Regional governments want to give more money to community health clinics, but the province won’t let them.
Last year, the regional hospital board for Campbell River and the Comox Valley, which also covers regional districts from mid-Island to the north, tried to increase its annual grants to rural health clinics from $5,000 to $10,000. However, they couldn’t, because they aren’t officially named and recognized by the province as health facilities.
Despite asking the province for clarification, there’s been no meaningful feedback for more than a year, says Area C (Quadra Island) Director Susan Mawhinney, who serves on the hospital board.
“The Ministry of Health has declined to consider these facilities be named, which is a requirement of the Hospital District Act,” she said in the Dec. 14 Strathcona Regional District Board meeting. “We have appealed the ministry’s decision. At this time no decision from the appeal to the ministry has been received.”
Clinics owned and operated by communities and non-profits are captured by the naming issue. Six First Nations health clinics and societies from Denman and Hornby Islands north are affected, along with 10 community clinics. They include:
- Cortes Health Centre
- Tahsis Health Centre
- Zeballos Health Centre
- Gold River Health Centre
- Kyuquot Health Centre
- Sayward Health Centre
- Harbourside Medical Clinic
- Quadra Island Medical Clinic
- Denman Island Medical Clinic
- Hornby Island Medical Clinic
- Kwakiutl District Council Health Centre (supporting Wei Wai Kum and Wei Wai Kai First
- Nations)
- Klahoose First Nation Health Centre
- Homalco First Nation Health Centre
- Laichwiltach Family Life Society
- K’ómoks First Nation Health Centre
- Wachiay Friendship Centre
The Strathcona Regional District is writing a formal letter. asking the province to designate the clinics as health facilities, a move which Island Health also supports.
