East Kootenay residents call for improvements to health care

Residents in B.C.'s East Kootenay want to see improvements to health care this election, with many forced to travel to get the care they need. 

The southeastern region, like most more rural areas of the province, is short on family doctors and specialized medical care, alike. Access to cancer care is especially thin, with the nearest treatment centre located hundreds of kilometres away. 

According to B.C.'s Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), 263 East Kootenay residents had to travel to Kelowna or beyond to receive radiation treatment last year. 

That may soon be the case for Cranbrook mother Cheyenne Hebert and her 15-year-old daughter Sierra, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June after suffering a seizure. 

The two have been in a difficult limbo since then while they wait to hear if the tumour is life-threatening or not. In the meantime, Sierra said she continues to suffer several seizures a week. 

"I don't remember anything from my seizures, but it must scare my family a lot," she said.

Hebert said the wait is taking a toll in other ways, too. 

"It is hard, super hard. Especially with Sierra — her mental health is declining. You know, she can't go to school."

Hebert said Sierra was referred to the B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver after her first seizure, but that they only heard from the centre's epilepsy clinic this week. 

In an emailed statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the B.C. Children's Hospital said they cannot speak to the specifics of individual patients due to confidentiality reasons.

However, they added that leadership is "aware of this patient, and our providers are following up with the family directly to support them on their care journey. We sincerely apologize for any distress caused to this patient and their family while awaiting an appointment at our hospital."

Hundreds travelling for care, waiting for a family doctor

While they don't have the full prognosis yet, Herbert said they will have to travel to Vancouver for whatever care Sierra needs.

The same is true for many other Kootenay residents, too. Thorough medical care simply isn't always available close to home. 

CBC News asked for input on the issue from residents in the East Kootenay and received more than 37 emails in response. Many came from people who have to travel for medical care and appointments, while others said they are on a long wait-list for a family doctor.

A joint toolkit released this year by B.C. Family Doctors and the B.C. College of Family Physicians estimates 700,000 British Columbians are still without a family doctor. 

According to the PHSA, 529 patients from the Kootenays were seen at B.C. Cancer for radiation therapy in 2023-24, 263 of whom were from the East Kootenay. Taken together, the more than 500 patients received 6,940 radiation treatments at an average of about 13 appointments per patient. 

Mayor calls for localized cancer treatment

David Wilks, the mayor of Sparwood and chair of the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District, said he hopes whoever is voted in as MLA on Oct. 19 will work with him to find solutions.

"For whatever reason, the provincial government does not seem to see that the southeast corner of the province is as important as other portions of B.C.," he said. "I would like to hope that that changes, especially when it comes to oncology."

Wilks has long been advocating for radiation therapy at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook.

The provincial government is currently planning to build a new renal and oncology centre at the hospital, and Wilks said he wants to see radiation included in that plan. 

Party promises for health care 

CBC News reached out to candidates in the Kootenay-Rockies riding (formerly Kootenay-East) to ask what action they would take if elected. The riding covers the southeastern part of the province, including Cranbrook, Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford. 

There are four Kootenay-Rockies candidates vying for a seat in the legislature. Incumbent Tom Shpyitka, formerly with B.C. United, is now running as an Independent, Kerri Wall is the B.C. Greens candidate, Sam Atwal is with the B.C. NDP and Pete Davis is running for the B.C. Conservatives. 

The only candidates to respond to CBC's request were Wall and Atwal.

"In our corner of B.C., we are sadly used to being low on the list for the decision-makers on the coast, this is not okay," Wall said in an email. She is calling for Cranbrook to have the same level of cancer care as is available in Kelowna or Vancouver.  

She also pointed to the B.C. Greens' provincial platform, which says the party would establish community health-care centres around B.C., replacing the current urgent and primary care ones. The party has further said it wants to entice more nurses into the system by increasing funding — though by how much isn't clear. 

The New Democrats, meanwhile, have pledged to expand travel assistance for patients like Sierra. The promise would provide up-front money to cover vehicle mileage if flights aren't available and extend employment protections — such as paid medical leave — to 27 weeks. 

In an email, Atwal noted his party's plans for the new Cranbrook renal and oncology unit.

"We know people in rural areas face unique challenges when it comes to health-care, especially if they need to see a specialist far from home," he said, adding that the NDP are connecting around 4,000 people to a family doctor every week. 

The B.C. Conservatives have promised to reduce administrative costs in health care. The party said it wants to allow for both public and private care options and wants patients, like those in Sierra's circumstances, to be able to access care outside of B.C.