Community petition on health care reaffirms Council's concerns over health issues in Prince Rupert

A petition that didn't really have a wide distribution has collected over 1,000 names and helped to spur on further discussion for City Council of growing concerns over health care in Prince Rupert.

During Monday night's Council session, the city's Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller, provided council with notice of the city's receipt of a petition from the community which had been signed by 1,027 residents, with the contributors sharing their concerns over the level of health care service in the community and fears for more reductions.

The topic came up again later in the evening with some of the Council Membership sharing those concerns of those who signed the petition, observing that the city should make use of the petition to advocate for improved services locally with both Northern Health and the Minister of Health Adrian Dix.

As part of the Council discussion period, Councillor Barry Cunningham picked up the theme noting of the ongoing concerns in the community 

"I would like to bring up the fact that this petition we just received from Concerned Citizens shows Northern Health that there is a real concern in our community about what's happening with our hospital. 

And if you look at what's happened over the years with our hospital with the services lost, large and small dialysis, ophthalmology, even though some of them were visiting specialists who no longer come here. Different types of surgery, things like that. 

It's happened slowly over a long period of time so people don't really notice it and I think you're going to see this process speeded up a little bit and I think it's a concern of a lot of people in our community of loss of services to Northern Health and that and I really think it's something that the whole community has to take a look at, as well as Council" 

The long serving council advocate on Health care in the community, also expanded on the prospect of future challenges for health care in the Prince Rupert area.

"I know we can't dictate terms to Northern Health, they have a mind of their own. But I think that if they're aware of it and if the Minister of Health is aware of it, Adrian Dix. Then maybe we can make some changes to what the plans are in the future. 

Because I can see our hospital being degraded even more and more and more services being diminished, so I think it's quite important that we start paying attention to it"

Council will follow up on the petition and Councillor Cunningham's comments by bringing the topic back for consideration at their next council Session at which time they'll prepare to forward the concerns of the community to Health officials at Northern Health as well as to MLA Rice and to Minister Adrian Dix.

Mayor Lee Brain, observed of the nature of the petition and how impressive it was to see the show of concern from the community.

"You had a civic initiative that has generated more than ten percent of the voting population of Prince Rupert in support of the concerns that they're presenting. I think that's impressive, especially since I haven't seen one thing about it on social media ... so this has become something that has clearly become a concern"

Mr Cunningham followed up on those comments by thanking the petition organizer for her efforts.

"I would like to thank Margaret Lester Lorette for spearheading that petition and she did most of it on her own. She had people going around, friends of hers and that, but it was strictly a grass root organization that did that. They didn't set up tables in any of the stores or anything, which I think if they had we would have three or four times more signatures, they just did it by talking to people,  I think it's quite an accomplishment actually "

Councillor Nick Adey added his voice to the concerns, noting of the feedback he has received on the issue in the community.

"I would just add to that, that something that I've heard in conversation with people, the concern has been something that I've heard in conversation with people as long as I've been in this position. 

I think it's important to say that this is not an expression of dissatisfaction with the people that are at the hospital doing the work that they do. 

It's an expression of dis-satisfaction with the fear that there's going to be less of them and I think that's a really important distinction to make" 

Councillor Cunningham noted that the concerns of the community ones that are shared by those health professionals as the Hospital, as well as to note of some of the challenges that have faced the community when it comes to recruitment of health professionals for the region.

Considering the grass roots nature of a petition that made the rounds with little in the way of advertising, the City Council members should take advantage of that growing concern by hosting a public forum on health care sometime before this current council faces a municipal election in the fall.

The Council members could invite representatives of Northern Health, MLA Jennifer Rice and even the Health Minister, Adrian Dix to attend such a forum, that so as to hear first hand the frustrations and concerns of the community, something which may provide for first hand advocacy towards the situation in Prince Rupert and how the services in place must be maintained and those that have been lost returned.

Letters and petitions are a powerful tools for advocacy and accountability on health care, but there probably is nothing better than an auditorium full of concerned citizens to fully bring home the level of frustration that no one seems to be listening to the local community as its health services continue to be chipped away and shifted elsewhere.

The full Council discussion of Monday evening can be reviewed from the video below starting at the 40 minute mark.

More notes on Monday's Council session can be explored from our Council Timeline.

Themes on past concerns on Health care in Prince Rupert and other items of not the from Northern Health can be reviewed from our archive page here.