There won’t be any easy solutions when it comes to solving the healthcare woes facing smaller communities like Osoyoos and Oliver.
However, the fact that so many important people in this community appear to be willing to volunteer their time and effort to try and make things better is very encouraging.
On Tuesday, local residents Marilyn Mulldoon and Brenda Dorosz appeared before Town of Osoyoos council with a plan they believe would go a long way towards greatly improving healthcare services in Osoyoos.
What they recommended was for the Town of Osoyoos, which owns the building that has been the longtime home for Destination Osoyoos, to be turned into a not-for-profit community walk-in clinic.
Town council has already tentatively approved moving the headquarters for Destination Osoyoos back to its original home at the B.C. Visitor’s Centre located at the junction of Hwy. 3 and Hwy. 97, beginning in early 2018.
Mulldoon and Dorosz, along with community activist Gaye Horn, have formed an organization called Residents for Healthcare here in Osoyoos.
Mulldoon believes the Destination Osoyoos building, located adjacent to town hall, would be perfect for a community walk-in clinic. She did, admit, however, that she hasn’t discussed the idea of establishing this clinic with local doctors.
As has been made abundantly clear, local doctors have in the past not supported the concept of a community walk-in clinic in Osoyoos because there are only a handful of physicians in this town and all of them already work very long hours trying to run successful family practices.
Dorosz did say she has met with veteran physician Dr. Robert Calder and Dr. Jaco Bellingan, who both work out of the Osoyoos Medical Centre, and both have committed to doing whatever they can to try and improve healthcare services in this community.
Mulldoon spent the majority of the time during her presentation to council detailing how successful community clinics have been established in Sun Peaks, a resort community of only 600 permanent residents, as well as Keremeos, which has only 1,500 residents.
Community leaders in Keremeos formed a not-for-profit organization many years ago and made the wise decision to purchase a large piece of real estate with the plan to build healthcare facilities for the community.
The little town located only a 30-minute drive from Osoyoos now features a walk-in clinic, laboratory, X-ray facilities and doctor’s offices.
Located adjacent to the medical centre is a long-term care facility, meaning residents of that facility can literally walk next door to access the majority of healthcare services they need.
Mulldoon told council that if they can offer fantastic healthcare services at clinics in Sun Peaks and Keremeos, it most certainly can be accomplished here in Osoyoos.
There is a large group of volunteers willing to provide time and effort to help get the proposed walk-in clinic up and running, said Mulldoon.
We applaud Mulldoon, Dorosz and Horn for putting in the time and effort to try and find solutions to the healthcare woes facing so many residents in and around our town.
Opening a walk-in clinic, attracting new physicians and improving healthcare services won’t happen overnight, but at least several community-minded individuals are trying their best to make things better.
We wish all of the stakeholders involved nothing but success to try and improve a system that has so many local residents worried and concerned.
