Mayors want audit of Northern Health

*Determine current level of core services;

*Mapping to identify overlaps, staffing levels;

*Review support networks; *Review recruitment processes, and

*Identify challenging trends

And while the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges, COVID has highlighted some serious cracks that have developed over time.

“The letter that we have sent does outline a rather significant framework that we feel needs to be inclusive,” explains Lori Ackerman, Mayor of Fort St. John. “To take a look at some of the issues that the communities might be feeling. But, really, all of this is done to support the health care workers that we have.”

While more rural hospitals have been facing the greatest challenges with things like patient diversions, a lack of paramedics, and so on, University Hospital of Northern BC is no exception when it comes to staffing shortages and recruitment challenges.

“I don’t even remember a time when UHNBC wasn’t in over-capacity,” says Danette Thomsen with the BC Nurses Union. “Our intensivists and our nurses that are ICU nurses that are there care for our entire Northern region and they’re raising alarms over and over and over again. I truthfully worry that we’re going to lose them as staff. Some of those doctors.”

And while there are five mayors as signatories to the letter, it has been forwarded to every mayor in the Northern Health region and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

by Cheryl Jahn

Mayors want audit of Northern Health

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