Residents Rally For Hospital Funding

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFMMonday, 05 September 2011 13:25

Organizers were pleased with the message, even though it was a light turnout for a rally calling on the province to provide more bed funding at Vernon's hospital.  About 150 people were at the one hour event by the new Polson Tower on Labour Day.  Former Okanagan Shuswap Member of Parliament Darrel Stinson was among the speakers. Stinson has had numerous procedures done at VJH since being diagnosed with cancer in 2005.  He says the new 180 million dollar Polson Tower will address a lot of needs, but not all of them.  "It's not going to address the overcrowding. That has to be addressed and addressed now because we're not getting any younger."  Stinson says he's been treated in a number of hospitals, but never seen one like Vernon.  "Where it's code purple. Where I met people laying in a hallway and when I was trying to walk, I bumped into their beds." Dr Chris Cunningham told the crowd, staff are pleased with the new 180 million dollar facility, but need more beds to address overcrowding.  "The beds you lay down on and receive your care from the nurses and staff...acute care beds...this will not address it without those top two floors." It was the second rally organized by local realtor Peter Hill who was a bit disappointed with the turnout.  "The advertising was all there. The media did their job. Maybe because it was Labour Day, I spoke to a dozen of my friends and none of them could come because of prior commitments, or they were out on the lake." The first rally on Canada Day attracted about 200.

Hill is still hoping the province comes through with funding to open the two shelled in floors before the tower officially opens to the public Sunday September 25th.  He says the message to the province is, "Please listen, please respond and please give us a date when we can see a commencement of these two floors to be completed and made operational."  The event drew several civic politicians, including mayors Wayne Lippert and Jim Garlick, but local Liberal MLA's Eric Foster and George Abbott--who were invited---were not on hand. Hill says Foster said he had a prior commitment, while Abbott did not respond to the invitation.  Hill says the recent scrapping of the HST shouldn't impact funding for the new beds.  "We've looked into that, and the answer we've received is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the funding for these two floors, absolutely nothing." It would cost about ten million dollars to equip each floor with 30 new beds per floor, plus another ten million a year to staff them. The Health Ministry is still said to be looking into the issue.
Top Photo: Residents rally near new Polson Tower on Monday
Second: Former MP Darrel Stinson addresses the crowd at Monday's rally (P. McIntyre photos)