The West Chilcotin Healthcare Society received $50,000 from the Province for specialized equipment for their remote medical clinic. The clinic provides primary and interim emergency care to a tight-knit community of 500 people.

“Supporting primary care in rural and remote communities is a priority in our work to strengthen the health-care model for all British Columbians,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “This medical equipment will help staff at the West Chilcotin Health Centre deliver high-quality care closer to where their patients live and work.”

This Interior Health clinic serves the regions of Kleena Klene, Puntzi, Chilko, Bluff, Sapeye, Tatla and Tatlayoko lakes. Dr. Robert Coetzee provides medical services at the West Chilcotin Health Centre, which is staffed by Ruth Kuehl-Venn, a remote-certified nurse, and receptionist April Wright. With the nearest hospital three hours away by road in Williams Lake, the staff provide a wide variety of care daily, and emergency medicine as needed while ambulance support is on the way.

“The ranchers, loggers and old homesteader families of the West Chilcotin are an incredibly self-reliant community,” said Donna Barnett, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin. “Providing this equipment supports this independence, while ensuring medical staff have the right tools at their fingertips to provide medical care quickly and effectively.”

The government funds supplement the $40,000 raised in the community over the past several years. Seeing a need to provide updated and specialized medical equipment for the community, residents and local businesses have come together to fundraise to buy medical equipment that they themselves or neighbours may need one day.

“For such a small community, we’ve had an overwhelming amount of support for the clinic; logging companies who work in the area, lodges and families have been incredibly generous,” said Dr. Mike Smialowski, retired physician and president of the society. “The purchases we have made and are making will exponentially increase the medical capabilities within in the community.”

In an area where house calls are a regular part of family practice, Dr. Smialowski shares that in a community where you know everybody, doctors may attend to patients wherever they are, at all hours, for a wide variety of medical concerns.

“Depending on the severity of the call, we may provide complete medical treatment for our patients on the spot or stabilize them until an ambulance arrives by air or road, which can sometimes take several hours,” said Smialowski. “Having specialized medical equipment, such as a cardiac monitor and defibrillator or an intra-osseous drill can mean better emergency medical treatment and outcomes for patients.”

To improve health care for British Columbians in every region of the province, the Ministry of Health has developed the overarching strategy, Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health System. As part of this, a series of policy papers – with a focus on primary and community care, rural health services and health human resources – were created to help guide the changes needed to build a better health system.

Learn more:

To read the Ministry of Health’s strategic document, Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health System and the accompanying policy papers, please visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=EF73BCF3DE34484CB4DBA9E34092402C