WHEREAS health care services for smaller, rural and remote communities witness the transportation of patients to hospitals in larger urban centres by ambulance and those patients, once discharged, must make other arrangements to return to their communities and therefore require temporary accommodation; AND WHEREAS a broad spectrum of patients from remote communities undergoing chemotherapy treatment, day surgery, child birth, and the like, are also in need of temporary accommodation; and given that BC Ministry of Health goals include the key action to work with rural communities, including First Nations, to implement a renewed approach to providing quality health care services across rural and remote areas: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM appeal to the provincial government to make every effort in providing support, whether through direct funding, initiatives or policy, to organizations that are undertaking the development of lands and other hard assets in the establishment of rural out-patient accommodation.
Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health the Ministry recognizes the challenges that face British Columbians who live in rural and remote areas in accessing health care services, and is committed to improving health outcomes for rural populations. As noted in the Ministrys policy paper Rural Health Services in BC: A Policy Framework to Provide a System of Quality Care, three specific service challenges stand out in the context of rural and remote communities: ensuring access to quality primary care services; ensuring pathways to accessing specialized perinatal, medical, and surgical services when they are required; and, how best to support aging in place. The Ministry is working with health authorities to structure their services more consistently for the rural and remote areas across the health authorities and to outline pathways for patients that enable access to higher levels of care in larger population centres. The Ministry is also working with health authorities to enable local community level partnerships between local health authority leadership, physicians, health professionals, patients, caregivers and community leaders to design Integrated Primary and Community Care Practices across rural and remote communities. While it is not feasible to cover all medically related travel costs, there are a number of programs and services that are designed to help patients with their medical transportation and accommodation needs in the region, including: - The Travel Assistance Program, which helps alleviate some of the transportation costs for eligible BC residents who must travel within the province for non-emergency medical specialist services not available in their own community. - The BC Family Residence Program, which provides accommodation assistance to enable families to stay together when their child requires medical care at BC Childrens Hospital or Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, including premature babies and newborns with other health concerns. Enhanced travel assistance is also provided through ground transportation for children and air transportation for patients of all ages. - Health Connections, a regional medical travel assistance program implemented by four regional health authorities, which provide transportation options to help reduce costs for rural residents. - Accommodations made available by a number of charitable and non-profit organizations, such as: o Canadian Cancer Society Lodges in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Southern Interior and Prince George; o Happy Liver Society for accommodation needs to liver transplant patients and their families; o Kidney Suites offered by the BC Yukon branch of the Kidney Foundation of Canada for renal patients and their loved ones; o Rest Easy, for the families of heart transplant recipients; o Ronald McDonald House; and o Easter Seals House. - Medical Travel Accommodation Listing, through which a number of hotels in BC provide discounted accommodation rates for individuals and families who must stay away from home overnight to obtain medical care. The BC Government maintains a listing of these hotels as a courtesy to patients and their families. The Ministrys policy paper Rural Health Services in BC: A Policy Framework to Provide a System of Quality Care also notes plans to expand and standardize the usage of telehealth services across rural and remote areas, as well as other ideas to improve access to health services for rural residents. Municipalities are encouraged to join the discussion and work with their health authorities to improve patient experiences, access, and quality of care.