Councillor Cunningham calls for action from Northern Health for ongoing service disruptions in Prince Rupert

Service reductions at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital have once again
been made a topic of note for Councillor Barry Cunningham

With a number of medical services now listed as suspended, or patients requested to travel to Terrace for attention, Councillor Barry Cunningham has once again has called on Northern Health to find alternatives to provide residents of the North Coast with better access to basic health care.

In a Facebook post from earlier this month, the Councillor noted that services such as ophthalmology, dialysis, stress testing and mammogram testing now require trips to Terrace for treatment or testing.

In a post to his Social Media forum on Facebook, Mr. Cunningham noted that it is not acceptable that residents should have to make the choice between risking their lives to travel in poor highway conditions, or postponing important health care requirements.

To answer some of the concerns of residents of the region, Northern Health has recently introduced a Facebook forum for residents to join, where some answers are being provided on health care themes.

One item on Mr. Cunningham's checklist was addressed through that forum, with Northern Health noting that they are currently training a technician for their mammogram program in Prince Rupert, adding that a mobile mammogram unit will be travelling to Prince Rupert in May.

You can explore more of their discussion themes here.

The theme of the reduced level of service in the community and concerns that more could come in the future with the expansion of services in Terrace has been a frequent topic for the City Councillor.

Though to this point, City Council has not publicly invited officials from Northern Health or North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice to attend a public session of Council.

Offering them the opportunity to share more information on the current shortages and to offer reassurance that the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital will not be reduced in its scope of services as the plans for the new Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace continue to develop.

For more notes on City Council discussions see our archive page here.

Further items of interest on Northern Health can be reviewed here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.