TO: Membersof Council . March 9th 973.
FROM: Mayor L.B. Scott : |
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At the present time the two units of the Simon Fraser Health service in

our area are operating at their full capacity, to say the least.

The new Provincial Government Health Minister, The Honourable D.G. Cocke,
has already indicated that his Department intends to proceed with the established
procedures of both increasing the volume of home~nursing care to help shorten up
the "regular™ hospital confinement periods and to "phase out" the present con-
centrated mental care facilities at Riverview Hospital.

These two steps when fully implemented would make a substantial increase
to the work load to be carried out by our two existing Simon Fraser Health Units,
located on Wilson Avenue and Poirier Street.

We all realize, I am sure, that many months of study, planning and
arrangements of a cost-sharing formula would precede the possible start of any
expansion to existing facilities or the construction of new quarters.

Also, the possibility of the combining of the Welfare Department services
in the same buildings should be fully investigated, as this has already been
suggested by the new Health Minister.

The higher school population in Port Coquitlam has already necessitated
the moving of one additional nurse to our local unit and more staff shifts are
already indicated.

The Mentai Health Unit is also overcrowded and must be expanded along
with other facilities.

Tentative plans call for the establishing of a new Community Health
Centre building in the new Port Moody City Centre site area in the vicinity of
their new Recreation Centre. This would, hopefully, resolve the situation as

far as Port Moody is concerned.

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