Archives for January 5, 2021

• IH is reporting 61 new cases since Jan. 4, for a total of 4,239.
• 769 cases are active and on isolation.
• Thirty-five people are in hospital; seven of them in ICU.
• Total number of deaths in IH has risen to 33.

o   1 death in community/hospital.

Update on outbreaks:

• Creekside Landing long-term care in Vernon has 11 cases: eight residents and three staff.
• Williams Lake Seniors Village has two cases: one resident and one staff.
• Noric House long-term care in Vernon has 10 cases: eight residents and two staff.
• Heritage Square long-term care in Vernon has 31 cases: 21 residents and 10 staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna has 42 cases: 37 residents and five staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Teck mining operations remains at 16 IH cases linked to the outbreak.
• McKinney Place long-term care in Oliver has 77 cases: 54 residents and 23 staff, with 13 deaths connected to this outbreak.
• Village by the Station long-term care in Penticton has nine cases: five residents and four staff, with one death connected to this outbreak.
• Mountainview Village long-term care in Kelowna has 16 cases: eight residents and eight staff, with two deaths connected to this outbreak.

***

“Today, we are reporting 428 new cases of COVID-19, including two epi-linked cases, for a total of 54,629 cases in British Columbia.

“There are 6,472 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 367 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 77 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

“Currently, 8,596 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 45,999 people who tested positive have recovered.

“Since we last reported, we have had 90 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 223 new cases in the Fraser Health region, nine in the Island Health region, 61 in the Interior Health region, 45 in the Northern Health region and no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

“To date, 28,209 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in British Columbia. Our focus is to ensure we safely deliver the vaccines as quickly as possible to communities across the province, using all available supply.

“While the focus is on first-priority populations in the next three months, as new vaccines are approved and additional supply becomes available, we will incorporate the additional doses into our distribution to enable as many people as possible to be immunized as soon as they can.

“There have been eight new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 954 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have had one new health-care facility outbreak at St. Paul’s Hospital.

“A public alert has been issued for the Revelstoke region, where community transmission and new cases of COVID-19 have increased substantially in recent days. The alert is a caution for all of us to continue to follow public health guidelines and restrictions.

 

Source: BC Centre for Disease Control

 

WEEK 27

JANUARY 5, 2021 REGULAR DRAW WINNER OF $52.00 – Ticket 356 – Daryn Pottinger

JANUARY 5, 2021 REGULAR DRAW WINNER OF $100.00 – Ticket 179 – Ker Webber

Kristen Mason is organizing this fundraising appeal on behalf of Esmeralda Braga.

On the night of January 1st we lost someone who has been apart of our family for the past 3 years, Jasper Brian Braga, better known as ‘JB’ to all who have known and loved him at the A&W in his home town of Osoyoos

His Mom and he started to work with our family back in 2017 where we saw great growth as time went by, JB was such a kind soul that touched everyone’s hearts, let me tell you though JB was famous for being just a couple minutes late, but it never mattered because we always knew he would be there, and everyone always got excited when he came walking in because he always brought so much joy into work, Singing and dancing while cooking, he always made the best out of his time with us.

He will always and forever be in our hearts. We would like to help out his mom Esmeralda who had her son leave her way to soon in life, and who is waiting to have her husband home who is fighting for his life at the Kelowna hospital.

Please help this amazing woman with all funding towards her sons funeral as well as all hospital fees that come along, as well as to help her get through the hardest moment in life.

Go Fund Me

Primary Care Clinic Funding

RECOMMENDATION:
That the Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District maintain their current financial model, which does not include funding clinics to facilitate physician recruitment.

BACKGROUND:
During discussions around the 2019 Business Plan, the Board indicated that access to healthcare providers in the South Okanagan and Similkameen was of interest, and that they would like to explore Regional District participation in physician recruitment. Regional conversations around access to primary care were spearheaded by the South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice (SOSDFP). SOSDFP is a membership corporation for primary care providers covering the same geographic area as the regional district and supports a full-service physician network, team-based care, long-term care, maternity care and many more healthcare functions. They are also very involved in physician recruitment.

While SOSDFP was investigating which factors motivated physicians to choose one location to practice over another, they found that—among other variables—professional support was a key factor. If a young doctor can locate in a community that has clinic space available; doesn’t require a investment; has other providers in the clinic to assist with advice and patient support; and if they can focus on being a physician rather than a business owner, they may prefer that solution.

Through the Ministry of Health and Health Authorities, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and Urgent and Primary Care Centre’s(UPCCs) are being initiated and established throughout the province to meet the conditions that are attractive to general practitioners.

The SOSDFP has presented to the Regional Hospital District on how financial participation by the RHD in future primary care clinics could lessen the implementation time. The delegation also suggested that five clinics were required in the RDOS region, in addition to one or two more in Penticton. (Ponderosa Primary Care Centre has since been established in Penticton.)

There are different operating models for existing Urgent Care and Primary Care Clinics. Some are managed by physicians directly, some through IHA and, in the case of the Ponderosa Primary Care Clinic in Penticton, through SOSDFP. An operating mechanism would need to be discussed in future.

The Bigger Picture

The initial focus of this project was to investigate what the Regional District could do to assist in the recruitment of physicians to our area. The shortage of family doctors in the Regional District is prevalent and increasing. Several areas identified as needing a Primary Care Clinic lie throughout the RDOS and best efforts should be made to ensure that future Clinics meet the needs of the community in which they are located.

According to the SOSDFP, there are approximately 12,000 citizens in the region without access to a
general practitioner, and climbing. Further, of those GPs currently seeing patients, 1/3 are expected to retire within the next five years.

Should the Board of Directors choose to participate in funding primary care clinics or some other
mechanism of physician recruitment, funds must go to facilities designated under the Hospital Act.
Representatives from Interior Health attended at the Hospital Board Meeting to discuss process on
how this has occurred in other areas.

ALTERNATIVES:
1. That the OSRHD budget to facilitate participation in the development of Primary Care Clinics.
2. That the Board receive this report for information and defer future discussion indefinitely

1. a Shoppers Drug Mart team member in Oliver (5955 Main Street) has tested positive, and last worked Dec. 12.

2. a No Frills team member at Oliver Place Mall tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on December 26.

In the opinion of this editor – this is very responsible behavior to report exposures.

Many tests (positive) go unreported to the public.

Thanks to those that made me aware of the Loblaw’s report site.

As many as 150,000 people, including those living in long-term care facilities (LTC) and front-line workers in hospitals, are expected to be immunized against COVID-19 by February, B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said Monday.

Henry, speaking at the first pandemic update of 2021, said that the first groups being vaccinated include residents, staff and essential visitors to long-term care and assisted-living residences, followed by those waiting for long-term care placement.

As of Monday, 25,744 people have been vaccinated in B.C.

Change from July 1, 2019 to July 1, 2020
Jurisdiction
City of Penticton

Residential Total 1.3%
Single Family Residential 1.6%
Strata 0.1%
Business/Other -2.5%
Light Industry 3.4%

Neighbourhood
Duncan to Eckhardt
Residential Total 0.9%
Single Family Residential 1.1%
Strata -0.4%

Change from July 1, 2019 to July 1, 2020

Oliver Rural (714)

Residential Total 0.3%
Single Family Residential -0.6%
Strata 0.3%
Business/Other 0.5%
Light Industry 0.8%

Neighbourhood
Osoyoos – Rural
Residential Total -2.2%
Single Family Residential -3.2%
Strata N/A

 

Source: BC Assessment Authority