British Columbia Minister of Health Josie Osborne speaks in video posted to social media about the closure of the ICU at West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni. (Facebook screenshot)
Provincial health minister Josie Osborne says she shares the frustration and concern of community leaders in the Alberni Valley over the sudden closure of the intensive care unit at West Coast General Hospital.
Osborne -- also the MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim, where the hospital is located -- held a series of meetings in the community last week to try and come up with a solution to the closure.
Island Health announced Nov. 19 that the ICU at West Coast General Hospital would close temporarily as of Nov. 20, with no date for reopening. Patients needing to be admitted to an ICU will be stabilized in Port Alberni and transported to another hospital out of town, mostly likely Nanaimo. The health authority cited a lack of specialized registered nurses and physicians as the reason for the closure.
Osborne met with community leaders on Friday, Nov. 21 including City of Port Alberni, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and local First Nations for what she called "a solutions-focused conversation."
Osborne acknowledged the frustration for the way the news was communicated as well as the effects of the closure. "I also heard the serious concern about the impacts to people and the need to re-establish the ICU as soon as possible. I share the frustration and concern," she said, adding that she will continue to work on both short- and long-term solutions.
The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Tseshaht First Nation and Hupacasath First Nation in a joint press release called for emergency measures at WCGH. "...If there are not enough resources to ensure proper staffing, equipment and other requirements to keep an ICU open at a hospital, then emergency measures must be taken by the Ministry of Health and the Province of British Columbia," the release reads.
"Additional stress and pressure on WCGH and other facilities such as Nanaimo General Hospital will only result in making things worse."
Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions said the city was surprised by the announcement, but not by the greater issue in the health care system causing the closure, such as doctor shortages.
She said council was "really disappointed; I think the ICU offers a critical service that is needed in our community. We're happy it will continue to be offered in limited capacity and optimistic that it will be restarted soon. But still really concerned by the general direction things are going."
She said the city was given a day's notice of the impending closure.
Minions called the first meeting with Osborne and other community leaders "productive" and that everyone at the meeting committed to forming a working group focused on health care in the Alberni Valley. She said having the city, ACRD, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Tseshaht First Nation, Hupacasath First Nation and others working together will give them a united voice to advocate jointly on health-care issues.
"It's such a challenging situation that isn't going to be quickly solved," she added.
While the city is not involved directly in health-care issues, she said they are looking at ways other communities are attracting workers.
"We're in progress on a few initiatives we hope to be able to speak to in the near future that we are optimistic will make an impactful difference in attracting physicians to the community."
Municipal governments don't get involved directly with hiring health-care workers, but Minions said there are things cities can do to with regards to the conditions that attract physicians to a community.
"We've been working with a group of doctors for quite some time on specific lifestyle initiatives they feel will attract more physicians to the community," she said. They have been vocal in things like quality of life that will attract young physicians to a community "that they want to live in."
Nothing will happen short term, she said.
Osborne said senior Island Health officials were supposed to meet with community leaders in the Alberni Valley last week in increased recruitment and retention.