oy
{

aN

ost)

ii if j ead

rig

Af AF fer i aaa

iy,

Bead)

juli

ON EAGLE RIDGE

If one reviews the Long Term and
Short Term objectives of the Ministry
of Health 1979, terms such as
“contain the cost,” “alternative
methods of delivering”, “increase out-
patient and day care services” ‘‘fullest
extent possible... home care’ and
“achieving an optimum ratio of
hospital beds to population” are used
throughout. Looking at the Simon
Fraser Health Unit area in total, St.
Mary's Hospital has large arcas of
unused space, The Royal Columbian
Hospital has unused space and has
new space proposals in the planning
stages. It thus appears that the

resent space is not being utilized to
its maximum and yet a new facility is
being planned.

POPULATION

The area the Eagle Ridge Hospital
would be located is in the fastest
growing area of the health unit while
the existing hospitals are in the
slowest. However, the great
population growth expected when the

bed hospital was first proposed

has not materialized and the area is
experiencing a much slower growth,

Vhile the population will grow
faster in the next few years, the growth
in population in this area since 1971
has been less than 20,000.

New Westminster —- 1971 - 42,083;
1979 - 39,900; Gains (-2183).

Coquitlam — 1971 - 52,400; 1979 -
62,100; Gains - 9,700.

Port Coquitlam —- 1971 - 19,570;
3979 - 27,040; Gains - 7,470.

Port Moody — 10,780; 1979 -
14,500; Gains 3,720.

Belearra — 1971 - 850; 1979 -
1,325; Gains - 502.

Totals — 1971 - 125,683; 1979 -
144,892; Gains - 19,209. (21,392
excluding New Westminster.)

LOW COST ALTERNATIVES

The true low cost allernative to a
hospital is to maximize existing
facilities and not build new ones. In
place of building hospitals, home care
programme should be preatly  in-
creased. Home care potential has only
been scratched. There are large
numbers of patlents in hospital who
could be at home, For example, many
paticnts are in just for LV. therapy
and we have shown dis can be done at
home, Many are in for preparation for
tests and much of these could be done
at home with home care homemakers
and we tive done little in obstetrics,
flome Care in this unit is ronning at
full capacity with our present stiff but
with Increased staff we could do a lot
more,

COMMUNITY DESIRES

Hospitals are the churches of today
—- every community wants one, The
original 250 bed hospital was an
excellent concept as it met the
communities’ desires, The present 110
bed facility will not meet the com-
munities’ desires as it) has no ob-
stetrics, pediatrics or psychiatry. Thus
once the 130 bed facility will prove
inadequate and community pressures
will be brought to add these services.

Patients want to be in a hospital
near their home. But all estabiished
physicians in the area (especially
specialists) will admit to R.C.H. and
St. Mary’s. Thus, you could live
behind Coquithim Centre and be
admitied to the R.C.H. because that is
where your physician admits. You can
also live in Queensborough and go toa
new physician in New Westminster
and end up in the Eagle Ridge.
Elective admissions go to the hospital
the physicians practices at.

What the community really wants
(as the Hastings Report pointed out) is
a community emergency department
for their family. The R.C.H. is not a
community emergency as it is a true
trauma centre. I'l suggest an
alternative to this in my conclusions.
The community also wants Pediatrics
and Obstetrics.

EXTENDED CARE

The extended care beds are needed
now. If the building were available
today, 67 additional acute care beds
would be available at R.C.H. and St.
Mary’s. This is aimost all the medical-
surgical beds proposed for Eagte
Ridge.

I have heard suggestions that this
could be enlarged to 150 — 225 beds.
I would only say that the over 65
population is very low in the Eagle
Ridge area and that additional sites in
Burnaby/New Westminster would.
serve the older population better,

HOSPITAL GOALS

Before going ahead with Eagle
Ridge, clear goals for the three area
huspitals need to be made clear. Eagle
Ridue’s Role and Goats Statement is

~~ This would be a community
service and would be a low:

cost alternative to a hospital ..

very good and the concept of a
comaittity hospital excellent, But Che
Ministry must te prepared to expand
the hospital as outlined on Pape 4 of
the Statement and this will again cost

money. |] am not convinced the
G.V.RALD. or the Ministry of Health
have aclear plan for the present two |
hospitals let alone a third one butt do
know that all three have very clear
plans for their own expansion,

CONCLUSIONS
_ 1. All other means of supplying -
“hospital services” in this arca have
not been exhausted especially home |
care. (Home Care was a pilot project
in this Health Unit when the hospital .
was first conceived.) -
2. Existing hospital space (and new
planned space) are not being well
used. (St. Mary's, R.C.H.'s patient -
tower.)
2, Population has not increased as |
predicted. :
4. Present hospital plans will not
meet public’s desires.
S. The $5 million operating costs
will mainly go to treatment, leaving
little for prevention,

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Increase the Community Home
Care Program greatly. Staff the
Health Unit so that maternity,
pediatrics, 1.V. therapy, pre-operative
preparation, pre-clinical — in-
vestigations preparation etc., are done
at home and in out-patients.

2. Defer the 11¢ bed hospital for at
least five years.

3. Build a 75-100 bed extended
care unit now. Consider a mixed
extended care/intermediate care
complex but this not encouraged as
senior citizens don’t live around the
site.

4. Build a Community Health
District building on the site to house
Public Health Nurses and Inspectors,
Nutritionist, Speech Therapiss,
Mental Health, | Physiotherapist.
Audiologist, Home Care, volunteer co-
ordinator, Long Term Care. Provide
clinic space, education § space,
rehabilitation space... The present
health unit lease expires in June 1981
and the building is presently |
inadequate.

§. Build into cither the extended
care unit or the Community Health
District Building, «a Community .
Emergency Department. This would
be Sasically a general practice office
open evenings, nights, weekends and
holidays and staffed by community
physicians under the guidance of
perhaps the R.C.IL. emergency, It
would have a small surgery (for cuts),
east room and simple x-ray equipment
for chests/linsbs.

This is what the community would
want in that area -~ a phice tu take a
eut child and not wait for a four car
pileup to be treated, This would be a
community service and would be a
low-cost alternative toa hospital,

FJ. Blatherwick, -
M.D., PLR.CPL(C)
Director
Simon Fraser Health Unit