I have been following the debates and protests over the two unused floors in the Vernon Jubilee Hospital. What I have gleaned from these discussions and demonstrations is that there is a shortage of beds causing delays in emergency admitting patients. I did some research and found out the following:
1. According to the Ministry of Health Services: “Wait times for residential care in B.C. have been reduced from up to one year in 2001 to a median wait of less than 90 days today”.
2. The University of British Columbia faculty of medicine states the VJH hospital has 161 acute beds and 161 extended care beds.
3. According to “Health Services – Welcome to the North Okanagan” website northokanagan.net: Vernon Jubilee Hospital – This facility offers a wide array of medical and health services such as emergency, diabetic day care, intensive care, maternity and pediatrics, a cancer clinic, psychiatric care, respiratory therapy and surgical services. This hospital is the major health facility within the region with a total of 159 beds, 183 extended-care and special extended-care beds.
From these and from personal experience I gather that there are many seniors waiting in acute beds to get placement in a nursing home. Who pays for these extended stays in VJH?
Some B.C. hospitals are charging these patients for extended care, as reported on the CBC.
The hospitals charge nursing home fees for care the government should be providing in nursing homes. Why not build more nursing homes?
Why doesn’t the government temporarily turn the two floors in question, into a nursing home environment, staffed with individuals who specialize in the care and nurturing of the elderly.
These patients could wait there until permanent arrangements could be made, rather than taking up a hospital bed in one of the wards. When the government has built enough facilities to house the growing elderly population, you could simply move all patients, equipment and staff to a new facility, turning the two floors in question to acute care beds.
Turning these floors into a nursing home should come from the government’s senior care budget and not affect the operations budget of VJH.
This should free up some acute care beds now occupied by senior’s waiting for nursing home placement, ease emergency admitting backlogs, and allow the nursing staff to take care of acute care patients.
I have been in intensive care several times, and it is a shame to not allow these wonderful doctors and nurses to treat acute care patients in a more timely manner.
Malcolm Farago
Lumby
