‘Disappointed’: Meeting with health minister sought after Northern Health follow-up letter

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — District directors are “going straight” to the health minister with their concerns about a lack of access to seniors’ health services after a letter from Northern Health’s chief executive. 

Northern Health followed through on its commitment to provide the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) with more information after the presentation Northern Health president and chief executive Ciro Panessa made to the PRRD board of directors on March 6th.

In a letter from northeast senior operating officer Kendra Kiss, Northern Health provided additional information on seniors’ care, recruitment and retention, and advocacy opportunities regarding health for municipalities in the health authority’s northeast region.

But directors were disappointed with the health authority’s response.

During the March 6th presentation, Panessa was asked to get back to the board with more information, including about health professionals who had been trained outside of Canada and whether services were coming for rural seniors who need to remain at home due to the ongoing shortage of space in seniors’ facilities.

Although the information in the letter from Kiss did detail the number of internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) hired for the northeast region – 51, including registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), care aides and non-clinical positions – plus 24 internationally educated nurses. 

However, the information pertaining to seniors’ care was not as fulsome.

The letter outlined services available in Dawson Creek; services the PRRD already supports through funding to the Dawson Creek Society for Community Living (DCSCL).

The letter also encouraged “ongoing dialogue” between the PRRD, DCSCL, South Peace Community Resources Society (SPCRS) and United Way to support the Better At Home seniors program, which supports the non-medical needs of older adults.

The SPCRS currently receives funding from the United Way for Better At Home and a community connector, who helps connect older adults in the community to community-based services and who, according to the letter, serves Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe.

“I’m really disappointed with the comment about getting together with United Way, and the society, to have more dialogue,” said PRRD Area E director Dan Rose. “That’s what the province told us to do a year and a half ago and we did it.”

According to Rose, at that time, United Way said the program was too expensive and the PRRD needed to change its program to fit the United Way’s.

“So that wasn’t what the discussion or what we asked Ciro about was at all,” Rose said.

“Maybe we go straight to the minister with this one.”

The problem, the directors agreed, was that Better At Home doesn’t leave Dawson Creek. It’s supposed to cover Pouce Coupe as well, but doesn’t.

Director Danielle Veach, who is also the mayor of Pouce Coupe, said she has expressed this frustration to Northern Health, to the minister of health and has met with ministry staff at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention.

She also pointed out to the ministry staff that additional funds were added to Better At Home to cover rural communities.

“Because the Dawson Creek area is identified as a rural community, it did not go outside of the boundaries of Dawson Creek,” she said. “I was quite disappointed with that as well.”

Board chair and Area D director Leonard Hiebert and director Rose volunteered to try to get a meeting with the minister when they travel to Victoria in a couple of weeks. 

Veach moved that “the Regional Board request a meeting between chair Hiebert and director Rose with the minister of health regarding the lack of access to seniors health services and programs in the rural communities of the Northeast region.”

The motion was carried unanimously.