Smithers Town Council says it will be forwarding a letter by a local resident to the Northwest Regional Hospital District after concerns of the access to healthcare.
The letter raises concerns regarding travel to different hospitals within the region for access to different procedures and the accessibility to transit within the region.
According to the letter, there is a concern that once the new hospital in Terrace is built that there will be a loss of services in the Smithers area.
Councillor Casda Thomas said during Tuesday’s (Feb 8) council meeting that advocacy on the topic of health care should be continued.
“This is a challenge that others have also been having in the community, I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon from what I can tell, We do talk a lot around this table about senior being able to age in place and how important that is to community and so, I think this is a sentiment shared by many,” she said.
Thomas added she is committed to doing advocacy with Minister of Health Adrian Dix on the issue.
Councillor Greg Brown said that Smithers is stuck in the middle between hubs like Prince George and Terrace.
“We really have to make a point that actually it’s a long ways and you just can’t let it atrophy, you can’t let healthcare in the healthcare atrophy and there’s an opportunity here to actually build it up,” he said.
Thomas also said council should continue to encourage the province to continue down the path of hospital replacement.
In July, construction started in Terrace for a new Mills Memorial Hospital.
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