Former CEO Kines says new structure has potential to be a better model
Residents in the Sea to Sky Corridor should not expect drastic changes to their health care system in the near future, despite the recent overhaul of the provincial health care system.
"The message we've been given by the new authority is that it's business as usual... you can't change big organizations like this overnight," said Catriona Park, the director of continuing care under the former Coast Garibaldi Health Services Society.
"Everything is the same right now. Our primary responsibility is to make sure the patients and clients are getting the care they desire," she added.
On Dec. 12 the provincial government scrapped the 52 regional health authorities throughout B.C. and replaced them with five larger health authorities and a Provincial Health Services Authority.
The Sea to Sky Community Health Council and the Coast Garibaldi Community Health Services Society, which previously governed the corridor, were folded into an amalgamated body called the Vancouver Coastal Authority.
In addition to the two health authorities in the corridor, this merger brings together the former Vancouver, Richmond and North Shore health regions, as well as the Powell River and Sunshine Coast Community Health Councils.
"They undid six years of structure, six years of people volunteering their time, for the new structure that they believe to be more efficient," said Fran Cuthbert, the former chair of the Sea to Sky Community Health Council Board. "It's a bit of a let down in some respects."
The old health authority boards, comprised of volunteer members like Cuthbert, were dissolved the same day the Liberals announced the province-wide changes to the system.
"The concern, from having served on the health council for the last six years, is our representation," said Cuthbert. "Now we don't know what the board structure will be. I think the community should be very concerned about this."
The provincial government appointed Keith Purchase, former executive vice-president and CEO of MacMillan Bloedel, to chair the new Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Board.
Purchase will be appointing new board members by the end of January but at the moment, there is no indication how many will be chosen.
"There are concerns because of the uncertainty (of the whole situation)," said Brian Kines, the former CEO of the Sea to Sky Community Health Council.
Under the new Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Kines has become an interim manager for the corridor.
He remains positive about the changes.
"The early signs are that it certainly has the potential to be a better model than the previous one," he said.
The changes represent a move away from a two-fold decision-making system, involving the local health authorities and the Ministry of Health.
"This is a movement to one decision-making authority. I think this makes for a much quicker and more effective decision making model," he said.
Under the old system, the province had to co-ordinate all 52 health authorities under one umbrella.
"I think that the old system wasn't very co-ordinated. With that many health authorities, there is a great opportunity for things to be unco-ordinated," said Park.
But it still remains to be seen whether this new model will be more efficient, said Cuthbert. And its efficiency may come at a huge cost, she added.
"There is a great risk of losing services in rural areas because they'll have to achieve operating efficiency," she said.
She was less concerned about the potential loss of services in Whistler than she was about Pemberton.
"The plan is to continue to operate as we are. I've not heard of anything to suggest a reduction of services in the corridor, for example in Pemberton," said Kines.
Park also stressed that since the new health authority was established she hasn't seen any signs that there will be a loss of services to the rural areas.
"We are participants in the process as well... It's our responsibility as advocates for our area that the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority understands the importance of rural health care," she said.
Concerns have also been raised about the deficits some of the former authorities are bringing with them into the amalgamated system.
Some of those authorities have huge operating deficits, said Cuthbert. She is concerned how this will impact the services in the corridor, which operated at a minimum deficit.
"The Sea to Sky Council is in a balanced position. There are deficits in some of the other health authorities. I don't know how that will impact services," said Kines.
Despite the many concerns about the new system, there are also potential benefits to the corridor being part of a larger authority.
"A lot of the positives have yet to be determined. One may be a more efficient delivery model and another is establishing a formalized link into Vancouver," said Cuthbert.
"But at this point my concerns outweigh the positives," she added.
Like any major change, there is a lot of apprehension about the unknown said Kines.
"There are a lot of factors that have to be considered by this new authority. I don't think change will happen overnight. It's very complicated," said Park.
In addition to the Vancouver Coastal Authority, the four remaining amalgamated authorities are the Northern Health Authority, the Interior Health Authority, the Fraser Health Authority and the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
There are three Health Services Delivery Areas within the Vancouver Coastal Authority: North Shore/Coast Garibaldi, Vancouver and Richmond.
The government also created the Provincial Health Services Authority which plans the co-ordination and delivery of provincial programs and highly specialized health care services like heart transplants and burn treatments.
"I think it will take a few months to realize exactly what it means," said Kines.
For more information call the VanCoastal Health Information Line at 1-866-884-0888 or 604-875-4252 or log on to www.vancoastalhealth.ca
