Is Squamish General Hospital equipped to meet the demands of a growing population in the Sea to Sky Corridor? That question is at the heart of an issue currently straining the relationship between Squamish council and our regional health authority.
Some on council had terse words for Vancouver Coastal Health at the public and corporate services standing committee meeting on June 27 when staff for the health authority failed to appear before the committee for the fourth time.
“I am getting actually pissed off,” said an uncharacteristically annoyed Mayor Patricia Heintzman.
Committee chair Coun. Peter Kent said that while representatives for the authority had been scheduled to appear to discuss the five-year plan for the hospital, they had once again postponed.
“Given the amount of traffic that goes through that facility now and the growth of this community now I think we are going to have to address it and see what they have on order for the community,” Kent said, adding the hospital serves about 40,000 people in the corridor and has 22 beds.
“We need to know what their plan is,” he said.
Heintzman and Kent said the failure to appear in Squamish shows that the Sea to Sky Corridor is not a priority for the authority.
Heintzman said the health authority’s master plan for the hospital and Coastal Health related services was complete almost two years ago, but has not yet been presented to Squamish council.
“When I met with Karin Olson [chief operating officer for Vancouver Coastal Health] about four months ago now, she talked about how Sea to Sky had sort of been put on the backburner while they focused on issues on the Sunshine Coast and a few other ones, and that Sea to Sky was going to come back on the priority list,” she said.
For its part, a representative for VCH asserted the organization values the corridor.
“The care of the patients and clients there is a priority that is taken extremely seriously,” said Anna Marie D’Angelo, senior media relations officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, in an email to The Chief.
D’Angelo said Olson met with Heintzman on March 14.
“Unfortunately, she has been unable to meet with council during set council meeting times on April 18th and June 27th due to scheduling conflicts, but is making every effort to do so at the earliest opportunity,” D’Angelo said.
In terms of Squamish Hospital’s ability to handle growth, D’Angelo said the facility is not yet at capacity.
“The population in Squamish is growing, but the demand for acute care in this region has not exceeded the capacity of Squamish General Hospital. The number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions has been relatively consistent – slight decline– over the last few years.”
D’Angelo also noted that an obstetrician and gynecologist, as well as a second operating room, were added to the hospital this past winter. Five new, experienced resource nurses have recently been hired and will begin on Aug. 11, she said.
