NEWS Spirit Festival dates announced for April Page A3
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COMMUNITY Jelly bean airplane landing in Princeton Page A14
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SPOTLIGHT The Similkameen
Volume 63 Issue 11
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
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Where are all
the doctors?
eventually have to be able to do regular surgeries and deliveries, Thomas said. But offering surgery at the A shortage of doctors in Princeton that has led to a con- Princeton Hospital won’t necesstantly changing schedule of sarily attract new doctors, said reduced emergency room ser- Susan Brown, South Okanagan vice has residents asking - where Interior Health administrator. Most doctors do not want are all the doctors? Most small rural towns have to perform surgeries in a small a hard time recruiting doctors, community because they don’t get the support they would in and Princeton is no exception. larger communities, she Many new graduates said. prefer to start in larger “I really do not believe cities, where there is more that the lack of the opportunity to [operating room] specialize. This, is a deterrent to coupled with a “The latest physicians comshortage of doc- census figures... tors in Canada, are proof positive ing. It actually may be more attractive leaves rural B.C. c o m m u n i t i e s that the declining to physicians who wouldn’t want struggling. services in town to do that kind of But Princeton are leading to a practice.” is having a more Princeton is difficult time diminution of our having a hard time finding new doc- population” finding a doctor tors than many Mayor other towns. Fred Thomas because there is a lot of competition “If we had an between small rural emergency room resident trainer in Princeton who communities, Brown said. “Many of the physicians who was able to provide guidance and experience to young residents chose to practice in rural comjust coming out of university, we munities in the past are getting would have a major attraction older, and there isn’t the same in getting new, younger doctors interest or uptake by the newer into town,” said Mayor Fred physicians to move into private practice in rural communities.” Thomas. But Thomas would like to see “They could establish their families here and make a decent the hospital expand its services, living, and then would be able instead of downsizing them. The lack of emergency to build a practice with the right level of services that we used to room services at the Princeton Hospital, which have lasted all have in Princeton.” To keep new doctors in day, have residents worried. Princeton, the hospital would See Emergency - Page 3 Michaela Garstin
editor@similkameenspotlight.com
”
Weather Watch
Princeton
Michelle Cole photo
COALMONT RESIDENT Michelle Cole’s granddaughter, also named Michelle, stands in front of the partiallycleared rockslide the day after it tore down the mountainside.
Coalmont driver dodges rockslide Michaela Garstin editor@similkameenspotlight.com
Three people are lucky to survive an avalanche that engulfed a section of the Coalmont Road as they drove home on March 5. Rocks tore down the mountainside where the road turns into a single lane, around 10 kilometres from Princeton.
Michelle Cole, her granddaughter and another women were driving from Princeton to Coalmont during a snow storm that evening when their truck was hit by rocks and a huge cloud of dust. “It was the most terrifying moment of my life. I thought we were going to fly off the side off the cliff,” Cole said. “I couldn’t see anything, I just gunned through.”
See MURDER - Page 2
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