Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach wants to meet with Northern Health regarding wait times for residential care at the Bulkley Lodge.
Bachrach says right now there are people using beds at the hospital while waiting to get into the long-term care facility.
He’s also concerned that Smithers will be losing mammography screening services if Northern Health decides to switch to a mobile unit.
Bachrach says council is going to advocate for the community before any decisions are final.
“There are a lot of facts that we still need to get.”
As for the Bulkley Lodge, Bacrach says there should be a look at increasing the capacity of services if wait times worsen.
“Our community is ageing and we’re going to be seeing more of theses issues and pressures on our health care system and on our facilities. We want to make sure we’re ahead of the curve and that we have a plan in place to meet the needs of people that need these services,” says Bachrach.
Council’s plans to meet with Northern Health on both issues at next week’s North Central Local Government Association convention have been postponed.
Bachrach says they’ll look at setting another date.