The Chair of the RDOS, Dan Ashton, Walter Despot, former Chair of the RHD and Janice Perrino (current RHD Chair) recently conducted a mass mail out through the RDOS-RHD to enlist the help of the communities in the South Okanagan and Similkameen to encourage the Provincial Government to put the PRH Ambulatory Care facility at the top of their priority list on the up coming provincial budget.
The letter has been sent out to every service club and organization this week and in the coming weeks to as many businesses as possible.
It is the hope of the hospital board that people read the letter and write a letter of support or sign the draft letters of support and mail them all to the Premier’s office. They will be distributed to the Premier, the Minister of Health, the two MLA’s in our region and the Chair of Interior Health. A copy of the letter to the Premier is shown below:
Ms. Christy Clark
Premier, Province of British Columbia
Room 156
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
Dear Ms. Premier:
RE: Request for Support - Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Facility
The Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District (OSRHD) has made application to the Province of British Columbia, through Interior Health, expressing great concern about the deteriorating state of the undersized Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH). A number of the core PRH programs, including ambulatory services, [medical day care and clinics], procedural services, [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 daily from the South Okanagan and Similkameen. PRH operates at 110 per cent of its capacity.
A Hospital Master Plan, a Functional Program Report and the Concept Plan have clearly identified the urgent need and are completed. Interior Health has acknowledged the PRH - Patient Care Facility as the highest priority in their Capital Plan, subject to funding. The Project is being submitted to the Minister of Health in September, 2012.
The OSRHD, in addition to paying for the Business Plan, has committed to fund their 40 per cent share of the capital cost for the project, much of it already in reserve. The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation has committed to raise $20 million for medical equipment and their donors have expressed commitment to this project.
Society expects healthcare to meet appropriate objectives for all citizens, including our rural areas. We must have ambulatory medical day care programs and clinics improved in Penticton. Approximately 90,000 residents in the South Okanagan and Similkameen rely on the Penticton Regional Hospital to meet their health care needs.
It is clearly our turn! Six municipalities, eight electoral areas and the four Indian Bands have come together to support this application. We have done everything required and we are ready to proceed to construction.
We add our full endorsement for the request to the Province for the Penticton Regional Hospital - Patient Care Project and we look forward to your commitment now.
Sincerely,
c.c. The Honourable Michael de Jong, Minister of Health
The Honourable Bill Barisoff, MLA Penticton
John Slater, MLA Boundary Similkameen
Mr. Norm Embree, Chair, Interior Health Authority