Using old hospital for seniors a good idea
Dear Health Minister Adrian Dix, plus North Cowichan mayor and council:
Thanks so much for attending the site of our new Cowichan District Hospital on April 1.
While I welcome our new hospital, I was also delighted to hear it reported in our April 8, 2021 Cowichan Citizen newspaper you and the province may entertain using our aging, yet superb, hospital for seniors’ care and/or housing.
Our current, excellent CDH is a solid facility built with sterling community support.
You also correctly explained future use of our current facility could nicely dovetail with treating Cowichan’s aging population and its growing health needs.
I truly applaud using our current gold-standard facility for those and other uses — such as a secondary ER unit — rather than simply tearing it down and sadly hauling the debris to an undetermined site.
Indeed, I believe those alternative uses could help make the Cowichan Valley an exemplary showpiece of public and private health and help its spinoff businesses.
That would include attracting more world-class doctors, surgeons, nurses, and other care professionals here — plus use of our facilities as vital teaching hubs.
That cogent goal would also take the heat off our strained medical facilities in Victoria, Nanaimo and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, I was chuffed to finally hear our new CDH will offer about 200 beds, up from our current number of beds that are constantly full in our busy hospital.
Minister Dix, the more staffed beds the better!
I also support local demands for free parking at our new hospital, and continued free parking at our current CDH.
Minister Dix, thanks in advance for your kind consideration of our community’s ideas and health concerns.
Peter W. Rusland
North Cowichan
