West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District Board: Funding hospital equipment and capital projects in our region
By Regional District of Central Kootenay
The West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District (WKBRHD) plays a vital role in shaping the future of health care across the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), championing the needs of rural residents and ensuring access to quality medical services for all. The WKBRHD Board is comprised of 17 Directors from the RDCK and 13 Directors from the RDKB.
Under the Hospital District Act, the WKBRHD is responsible for providing funding for capital costs associated with construction, acquisition, and maintenance of facilities, and equipment in the region. The projects and priorities are proposed by Interior Health (IH) on an annual basis, in consultation with the WKBRHD. The WKBRHD typically pays up to 40% of the cost of approved projects, while the remaining 60% is funded by the Provincial Government or through donations. This means 40% of the costs are covered directly by taxpayers within the RDCK and RDKB.
Recent WKBRHD funding has gone towards the Nelson Community Health Campus including the long-term care facility, MRI expansion at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail, new CT scanners at KBRH and Kootenay Lake Hospital (Nelson), infrastructure upgrades at the Boundary Hospital (Grand Forks), including a building management system upgrade, new multizone air handling unit, and accessible washrooms, plus a mental health community location in Nelson. Each year, several other projects related to upgrading vital building systems, deploying new health technologies, or providing new equipment are approved by the WKBRHD for large and small health facilities throughout the region.
“Our Board is deeply committed to ensuring the voices of our rural and remote communities are heard,” said Everett Baker, WKBRHD Board Chair. “Advocating for increased support and investment in local health care is vital to improving essential services and ensuring that every resident, no matter where they live, receives the care they deserve.”
This summer the WKBRHD Board met with three Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia; Brittny Anderson, Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities, Steve Morissette, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, and Donegal Wilson, to advocate for rural health care services in the region. Priorities include a second access road to KBRH, additional seniors living facilities in rural areas, upgrades to the KBRH emergency room, and a treatment centre to assist individuals in recovery.
As well, the WKBRHD Board is focused on improving dialysis services in the region, upgrading transit services through the Health Connections service for rural residents, requesting firm completion dates of IH projects, including the relocation of the Oncology Department at Kootenay Lake Hospital, medical device reprocessing renovation planning the Kootenay Lake Hospital, and exterior mechanical room access at KBRH, and regularly meeting with Provincial Government Ministries regarding increases in support for rural and remote health care.
“We appreciate the opportunity to have an open dialogue with our local MLA’s and provincial ministries on a regular basis,” said Baker. “Our mandate is clear – to continue to advocate for the health care needs of our region today and into the future.”
For more information, including Board agendas and minutes, follow the link: www.rdck.ca/WKBRHD.
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