Tag Archives: Port McNeill

Health

B.C. health minister announces $30 million to address health-care crisis in North Island

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced a $30-million infusion to tackle the health-care crisis in North Island communities.

The money, a mix of one-time capital investments and operating funding, will drive a range of measures to immediately stabilize health-care services across the region and in the communities of Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Alert Bay, Dix said Friday.

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Health

‘I’ve only got one set of hands’: Last remaining ER doctor in Port Hardy wants to hire physician assistant out of his own pocket

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Port Hardy Hospital’s emergency room is headed for life support, says the only ER doctor expected to be available as of July 1.

Of the four local doctors on the roster at the largest hospital in northern Vancouver Island, one tendered a resignation in March and two others recently announced their departure at the end of June, said Dr. Alex Nataros.

Continue reading ‘I’ve only got one set of hands’: Last remaining ER doctor in Port Hardy wants to hire physician assistant out of his own pocket →
Health

B.C. needs to invest in primary care to stem the bleeding of family doctors from rural areas

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Rural communities in B.C. will continue to suffer critical doctor shortages and the knock-on effect of repeated emergency room closures until B.C.’s primary care system is modernized, an expert says.

New physicians are shunning family practice, while established doctors are abandoning it because of the way primary health care is delivered, said Dr. Rita McCracken, a family physician and researcher with the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Practice.

Continue reading B.C. needs to invest in primary care to stem the bleeding of family doctors from rural areas →
Health

Mayors in rural B.C. band together to push province to fix health-care crisis

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A coalition of small-town mayors and politicians are uniting in hopes of tackling the urgent health-care crisis in rural communities across British Columbia.

Mayors Gaby Wickstrom of Port McNeill, Merlin Blackwell of Clearwater, and Lori Ackerman of Fort St. John are some of the municipal leaders asking peers to join a rural caucus to develop solutions and draw attention to the crisis.

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Health

Alert Bay residents worried as overnight ER services shut down for two weeks

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A remote B.C. island community is anxious as it faces a two-week overnight closure of its local emergency room due to the ongoing medical staffing crisis across the province. 

Island Health announced the closure of Alert Bay ER in the Cormorant Island Community Health Centre from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. nightly, which started Tuesday and will last until Aug. 16.  

Continue reading Alert Bay residents worried as overnight ER services shut down for two weeks →