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Journal ASHCROFT t CACHE CREEK
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Volume 121 No 18 PM # 400121123
Thursday, May 5, 2016
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New paramedicine program to include local communities BARBARA RODEN The Journal
its current location. The new building will also contain more washrooms, as well as storage space. Sharkey says they hope to use the current gift shop area for meeting and boardroom space. “There’s a potential for corporate business there, with the accommodations and food service we can provide.” On April 30, Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart was on hand at a gathering at the ranch to present Friends of HHCR chair Monty Downs with a cheque for $250,000. “Historic Hat Creek Ranch has come a long, long way,” she noted, remembering a time when the second floor of the roadhouse was off-limits because it was unsound. “It’s a tribute to the volunteers. Heritage facilities have seen a lot of changes in the way they’re funded, and a group of rural MLAs have made sure we get our share of funding. “In recognition of the work done
Clinton, Lytton, Logan Lake, and Lillooet are among 73 rural and remote communities that will be taking part in the new community paramedicine program, which offers residents enhanced health services from paramedics. The program was introduced in nine B.C. communities last year, and saw paramedics who were not on call-outs provide a variety of healthcare services, in nursing homes and people’s residences. Some of the services provided can include checking blood pressure, assisting with diabetic care, helping identify fall and tripping hazards, medication assessment, post-injury or illness evaluation, chronic disease management, and assisting with respiratory conditions. They will also be able to teach skills such as CPR at community clinics. “Expanding the role of paramedics to help care for the health and well-being of our province’s residents just makes sense,” says Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart. “Ensuring rural communities have access to health-care services is critical, and all of these communities will benefit from this great program.” The enhanced role of paramedics under the new program will not replace care provided by health professionals such as nurses, but will support and complement their work in non-urgent settings. The paramedics will perform assessments requested by the referring health-care professional, then record their findings, which will be included in the patient’s file. The new program will also stabilize the employment of paramedics in rural areas, by extending their hours and duties and allowing them to make a living in smaller communities. Tegart says that the program, which has been tested in other areas across the country, reduces ambulance calls and ER visits, and keeps chronic patients in their homes longer, because patients have someone come to them. Paramedic Rhiannon Davis from Tofino, one of the pilot communities, said that her new role allows her to develop relationships with people in the area and understand their needs, and to prevent, rather than wait for, emergencies. Recruiting for the program is scheduled to
See FIREHOUSE on p. 3
See NEW PROGRAM on p. 14
MLA Jackie Tegart (c) presents a cheque for $250,000 to Friends of Historic Hat Creek Ranch Society chair Monty Downs.
Photo by Barbara Roden
Grants mean more facilities for Hat Creek Ranch BARBARA RODEN The Journal
It will be another busy year on the building front at Historic Hat Creek Ranch (HHCR). After completing $1.5 million in water and fire safety upgrades last year, the ranch has secured funding to allow it to go ahead with the construction of a new gift shop; and on April 30 it received a cheque for $250,000 from the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development to proceed with the construction of a new firehouse and service building. Funding for the new gift shop has recently been secured from the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, the Friends of HHCR, and Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT). The NDIT funding was the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place, and Don Pearse, manager of HHCR, says that if all goes well construction will start no later than Octo-
ber 1 this year. Robert Sharkey, vice-chair of the Friends of HHCR, says that they hope to have the new gift shop open by December, in time for Christmas. “It’s about increasing employment and revenues,” he says, which fits in with NDIT’s economic development mandate. “And it was a good business case; we’re not a start-up, and will be increasing economic opportunities.” He notes that HHCR received a lot of support from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and local councils to enable them to receive the NDIT funding. The gift shop, which currently occupies 670 square feet on the second floor of the entrance building, will move to a ground-level space in a new building that will be joined to the main one via a boardwalk. This will not only provide the shop with more space— around 1,000 square feet—but will mean that it is easily accessible for those in wheelchairs or with mobility issues, who have difficulty accessing
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