through it’s 2 page “We Need An Oceanside Healthcentre – Do It Now!” document. We have met with representatives of local and provincial governments, the health authority, and interested proponents to ensure that the community voice is heard and to assist in whatever way we can to ensure a successful conclusion.
Although not a part of these negotiations, FORA is continuing its efforts to push for improved health care in this clearly underserved community.
We are maintaining a continuing dialogue with Provincial MLA Ron Cantelon and, through his efforts, will be meeting with Health Minister Kevin Falcon on August 27th. Up for discussion at that meeting will be a number of efficiency suggestions for consideration as the Healthcentre evolves. These will include the following:
- “One stop” shopping for all services, which are integrated and coordinated with one another within the Clinic and regional medical services as a whole.
- Point of care lab testing with rapid response results. Clinic lab services with extended hours.
- On site modern radiology with extended hours and digitized readout and reporting services from Nanaimo/Comox.
- Multidisciplinary team of health providers fully integrated with one another and with delegated services.
- Coordinated education and preventative medical services of Oceanside public – the clinic should be the health “knowledge hub”.
- Working affiliation with the regional medical centres, medical school (and other schools) with knowledge links for health providers and patients.
- On site pharmacist service/consultation.
- Provision for space to grow, as required, including Ambulance Service as part of Health Centre.
- Appropriate funding of physicians for recruitment and retention particularly associated with on-call and multiple-issue fee items.
FORA is a federation of thirteen resident associations and community groups that have come together for the express purpose of achieving an appropriate level of healthcare for the citizens of Oceanside
Return to the top of the page.
Tuesday September 7th 2010.
Your presence counted – Really!
Every so often, an issue will touch the hearts and minds of our Oceanside residents in such a way as to inspire us all to come together, as a community, to do whatever it takes to right a wrong.
That issue is the Oceanside Health Centre. The wrong that needs to be righted is that for decades, VIHA, the politicians and the community have known that our Health Care needs have been underserved and that we deserved better than what we are getting.
On August 27, hundreds of residents of Oceanside showed up to see and hear Health Minister Kevin Falcon discuss Health care in general and the Oceanside Health/Urgent Care Facility specifically.
Unfortunately, a little over 200 of you packed a meeting room that was grossly undersized for what the Federation of Oceanside Residents’ Associations (FORA) believed was required to handle the volume of residents that FORA believed would show up. You exceeded all expectations. We knew the turnout would be great and it did not surprise us that the turnout was as overwhelming as it was. Thank you for that.
Many who did not get in to the meeting were upset because you suited up and showed up and were turned away. That must not happen again.
You must believe that your presence counted in a big time way. You impressed Minister Falcon, MLA Cantelon, VIHA, Lark/Ahmon, the media and most importantly, you showed each other how strong the support is for a credible Health/Urgent Care in this wanting and undeserved community called Oceanside.
You were a big and impressive hit and you elevated this issue to the top of the pile where it should have been all along. Good on you. The message was loud and clear and it would not have been possible to get that message across as strongly as it did if you did not show up.- which you did in a huge and impressive way.
The Health Minister has promised to return and it is imperative that a proper facility be made available to handle another huge crowd. Make no mistake, we will need you to show up en masse again to further impress upon the decision makers that the Health Centre issue needs to be Done Right; Done once; Done Now.
Thank you for making such a difference.
Tom Davies
Spokesperson
Federation of Oceanside Residents’ Associations
Wednesday 23 Feb 2011
Oceanside Health Centre Update
The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and the Lark Group, the successful RFP proponent, continue detailed negotiations on a contract for construction and operation of a leading edge Health Centre in Oceanside. VIHA announced in January that the Centre would be built on land adjacent to Trillium Lodge in Parksville.
FORA has been monitoring the process since early 2009 and has lobbied hard to achieve an appropriate level of healthcare for this community, as originally identified by the Health Authority of the day in 2001 and as outlined above.
Although not part of the formal process, FORA has attempted to maintain positive working relationships with government representatives, VIHA decision makers, proponents and potential service providers to encourage the best possible level of healthcare service and an expeditious implementation of this project.
Although the timeline originally anticipated has slipped, we are optimistic that a final agreement is very close and we are encouraged by the interest shown by, and direct involvement of, both the VIHA Chairman and CEO in this project. While not party to the detailed contractual negotiations, we continue to meet with key players on various aspects of this project. We continue to stress the importance of the needed services previously identified and feel that some progress has been made towards achieving them.
It is appropriate that the next meeting of the VIHA Board of Directors is slated for the Parksville community centre on the morning of Wed, March 30th,2011 and that the Oceanside Health Centre will be on the agenda. They have been advised to expect a large turnout and that expectations for some positive news will be high. The largest available room has been booked and we would encourage all interested parties to attend.
Wednesday April 6th 2011.
VIHA CEO PROVIDES DETAILS OF NEW OCEANSIDE HEALTH CENTRE
At the March 30th public meeting of the VIHA Board of Directors, held at the Parksville Community Centre, CEO Howard Waldner briefed the community on details of the planned new Oceanside Health Centre.
He reviewed the history of the project including input from the community, the Mayors Task Force, and local physicians. He acknowledged difficulties for many residents in accessing primary health care due to a shortage of GPs and he discussed the results of recent recruiting initiatives. He emphasized the need for sustainability over time as many current physicians are approaching retirement and many of today’s medical school graduates are looking for group settings using integrated health care teams.
The new facility will provide GP led inter-disciplinary Primary health care with the goal of improved access, more services closer to home, and increased and predictable hours of service. In addition many other VIHA services will be co-located at this facility such as community care, rehabilitation, and mental health and addiction services. These services will operate six days a week from 8am to 6 pm. The objective is that anyone in the community who requires care will be able to see a health care provider within 24 hrs, and a physician within 48 hours.
In addition there will be an Urgent Care centre which will operate seven days a week from 8 am to 10:30 pm. Although the most serious events, heart attacks and strokes for example, will be directed to the Emergency Dept at NRGH, he estimated that 75-85% of their Oceanside based traffic, now handled at the Emergency Dept, will be handled locally at the Urgent Care Centre.
The facility will utilize a patient centered approach with a focus on meeting the needs and expectations of patients. It will provide “one stop” healthcare under one roof including Xray, lab, and pharmacy services. There will be a continuum of care from prevention to intervention to maintenance of chronic conditions.
Provision will be made for a Specialist Polyclinic where various specialists travel periodically to the centre for appointments with local patients rather than all patients having to travel to major centers.
All services will be supported by VIHA’s comprehensive system of electronic records which is the only fully integrated electronic health records system in Canada. It will provide immediate access to comprehensive patient profiles and records eliminating delays and duplication.
The health centre will be located in a brand new purpose-built facility in the 30,000-50,000 square foot range adjacent to Trillium Lodge in Parksville.
The next steps include:
- Further refinement of the service delivery model
- Consultation with key stakeholders and service providers
- Continued building design and development using the best examples from similar facilities around the world
- Sod turning
- Construction
- Service commencement.
He outlined the timetable as follows:
| Zoning and subdivision
Definition of the Service Model Start of construction End of construction Open for service |
March 2011
May 2011 July 2011 November 2012 End of 2012 |
Conceptual drawings of the exterior and interior of the Oceanside facility were available and Mr Waldner showed photographs of a similar facility that he had recently visited which opened in Ireland in 2010.
Submitted by Larry Biccum on behalf of
The Federation of Oceanside Residents Associations