Oliver, B.C. mayor proposes plan to help reduce ER closures in the community

Purpose-built lodging is being projected successful Oliver, B.C., to assistance code captious staffing shortages that proceed to unit predominant closures of the exigency country astatine South Okanagan General Hospital.

“For definite thing that keeps maine up astatine night,” said Oliver politician Martin Johansen.

According to Johansen, the ER has been closed astatine slightest 40 times since January.

“This is being taken precise seriously,” Johansen said.

The tiny assemblage is not unsocial arsenic ERs crossed the state acquisition captious unit shortages forcing the closures.

“We person a batch of radical that are unattached…So the infirmary ER doubles arsenic benignant of a locomotion successful clinic,” Johansen said. “And then, of course, you’ve got your emergencies wherever radical are having beingness threatening events and they request to spell determination quickly.”

For residents successful Oliver, it means a 40-minute thrust to Penticton, adjacent longer for radical surviving successful places similar Osoyoos.

“It’s rather a interest close now, yeah,” said Oliver resident  Leo Degenhardt erstwhile asked astir the ER closures.

“It’s an inconvenience for everybody and it’s precise concerning,” said Carmella Peacock, different Oliver resident.

The community’s politician is pushing guardant with a program that would spot the operation of a multi-unit gathering connected a parcel of onshore a mates of blocks distant from the hospital.

The land, astatine the country of Eastside Avenue and Park Drive, is owned by Interior Health and, according to Johansen, has been sitting vacant for much than 40 years.

“I deliberation it would person a immense interaction connected recruitment,” helium told Global News. “Having idiosyncratic beryllium capable to travel into your assemblage and not person to interest astir trying to get a edifice country and however agelong they tin publication that room…here is simply a unit  you tin enactment successful arsenic agelong arsenic you are moving successful the hospital.”

Trending Now

The projected lodging would beryllium dedicated to aesculapian professionals to destruct the situation successful uncovering housing, particularly during the warmer months erstwhile tourists flock to the area.

“We person a section doc recruitment moving group, and we person a fig of physicians connected that moving group, and lodging is the 1 happening that’s resonating with everybody,” Johansen said.

“This is simply a existent challenge, whether it’s a physician, whether it’s a traveling nurse, a locum oregon anybody other that’s coming to enactment our wellness attraction successful the southbound Okanagan here, that’s a barrier.”

In an email to Global News, IH stated it is pleased to spot the Town of Oliver moving this task forward, adding that astatine this time, it does not person immoderate further updates.

“This is decidedly thing that could beryllium a crippled changer and thing that’s truly going to assistance stabilize healthcare successful our community,” said Johansen.