Lyonel Doherty, Times-Chronicle

A retired nurse is calling for a comprehensive review of McKinney Place care facility in Oliver.

In a letter to town council, Betty Lou Trimmer Bahnsen said a review is necessary considering the facility’s deadly outbreaks of COVID-19.

Trimmer Bahnsen said McKinney Place was constructed in the late 1970s, with an antiquated design that does not allow for good infection control, proper care or resident livability. 

She noted it has four bed wards, access to only one bathroom containing only a toilet and basin, plus a communal dining area which also functions as an activity area, nursing station and living room. 

Trimmer Bahnsen suggested that the Town of Oliver write a letter to various levels of government requesting that a review be undertaken as soon as possible.

She said the review should encompass the following:

The present and future needs of the facility

Up to date practices and designs for such facilities
A cost benefit analysis for renovating the present building

Alternatives to renovations such as a new building on the hospital site 

Trimmer Bahnsen said if a new building is the chosen alternative, considerations should include the repurposing of the present building into a primary care building housing the public health unit, home care nursing, home support, doctors’ offices with exam rooms, and teaching areas which could be utilized for prenatal classes and immunization clinics. 

Regardless of what alternatives are presented or adopted, “it is imperative that in the interim, changes be made to the present structure to ensure a safer and better space for the residents,” Trimmer Bahnsen said.

Last year Coun. Larry Schwartzenberger called on the province (in a resolution) to cease building long-term care homes with multiple beds in one room. Instead, he promotes single-bed facilities where residents can have privacy and safety from pandemics.

During a media briefing, Interior Health acknowledged that the COVID outbreak at McKinney was attributed to its style of accommodation (four beds to a room).

In January 2021, 17 residents at McKinney Place died of COVID-19.