Dear Premier Eby,
The BC Rural Health Network and the Centre for Rural Research at UBC were delighted to have been invited to the Throne Speech on February 6th, where we had the opportunity to exchange information with the members of your Rural Caucus, including your newly appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health, Jennifer Rice and the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, Roly Russell.
We are grateful for the additional focus on healthcare and housing in the Throne Speech, as well as the recognition of the challenges faced by our healthcare system due to the pandemic, record respiratory and flu season, toxic drug crisis, aging population, and rapid growth in communities that requires additional resources. However, we were disappointed that there was no specific mention of the unique challenges and inequities faced by rural communities in accessing healthcare.
We are appreciative of the appointment of Jennifer Rice to the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health and Roly Russell’s continued efforts in Rural Development. We have found our interactions with members of the Rural Caucus this week to be very positive. We have also met with other members of your rural caucus who were not available for this meeting, including Ministers Conroy and Cullen. We found these meeting to be positive and a good indication that rural voices are being heard.
To optimize health outcomes through best policy and decision-making processes, our charity is eager to improve the collaboration between rural communities and policy makers, but we need resources and support to do so.
As an apolitical, non-partisan group, we believe that health is a non-political area that should be focused on solutions. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of investment in community outreach and input into the public health system, which has led to a disconnect between rural residents and policy makers. We hope that Jennifer Rice’s focus on Rural Health will finally create the much-needed connection with rural communities and bring rural solutions to the forefront.
Rural communities face unique challenges that cannot be addressed through the same solutions applied to urban settings. We need system changes that are created through a rural lens and include the lived and living experiences of community members (residents, health care providers and community leaders). While the important investment has been made in including rural physicians, patients, Indigenous peoples, and municipality representatives in health planning, no investment has been made to represent rural communities themselves.
Investing in authentic rural community engagement will result in improved health outcomes and restore trust in the public health system. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the divide between rural residents and the government, and without engagement at the grassroots level, this divide will continue to grow. We urge the government to prioritize community engagement and investment in rural solutions, and we stand ready to assist in any way we can.
With respect, we also remind the Premier of the Canada Health Act, which states that every province must provide insured services that do not impede or preclude reasonable access to those services for insured persons. This includes availability, accessibility, accommodation, medical liability protection, and comprehensiveness. We hope that Jennifer Rice will champion this cause and work towards ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all rural residents.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours in health and wellness,
Paul Adams
Executive Director
BC Rural Health Network
The BCRHN is the healthcare voice of the rural residents of British Columbia and seeks better health outcomes for all people, through solutions-based approaches with governments, and information provision to residents.
The BCRHN is grateful to live, work, and be in relation with people from across many traditional and unceded territories, covering all regions of British Columbia. We are honoured to live on this land and are committed to reconciliation, decolonization, and building relationships in our communities.
cc: Minister Conroy, Minister Dix, Minister Cullen, Minister Whiteside, Minister Osborne, MLA Russell, MLA Anderson, MLA Babchuk, MLA Rice, MLA Routley, MLA Sandhu, MLA Simons, MLA Bond, MLA Furstenau, Peggy Skelton, Colin Moss, Bob Storey, Jude Kornelsen.
