Health care will be the topic of the week at two local meetings this week.
On Thursday, April 12, the public is invited to hear B.C. Ombudsperson Kim Carter on the recently released part two of her report on seniors’ care.
Carter and Marcy Cohen, a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, will speak about senior care in general and the report which includes 143 specific findings and 176 recommendations for better services and programs.
The free talk, called Shedding the Light on Seniors’ Care, is sponsored by Knox United Church, KAIROS — Parksville, Qualicum Beach, the BC Health Coalition, CCPA, Hospital Employees Union and the Oceanside Coalition for Strong Communities.
It will be held Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at Knox, 345 Pym Street, Parksville. For more call 1-800-624-9940 or check www.oceansidecoalition.org.
The following evening, former NDP candidate and regional district alternate representative Leanne Salter is hosting a meeting to talk about developing a local “cottage” hospital.
Salter has presented the concept of a four to seven-bed emergent care unit at Arrowsmith Lodge at municipal councils and meetings for a couple months and said she has been working on the idea with a small group for about a year.
“Arrowsmith Lodge has the infrastructure and the whole area is good to go as far as a hospital goes,” she has said.
The society that runs the lodge has distanced themselves, however, stating they might have the facilities but are not involved in any current proposal.
As construction continues on a Vancouver Island Health Authority health centre in Parksville, Salter said the cottage hospital would require very little capital because the space is already available.
It could offer emergent care beds for falls, bone breaks, blood pressure monitoring, primary health care, dental care, foot care, post-operative recovery, as well as X-ray and lab facilities. She will be joined by Vanessa Hammond talking about forming a co-op society.
The first of a series of proposed public meetings is this Friday, April 13 at the Qualicum Beach Seniors Centre, 703 Memorial Ave. at 3:30 p.m. The next is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 at St. Mark’s Church in Qualicum Beach.
Call Salter at 250-248-8878 for more information.