To bring people up to date on the fate of petitions circulated on the subject of rooms taken out of patient service (higher use and cost) and converted to office space (lower use) for Health related services.
*Oliver Seniors mailed theirs to Government of BC last fall.
*Oliver, Osoyoos and Anarchist Mountain ones (249 names), were delivered to the office of John Slater MLA, Independent in January. These were cc’d and posted to the office of Liberal MLA, Bill Barisoff, Speaker of the House as requested
*The ones from the Osoyoos Seniors Center (186) were passed to me, and delivered to the office of John Slater on February 15 th and cc’d again to the office of Bill Barisoff.
It is to be hoped that our local voices will be heard and of these a substantial number were from the Osoyoos Indian Band, led in signing by Chief Clarence Louie himself.
I would like to thank everyone who advised, listened, gathered names, signed, met with us over the summer and fall. Past Board members who, along with myself did not realize just the extent to which our Hospital had been diminished since we handed it over, and were horrified.
Osoyoos and Oliver Councils who listened politely and asked questions.
Reporters who, in varying degrees went along with our story until they failed to get any doctor to speak out honestly on the subject, for fear of retribution.
Guaranteed we are not going away…..why should we, we live here!
Every name a valued citizen, but perhaps some “less to be ignored” than others. ( I have tallied only the numbers-no names kept.
I am still waiting on an acknowledgement , much less an answer, to my email letter to the ( then ) new Minister of Health, written several days into her tenure, and asking her to use fresh eyes and ears on the subject.
Pre-election is a good time to think on that for the candidates out there……
To refresh……this all started while, but not because of my husband being in SOGH(Oliver Hospital ) ….where in some rooms 2 patients were placed in rooms designed for one bed.
His Doctor asked me to “make people aware” of the problem….”Get the offices out so we don’t have to ‘Double Bunk’ the patients.” ……..
I canvassed broadly, asked advice of my ‘elders and betters’, former Board members and Doctors themselves…..” Been there, done that, and lost….but maybe it is time to try again”.
No help from RDOS, MLA, or Government, much less IHA…..I did discover, offered not asked, that there existed a degree of dissatisfaction over IHA throughout our and other areas. Our MLA did, in the end accidentally confirm what we had suspected all along….that one reason they could not return the rooms is that they have indeed been renovated.
330names on form letters to date re Penticton Hospital according to one news account.
Our petitions are still out there, and available should you wish to help. Please phone 250.495.6702.
Thank you, Buryl Slack