Whereas every year hundreds of British Columbians are diagnosed with chronic conditions and diseases that necessitate specialized medical treatment requiring long term stays near but not in hospital, there are disparities in health outcomes between rural and urban patients; And whereas residents of rural and remote communities in British Columbia requiring specialized medical treatment for complex care in urban centres face significant challenges including high travel and accommodation costs, the psychosocial impacts of healthcare away from home and community, the loss of income during treatment period, and increasingly limited availability of affordable accommodations, hotel rooms, or short term rentals; And whereas the Province of British Columbia, reflected in its 2024 mandate, is committed to both improved health care for British Columbians when they need it, and attainable and affordable housing to deliver more homes for people faster: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM advocate for the Provincial Government of British Columbia to alleviate the financial and logistical burdens associated with seeking specialized medical care far from home by developing and implementing comprehensive policies and programs to assist patients needing to travel for healthcare, and ensure that patients have access to affordable, comfortable, and convenient accommodations; And be it further resolved that UBCM request the Province consider and implement ways to deliver and dedicate subsidized accommodations in and adjacent to large urban health centres specifically purposed for longer term specialized medical treatment.
Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ministry of Health The Province is committed to supporting BC residents who must travel within the province for specialized medical services, especially those living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. BC residents have access to a variety of medical travel supports through provincial and regional programs. The primary public program for medical travel in BC is the Ministry of Healths HLTHs Travel Assistance Program TAP. TAP helps alleviate some of the transportation costs for eligible BC residents who must travel within the province for non-emergency medical specialist services not available in their own community upon referral by a physician or nurse practitioner. Meals, accommodation, mileage, fuel, and local transportation expenses are not included in TAP. In addition to TAP, residents have access to medical travel support through various targeted programs. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction SDPR and the Ministry of Children and Family Development MCFD both offer travel supports. SDPR offers medical transportation supplements to some recipients of income assistance and disability assistance including assistance with transportation, food, or support costs, accommodation, and companion costs as applicable. MCFDs At Home Program provides travel and accommodation assistance for children with disabilities when the child must travel more than 80 kilometres to access specialized medical care related to their disability. Lastly, the BC Family Residence Program provides accommodation assistance to enable families living outside Metro Vancouver to stay together when their child requires medical care at BC Childrens Hospital or Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. Health Connections is a health authority based regional travel assistance program that offers subsidized transportation options to help defray costs for rural residents who must travel to obtain non-emergency, physician-referred medical care outside their home communities. Health authorities have implemented Health Connections programs to meet the unique needs of selected communities in their regions. BC residents may also qualify for the First Nations Health Authority Medical Transportation Benefit, which helps with costs of meals, accommodation and transportation to assist in travel to medical appointments outside of community of residence. The Province remains committed to supporting BC residents who must travel outside of their home communities for medical care while working to address ongoing pressures to the health care budget. This includes a commitment to review TAP and other medical travel assistance and available funding in BC As part of the Homes for People Action Plan, the Province also remains committed to delivering affordable rental homes, and working with homeowners, small-scale landlords, developers, and local governments to support new, long-term rental units that meet a diverse range of community needs.