Residents are being urged to take mouse in hand and demand overcrowding be addressed at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. An online petition calls for two shelled-in floors in the new patient care tower to be developed so the number of acute care beds can be increased. “Start signing it. The goal is to have 5,000 people,” said Bob Spiers a Vernon councillor who backs the petition. “I hope everyone will go online, including my fellow councillors, to sign the petition.” The Ministry of Health has acknowledged there are capacity issues at VJH but no commitment for funding has been made. While physicians and nurses have campaigned for beds, Spiers believes North Okanagan residents must get directly involved in supporting their health care. “It (petition) puts pressure on the government to get those floors. We need extra beds,” he said.
The petition was launched by local health care providers. “The big thing is to call attention to the lack of acute care beds and the fact that there are two floors that could be finished and help with the problem,” said Dr. Michael Concannon, an emergency room physician. Concannon says it’s critical for residents impacted by overcrowding at VJH to have an opportunity to speak out. “We’re hoping for the support of the public,” he said. “We understand that not all of the public will have access to a computer or feel comfortable signing an online petition. We encourage these people to wear a purple ribbon in support of the campaign and to write a traditional pen-and-paper letter to MLA Eric Foster and Health Minister Michael de Jong demanding completion of the shelled-in floors.” Concannon isn’t sure how receptive the government will be to this campaign given that it was presented with an 18,000-name petition in 2008. “It was soundly ignored,” he said of the government’s response.
The current petition can be found at www.petitiononlinecanada.com/petition/vjh-purple-ribbon-campaign-petition/136
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Rally behind hospital now Morningstar Editorial May 27, 2011
Virtually everyone in the North Okanagan has a connection to Vernon Jubilee Hospital. We’ve been born there or had children born there. We’ve gone through surgeries and seen specialists. We have visited family and friends. It’s occasionally been a place where we have said one final goodbye to a loved one. VJH has been there when we need it. And that’s why it is time for all of us to return the favour and get directly involved in lobbying government for increased funding. Without additional acute care beds, patients will continue to be placed in hallways and other inadequate settings and surgeries will be cancelled. The Interior Health Authority insists that more beds aren’t the complete answer and there also needs to be a focus on residential care, and while that is true, the North Okanagan’s population will continue to grow and age and place pressure on the health care system. The 60 beds that can be developed in the top two floors of the tower are required. But for change to happen, the provincial government needs to know that the status quo is unacceptable. Write MLAs Eric Foster and George Abbott Health Minister Mike De Jong and Premier Christy Clark and highlight your personal experiences with overcrowding at VJH. You can also go online to www.petitiononlinecanada.com/petition/vjh-purple-ribbon-campaign-petition/136.
VJH is a common bond for all residents and we depend on it for our health and the health of our loved ones. But without our support, the ability to meet those needs is increasingly challenging.
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