All area residents who access medical services at the Ashcroft Hospital and Health Centre are invited to attend a public meeting in Ashcroft on Thursday, Oct. 17.
The meeting, being held by Interior Health (IH), will include an overview of the health authority; an overview of services available in Ashcroft and the region; a description of the current status (what services are available at the Health Centre and when, how to access them, how the services connect); the current status of the Emergency Department and how residents are supported to receive care on weekends; and an overview of the collaboration and the work that is underway locally to best understand where there are gaps and what opportunities are possible.
The meeting will feature a presentation by Karen Bloemink, Vice President Clinical Operations IH North, who says that the meeting will be focused on the needs of the Ashcroft and area community, on the hospital and Health Centre, and where Interior Health goes from here in terms of meeting the needs of the community.
“The Emergency Department service has stabilized,” says Bloemink. “The key message is that people need to know what’s happening at the health centre, and what services they can receive right now.”
She adds that a new Nursing Team Leader is now at the site, after the person who was previously there took a position in another community.
“Her job is to oversee all of the clinical functions that occur in the building: long term care, emergency services, and community health services. We have Registered Nurses in the building Monday through Friday who are able to provide unplanned, non-emergent health care services, such as IV therapy and blood draws, when the emergency department isn’t open.”
The meeting will take place at the Ashcroft Community Hall on Bancroft Street from 7 to 8:30 p.m. After Bloemink’s presentation there will be a short break and an opportunity for table discussions, followed by a moderated question and answer session, with audience members able to ask verbal and written questions.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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