Signing locations for Hospital Petition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2008

What does 'Code Purple' at Vernon Jubilee Hospital mean? It means there are too many patients who need the 125 acute care beds and that means not only the beds, but all the staff that care for the patients in those beds. At the VJH Code Purple is a more than frequent state with the average patients in acute care beds per day being 132. Last Monday VJH declared Code Purple, and the on call doctor, after doing 3 operations, had to send a fourth patient with appendicitis to Salmon Arm because there were so many patients in hallways that he was told it wouldn't be safe to do the operation as there was no place for the patient to recover afterwards. This was at 1:00 am in the morning.

The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association urges people to sign and circulate the petition to Gordon Campbell's government to increase funding for acute care beds, operating rooms and permanent nursing staff.

Individuals, groups and businesses in the North Okanagan - Shuswap are urged to put out petitions in their locations. The Association can be emailed: antonystam@shaw.ca or contacted at 250- 260-1082.

At present, these are the signing locations: medical clinics, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, Butcher Boys, The Falkland Store, Coldstream municipal office and more locations throughout the North Okanagan - Shuswap to come.

Thanks to all the individuals who have volunteered to collect signatures.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250 - 309 - 7488 or 250-260-1082