February 16th 2023
British Columbia – On January 20th, Premier David Eby made a major announcement that was met with great enthusiasm from rural residents across BC – the appointment of Jennifer Rice as the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health. Rice, a resident of the North Coast and a known advocate for rural communities, is poised to provide much-needed representation for rural voices in the conversation on health care transformation.
For over two decades, rural communities have been excluded from the health policy making processes. The BC Rural Health Network is hopeful that the tide is beginning to turn. Paul Adams, Executive Director of the BC Rural Health Network, expressed his optimism about the impact Rice will have on rural health: “Jennifer has a proven track record of advocating for rural residents and is both engaged and interested in working with communities to ensure we address the inequity in access to care that many of our residents experience in rural BC. As a charity and an apolitical organization, we work with all policy makers and seek support from all political parties on health solutions that make sense for British Columbians. Working with the government of the day is essential and we are grateful for Premier Eby for this appointment. I meet virtually with groups and municipalities around BC it is very clear that the rural voice is ignored, our municipal members who have joined through a vote of council has grown from 6 to 27 in less than a year! We reach people all over BC, we hear them, and they feel abandoned! We look forward to helping Ms. Rice in anyway we can to improve health for all BC residents.”
Adams, alongside Dr. Jude Kornelsen of the UBC Centre for Rural Research, were invited to attend the BC Throne Speech at the Legislature on February 6 and to present the Networks policy positions to the BC Government and specifically the NDP Rural Caucus. Their goal is to bring forward community derived solutions which are evidence-based and supported by research.
According to Dr. Kornelsen, “Community lived and living experience provides context to my research and is critical to giving decision makers an understanding of the challenges faced by rural residents. The collection of these experiences must be invested in by our governments and a system needs to be created to ensure the residents of rural BC are heard. Bi-directional communication with community grassroots is key.” The average cost that rural residents face for out-of-pocket costs on single condition treatments where local provision of services are not available is over $2200 and continues to rise, which further highlights the importance of rural engagement in the health conversation. She goes on to note, “There are many issues that need to be addressed and community engagement in decision-making is top of list”.
Rice’s appointment brings hope to rural communities, but they need more than just hope – they need meaningful engagement. The BC Rural Health Network intends to work closely with Rice and Roly Russell, MLA for the Boundary-Similkameen and the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, to bring about change for rural residents across BC. Rice stated during her introduction of Adams and Kornelsen to the Legislative Assembly, “I will be working closely with them in my new role as the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health.”
Has the time come for rural voices to finally be heard in the health conversation? Rural communities across BC look forward to offering their perspective on issues relevant to health planning and being included in the conversation to effect positive change. The BC Rural Health Network is hopeful that Ms. Rice will help create equity in health for all British Columbians.
