Several dozen residents turned out at the Sonora Community Centre last Wednesday for a discussion of medical services and a possible Osoyoos Medical Centre.
Gathered around tables, they discussed needs for primary care and urgent care that aren’t currently being met, as well as thoughts on how different medical professionals can fit together.
The discussion was led by Patricia Light, an independent healthcare consultant, and Surya Pulickal, senior advisor with Colliers International.
The Town of Osoyoos engaged Colliers International in March to conduct a feasibility study for a possible healthcare centre. The study is funded with a provincial grant.
Pulickal said the project has two parts – a healthcare needs assessment and finding a real estate solution to deliver that care.
Pulickal, who has a background in architecture and real estate development, is looking at the real estate solution side, while Light, who has a 35-year background in healthcare, is looking after the health needs assessment.
“We’re trying to determine what kinds of services might go in that kind of facility,” said Light, adding that in addition to last Wednesday’s public consultation, there were separate meetings Tuesday and Wednesday with local physicians and officials at an interagency level with organizations such as Interior Health.
“We really tried to focus all of our discussion the last couple of days around primary care, the first kind of contact that one has with the healthcare system,” said Light.
The aim is to determine what kind of primary care services the community already has and what it is lacking, she said.
A second focus of attention was on urgent care, the kinds of situations where people now go to emergency in Oliver or Penticton because access to medical care isn’t available in Osoyoos, for example because of limited hours.
Urgent care can involve minor injuries or sudden illness where treatment is needed right away, but which may not require hospitalization.
“There’s a percentage of urgent care that happens at the South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH) that is lower-end kind of care and if there was an extended hour clinic or community health centre or availability of some primary care, that would impact the volumes that otherwise go to the emergency room because there’s no good choice,” said Light.
She said people at last Wednesday’s discussion started to focus on primary care more broadly rather than just seeing the issue as needing more doctors.
“It’s also about what other kinds of primary care providers they would want to see,” she said. “What would I want for nurses, physiotherapists, what is the role of pharmacists, what about our mental health care?”
And they talked about how primary care teams can work together, she said, rather than just talking about doctors and nurses as discrete entities.
Some participants discussed delivery of some healthcare beyond bricks and mortar, looking at virtual healthcare. And there was discussion of bringing in medical professionals such as stroke specialists periodically.
“Actually, we got a lot of really great feedback in that sense,” said Light.
Last year when the healthcare issue was discussed in Osoyoos, some residents expressed a need for a walk-in clinic.
Light said the trend is moving away from that kind of solution because a walk-in clinic doesn’t provide continuity of care. Some residents, however, pointed to the transient nature of Osoyoos, with many people living here seasonally.
Light pointed out that even snowbirds might come here for six months, allowing a degree of continuity.
Light said the study is gathering information on age demographics and health demographics, and this will be brought together with information about how health services are being used and the public feedback.
The consultants will come up with several scenarios for how a community health centre could be approached based on a primary care foundation, Light said.
This information will be considered during the analysis of real estate solutions over the summer, she added.
“In the fall, we will have a complete report, which will go back to the town, because they commissioned the work,” she said.
It will be up to the town and council to determine where they go from there, she added.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
