Campaign calls for more beds

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 13, 2011 1:00 AM
Health care providers warn Vernon Jubilee Hospital will remain overcrowded even when the new tower opens.  Physicians and other staff have launched a campaign urging residents to wear purple ribbons as a way of focusing on conditions at VJH.  “We want to make the public aware that when the new hospital tower opens in September it will be code purple on opening day,” said Dr. Chris Cunningham, with the purple ribbon campaign.  “There will be no patient beds nor patient rooms in the new tower.” VJH is funded for 148 acute-care beds but there are often 160 to 170 patients admitted. In one case, there were 192 patients earlier this year.  “This overcrowding clearly leads to compromised patient care, emergency room congestion, overcrowding, cancelled surgeries, and increased infection transmissions,” said Cunningham.  “We have had the Interior Health Authority external review, and the staff have explored every possible efficiency based on the recommendations and yet the overcrowding worsens by the month. The hospital could not possibly be more efficient. The only solution is to add more acute beds.”  Two shelled-in floors in the new tower are designated for possible future acute care use, but no funding has been committed.  “Overcrowding continues and will continue. All of the problems won’t be solved when the tower doors open,” said Cunningham.  Residents are being asked to wear purple ribbons — which are available at local medical clinics — as a way of pressuring the Ministry of Health to fund beds for the two floors.  “We have a Facebook page and we encourage everyone to visit it and spread the word,” said Cunningham.  IHA officials insist that beds have been added to the hospital and extra staff is available to deal with  overcapacity.  “We are doing everything to ensure we have space and are caring for people who come through our doors,” said Pat Furey, VJH administrator.  Furey says that on average, 30 to 35 of the patients in acute-care beds are there because other services are unavailable, and partnerships are being initiated to enhance community and residential care.  When the new tower opens, about 55,000-square-feet in the existing hospital will be vacant and some of those areas could assist with overcrowding.  “It’s more complex than just opening up the two floors,” said Furey.  “We need to work on a bunch of fronts. We need to work with community care, residential care and acute care.”  It’s believed it could cost about $10 million to develop each of the shelled-in floors for use by patients, and then $10 million each annually to operate the floors. “That’s a significant investment and that rests with the government,” said Furey.  “We have developed a template for bed planning in the region, which has gone to the ministry for consideration.”  On Monday, Vernon city council invited both the physicians and IHA to make presentations about overcrowding at the hospital.