Fed Up

Starlee Speers - Vernon 105.7 SUNFM Mon, 2009-03-02 08:59.

The Interior eye care society has announced it is dissolving after seven years of providing financial help to the LIons Vision Centre in Armstrong. Society V-P Rod Drennan says it's been extremely frustrating dealing with Interior Health. The Eye Care society says Interior Health's decision to approve a specialized machine for Kelowna, but turn down the Armstrong clinics request for the same machine was the last straw. Drennan says that was the final straw. Assunta Shepherd with the Interior Health Authority says the machine the Eye care society wants is over one hundred thousand dollars. Shepherd says however, there are processes that must be followed depending on the cost of the equipment- the machine the society wanted cost nearly two hundred thousand dollars. She says the Kelowna machine was under the one hundred thousand dollar costs so it could purchased without the process. Drennan says the decision to dissolve the society was not made lightly and left over funds will be given to VJH's opthalmology department.