Carl Meadows, Interior Health’s South Okanagan health services administrator, dismissed concerns about South Okanagan General Hospital and said it’s one of B.C.’s best rural hospitals. (Keith Lacey file photo)
Any suggestions South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH) in Oliver is losing acute care beds or moving towards closure once the new $325-million Penticton Regional Hospital patient care tower opens in 2019 are simply untrue, says Interior Health’s South Okanagan Health Services Administrator.
During a presentation to Town of Osoyoos council Monday afternoon, Carl Meadows, a registered nurse who has worked in healthcare administration for many years in the Fraser Valley before moving to the South Okanagan last year, said it’s business as usual at SOGH.
“There are no changes at SOGH,” said Meadows, responding to the recent resignation by Dr. Peter Entwistle as chief of staff at the hospital.
Entwistle said he was stepping down because Interior Health was reducing the number of acute care beds at the hospital from 24 to 18 and he could no longer justify working endless hours in the ER on top of his regular family practice.
Interior Health has funded 18 acute care beds at SOGH for the past several years and that funding model remains unchanged.
The extra beds that have been available at SOGH are only used in the rare occasion when the 18 funded beds are full, said Meadows.
“We are funded for 18 beds,” he said. “When we go over this, it puts incredible strain on our resources (including physicians, nursing staff and administrators),” said Meadows. “There have been no changes to the bed base … it has been like this for five years.”
It’s very rare when all 18 beds are occupied, but there are provisions in place to accept patients when all of them are full, even though it does cause stress and tension for medical and non-medical staff, he said.
Entwistle is a dedicated physician who has worked tirelessly for patients at his family practice and in the ER, said Meadows.
“He’s been a great chief of staff … and given us nine great years,” he said. “He’s still part of our team.”
Interior Health, like most health authorities in B.C., have adopted the policy of “home is best” for patients who don’t need acute or residential care and it’s proven the majority of patients recover more quickly at home instead of in hospital, he said.
“The best place to recover from illness or disease is at home with supports,” he said.
The biggest issue at SOGH and many other rural hospitals is far too many patients attend the emergency room when they aren’t suffering from serious illness, said Meadows.
“In Oliver … there is a very large percentage of people coming to the ER who don’t need emergent or emergency care,” he said.
Without a walk-in clinic or access to a family physician, many feel attending the ER is their only recourse, but this places undue pressures on doctors and nursing staff working in the ER, he said.
SOGH is one of the best rural hospitals in all of B.C. when it comes to the “10-hour rule” to diagnose, assess and either admit or release patients, said Meadows.
“The Oliver hospital is one of the gold standards in the province … for those who need urgent or emergency care,” he said.
“We are doing a great job.”
Brad Raison, chief of staff at PRH, has volunteered to take over Entwistle’s duties at SOGH until a permanent replacement is found, said Meadows.
Any suggestion Interior Health is formulating a plan to close SOGH once the new tower at PRH is finished in 2019 is inaccurate, said Meadows.
“There is absolutely no intent for Interior Health to change what we’ve got in Oliver,” he said.
There have been major infrastructure and equipment upgrades at SOGH over the past several months and those will continue, he said.
When Coun. Mike Campol suggested he believes the 18 funded beds at SOGH are full to capacity more often than Meadows suggested, Meadows insisted that was not the case.
But he reiterated when those beds are all taken it places tremendous stress and strain on all staff at the hospital.
With the population base in Oliver and Osoyoos growing and more and more snowbirds visiting each winter, Campol suggested systemic healthcare concerns at SOGH are only going to become more onerous in the future.
Meadows said IH must continue with its mandate to promote community care programs and have only those with serious illness use up acute care beds and use the ER at SOGH.
“Acute care is a very small piece of a big puzzle,” he said. “We’re trying to work together to solve all of the pieces of the puzzle.”
Interior Health administrators are working with stakeholders to try and recruit more physicians to this region, said Meadows.
They have also tried to recruit licensed Nurse Practitioners to SOGH, but have been unsuccessful, he said.
There are issues that need addressing, but SOGH is an outstanding rural hospital, he said.
“We have a great hospital with great physicians, nurses and support staff,” he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
