After travelling up and down the Sunshine Coast for nearly five months, a Powell River resident is hopeful she may start receiving her dialysis treatments in Powell River. However, Providence Health Care (PHC), the provider that operates the dialysis unit at Powell River General Hospital, is not anticipating a change to services.
Myrna Leishman has been driving to Sechelt three times a week since October for dialysis, which sustains kidney function. Leishman has had type 2 diabetes for over 25 years and her kidneys were slowly deteriorating, making dialysis inevitable.
According to Leishman, attempts at receiving training to do the treatment herself were unsuccessful. When she was told she could receive dialysis in Sechelt instead of North Vancouver, she jumped at the opportunity to return to Powell River at night.
“It’s a 12-hour day,” said Leishman. “I hope that sooner rather than later they will be able to add another chair to the unit in Powell River. It’s a tiring trip, but I try not to think about it. I have to do it and there is no use whining about it. I’m lucky I’m well enough because it’s a long, long day.”
Leishman is the only person on a wait list for the dialysis unit at Powell River General Hospital.
Monica Beaulieu, physician program director for PHC, said adding an additional dialysis chair would not meet the projected needs of the community.
“We have a mandate to try to provide dialysis close to home whenever possible and in the safest possible way,” said Beaulieu. “We look at all our community units around BC, and province-specific estimates of people with kidney disease who haven’t quite made it to dialysis, to determine what the long-term needs of communities and areas may be.”
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons toured the facility last week and said it is currently running at capacity.
“Right now there are three chairs operating at capacity with the staffing that is available,” he said. In addition to the three chairs, three others act as backups.
Even though enough staff is available for the unit to add a fourth chair, there is no space for it, said Simons.
The hospital has three part-time nurses for the unit. Only two would be required for four chairs.
“The fact is, we have new machines that aren’t being used,” said Simons. “Why not take this opportunity to put them to use and possibly prevent people who need treatment from having to do that travel?”
Beaulieu said PHC determines the number of chairs needed based on statistics, including population, age and possible risk factors for kidney disease.
“We looked at Powell River specifically and saw no anticipated change in the need for dialysis, except for this present case,” said Beaulieu. “Based on our information it does not look like an increased need was coming until 2024.”
While renovations would allow Leishman to continue her treatments in Powell River, Beaulieu said in addition to the importance of seeing long-term need for an expanded dialysis unit, even if that need was proven, there are basic requirements to be met before the current facility can accommodate a fourth chair.
According to Beaulieu, representatives from PHC assessed the dialysis unit to see if there was a way to meet the requirements and “it’s absolutely impossible,” she said.
The hospital is a Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) facility. PHC and the health authority work together and collaborate on any renovations.
Elaine Yong, senior communications specialist, media relations at PHC, said any conversations about renovations would become a “multi-jurisdictional discussion” and would happen in consultation with VCH, BC Ministry of Health and BC Renal Agency, which is responsible for kidney care in the province.
“We appreciate that it looks like you could just hook up the machine,” said Beaulieu. “The issue in that space is there are minimum safety requirements for the other patients using that unit. The chairs need to be able to recline and move properly, and there are also some infection-control and safety standards. If we added a fourth chair to the existing facility, we’d be jeopardizing all the patients getting dialysis there.”
