Whereas local health care at all stages of life impacts the economic development of communities: e.g. family members lose work time, people and their businesses move out of the community or choose not to locate there; And whereas ageing in place keeps seniors close to home, where their partner, family or friends are better able to provide loving support and care, which reduces the load on health care providers and improves quality of life for all; And whereas concentrating health services in regional centers transfers a significant economic burden to individuals in the form of transportation costs, increased energy consumption and housing in-affordability; And whereas providing health care jobs in small communities stimulates the local economy with numerous spin-off benefits, creating opportunities to attract new people, their families, and businesses; And whereas our elderly, and all patients, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, not as users; Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call upon the Government of British Columbia to build a strategy to expand rural and remote community health care services.
Ministry of Health The Ministry agrees that supporting local health care is key to improving life in rural British Columbia. Many of the initiatives are linked to StrongerBC, BCs Economic Recovery Plan that is focused on making health care stronger, getting people back to work, supporting businesses, and helping communities. There are a number of programs currently underway to enhance the quality and accessibility of health services in communities across the province, including: Primary Care Networks Through the development of Primary Care Networks PCNs, the Ministry is working with communities to build out and strengthen primary care services within communities. In the Kootenay region, the Kootenay Boundary PCN is in its second year of implementation and has hired 27 additional health providers as of January 7, 2021, including a physiotherapist and social worker for the Kaslo Primary Health Clinic. Seniors Services In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC government rolled out Safe Seniors, Strong Communities, a province wide program that matches seniors who need support with non-medical essentials e.g. grocery delivery, prescription pick up and delivery, transportation to volunteers in their community who are willing to help. To support registration of both seniors and volunteers in Safe Seniors, Strong Communities, the provincial government expanded bc211, a non-profit organization that provides free information and referral to community, government, and social services. Previously only available in the lower mainland and on Vancouver Island, bc211 is now province wide. bc211 is available 247 by calling or texting 211; interpretation services are available in over 160 languages. Through the implementation of the Health Career Access Program HCAP, the Province is increasing the supply of Health Care Assistants HCAs in BC and supporting employment transitions to the health sector. HCAP provides an opportunity for individuals to begin employment in the long term care and assisted living sector in a non-direct care role the Health Care Support Worker, HCSW and receive employer-sponsored training leading to a provincially recognized Health Care Assistant HCA credential. The Ministry works with health authorities and other employers to identify HCAP opportunities and to increase the available pool of HCAs to care for seniors across the province. Overall, up to 3000 new HCSW positions are being made available through the program. Rural Programs for Physicians Recruiting and retaining physicians in smaller, rural communities is a challenge across Canada. The Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues JSC, with representation from Doctors of BC, the Ministry of Health and health authorities, was established under formal agreement between the Government and Doctors of BC DoBC in 2001 to enhance the delivery of rural health care. The goal of the JSC is to enhance the availability and stability of physician services in rural and remote areas of BC by addressing some of the unique, demanding, and difficult circumstances encountered by rural physicians. A suite of 13 rural programs have been designed to assist and support physicians in rural practice. This includes the Rural Retention Program RRP which provides an incentive to physicians who practice in rural communities and a further incentive for physicians who reside and practice in rural communities; the Rural Continuing Medical Education CME which provides an annual payment to rural physicians to assist with their medical education; a Recruitment Incentive for physicians who are recruited to fill a vacancy in the physician supply plan in a rural community; the Recruitment Contingency Fund which provides funding to health authorities to assist with recruitments costs such as advertising and site visits and also provides relocation expenses for physicians; and the Rural Locum Programs which provides physicians in eligible communities with a designated number of days 28 to 43 dependent upon community designation to allow them time off for vacation, CME or health needs. International Medical Graduate IMG Return of Service Program Of the 58 entry-level IMG positions within UBCs Post Graduat Medical Education program, 52 of them are in Family Medicine. Family Medicine IMGs complete a two-year Return of Service ROS in a designated BC community of need immediately after residency training; the remaining six IMG positions are dedicated for specialty training that requires a three-year ROS. As of January 22, 2021, 319 family and 54 specialist IMGs have been placed in 89 BC communities. Practice Ready Assessment-BC Program PRA-BC The PRA-BC is a program for internationally educated family physicians FPs who have completed residency training outside Canada. The program provides an alternative pathway to licensure in exchange for a practice commitment in a health authority-identified community. PRA-BC is partially funded by the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues JSC, a partnership between the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC, to help address access to rural FPs in BC by requiring successful applicants to provide a three-year Return of Service ROS in a rural community of need. As of 2020, PRA-BC assesses up to 32 family physicians each year 16 rural placements; 16 PCN placements. All candidates must pass a rigorous assessment process to ensure they meet the standards of practice in the province before the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC grants them a license to practice in BC. As of January 22, 2021, 126 IMGs successfully completed PRA-BC, and have been placed in 45 rural BC communities.