The growing push for a new hospital in Tofino

Tofino, BC – Tofino General Hospital (TGH) was built in 1954 to serve a regional population of 400, according to the Tofino Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Since then, the area’s population has grown to about 10,000, with visitation levels reaching an estimated 600,000 people annually in 2018, the chamber added.

In a letter to Health Secretary Adrian Dix on March 28, the chamber urgently stressed the need to replace the hospital to accommodate this growth.

While Island Health said TGH “rejuvenation” has been noted among the priority projects, the chamber is concerned that it may take another 10 years countywide before a new facility is built.

“A decade is a very long time frame to rely on the current facility,” said Laura MacDonald, president of the Tofino Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. “With the number of visits and the number of regional residents increasing every year, the pressure on the current hospital… is getting too great.”

When six people tragically died after a whale-watching boat capsized off the coast of Tofino in 2015, the chamber said TGH was “completely inadequate” to deal with the emergency.

“It was a mess,” said Camilla Thoroughgood, director of the Tofino General Hospital Foundation. “The waiting room can seat four or five people, and there were dozens of people trying to help.”

According to PreparedBC, the “probability of a devastating earthquake” to hit the coast of British Columbia in the next 50 years is one in three.

“Hospital assessments indicate that the building could face potential disaster during an earthquake – just when West Coast residents need it most,” says a 2019 Vital Report from Tofino General Hospital Corporation.

The hospital’s 2015 asset detail report also confirmed that it “likely to have sustained severe damage or collapse during a severe earthquake.”

“Not only does this present an unacceptable threat to the local population, but it is also difficult to invite visitors in such numbers to an area that does not have adequate emergency sanitation,” the chamber wrote in its letter.

The story continues

Island Health said it “recognizes the need to address the aging infrastructure at Tofino General Hospital.”

Over the past 10 years, Island Health said it has invested more than $3.8 million in projects and equipment for the facility.

Al Jazeera Health added that it is working closely with the Ministry of Health and has received approval to begin preparing a conceptual plan for the “proposed TGH project”.

They added that this work is expected to begin in the “near future”.

“While this is an important first step in the process, it should be noted that there are many steps between conceptual planning and final approval of a project of this nature,” Island Health said. “These steps may take several years to complete.”

Meanwhile, Island Health said it will continue to “ensure that the hospital is maintained to standards that enable us to provide the best possible care.”

Tofino Hospital serves about 1,800 First Nations residents from surrounding communities, including Tla-o-qui-aht, Toquaht, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Hesquiaht and Ahousaht First Nation, according to the vital report.

Ahousaht First Nation president-elect Greg Lowe said he is advocating for the new hospital on behalf of his country and the region as a whole.

He said, “The hospital is small, old and outdated, and there are some services in which the hospital needs improvement.” “First Nations is the fastest growing in the area, and with Tofino being a very attractive tourist center, the hospital is very, very small.”

In its current state, the hospital does not have a maternity ward. This means that women and families must travel to Port Alberni, Nanaimo or Victoria to receive care. Not only is it stressful financially, Lowe said, it’s a waste of time.

Ahousaht’s senior counselor said the hospital does not have a psychiatric classification, which has been particularly challenging during the height of COVID-19.

Lowe said mental wellness is not adequately addressed. Without a psychiatric classification, patients are released without receiving comprehensive care, he said.

He said it was “creating a revolving door” for patients entering and leaving the hospital.

Thorogood said the current infrastructure lacks a cultural area or a large space for people to gather when someone passes by.

“It’s very important,” she said. “We need some kind of space for that.”

Lowe echoed the sentiment by saying that when Ahosts are in the hospital at the end of their lives, family members need somewhere to go.

Their room is full, the corridors are full, the small waiting area is full, there are people in the front entrance [and] “There are people outside,” he said. “Lots of family members come to the hospital, so having this space is very important – culturally and spiritually [it’s] Very important to our people.”

During a meeting on January 17, Lowe said the health minister assured him that “Tofino Hospital is next.”

Lowe said decisions should be made collaboratively between local and regional governing bodies and the First Nation.

“We really should share this together,” he said.

A site for the new hospital has not been solidified, but Tofino General Hospital Foundation President Arlene McGuinness said: “We feel that the hospital’s good location is on the land where it is now located.”

McGuinness said the foundation’s grounds across from the Tonquin Medical Clinic are for medical use only.

“We can’t use it for anything else,” she said. “We would like to see it used as part of the hospital project.”

Thoroughgood said the foundation was “strongly” against moving the hospital to a new location because it would make it more difficult for residents abroad to access care and support for loved ones.

“Talking to your loved ones makes you feel a little connected, not isolated,” she said.

While Thoroughod said the boycott was “very supportive” of the institution, they did not see any concrete steps forward.

“I think they’re listening,” she said. They know us well. We were so loud.”

Melissa Renwick, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Here’s what health SA

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