Vancouver Coastal Health needs funds for Powell River General Hospital

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is looking for close to $1.4 million from Powell River Regional District to complete much-needed updates at Powell River General Hospital.

Health authority representatives were on hand at the district committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, November 12, to give the board more insight into the need for 40 per cent of the $3.4 million in project spending over the next two years.

“The ministry of health is adamant that they put up 60 per cent for capital projects and the other 40 per cent come from the regional hospital districts,” said Johan Marais, regional director for VCH capital planning. “If we are unable to secure the 40 per cent from you then we have a choice. We’ll have to fund the 40 per cent internally from another funding source or cancel the projects.”

To start, VCH will need close to $1 million to bring in a closed-loop medication management system to the hospital.

Mike Nader, chief operating officer of Coastal Community of Care, explained the medication system would improve patient safety and include automated medication dispensing cabinets and barcode scanners.

The request for the management system was first brought to the board in the spring, but it was voted down.

The health authority also wants to replace the nurse call system at the hospital which “is at a high risk of failure and high risk of patient safety implications,” according to a report prepared by Nader and Johan Marais, regional director of VCH capital planning. That project will also cost $1 million to upgrade.

Built in 1993, Powell River General Hospital’s building envelop requires an update. The health authority expects that to cost $1.05 million.

VCH also plans on spending $415,000 on replacing the hospital’s outdated intensive care patient-monitoring system, which at almost 20 years old is out of vendor support and increasingly unreliable.

Regional district director Colin Palmer said there were community groups that could be approached to assist with funding, but they would need more information.

“I can think of a few groups to approach, but they are looking to fund specific pieces of equipment,” said Palmer.

Marais added that VCH will approach Powell River Hospital Foundation and Powell River Health-Care Auxiliary to fund the medication management system.

It was also noted that these projects are outside the traditional $75,000 the regional hospital district provides the health authority for minor equipment purchases.