Regional Hospital Board tucks away $2 Million as taxpayers foot the bill
By Nelson Daily Staff
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily
Homeowner taxes in the West Kootenay will be going up slightly to put $2 million in a reserve fund in the 2013 West Kootenay-Boundary Regional Hospital District (WKBRHD) budget passed February 27.
The money is being set aside for emergencies or possibly a new facility in the West Kootenay, said WKBRHD chair Marguerite Rotvold.
The region’s facilities are rated the lowest in the Interior Health (IH) region. “The West Kootenay Boundary is in the worst need for repairs or replacement,” she said.
Major upgrades or even a facility replacement may be necessary, however there is no designated use for the fund at this time, she said.
The board has authorized allocating up to $10 million in reserve and chose the option of putting $2 million aside this year, “rather than having a major spike in taxes,” said Rotvold.
“A home valued at $200,000 will pay about $35 to $40 more in taxes.
This is good news in some ways for former Castlegar mayor Mike O’Connor.
He has been “carrying on his own little battle” for a central hospital facility to be located in Castlegar since the Liberal government cut and centralized regional services in 2002.
At that time the government cut general surgery and closed the Intensive Care Unit at Kootenay Lake Hospital, downgraded the Castlegar hospital to an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. emergency room, and moved services to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, among other changes.
Currently there are 30 beds at Kootenay Lake Hospital and 75 (including 12 at the Daly Pavilion) in Trail, according to IH figures.
According to O’Connor, the Liberals conducted a Hospital Role Review, which recommended that hospitals in Trail and Nelson remain while a central hospital be located in Castlegar.
“The plan was to go forward as soon as possible,” he said. “The city bought 17 acres of land by the Castlegar airport and approved the site.” The city still owns the property.
“Since that time there has been no progress made,” he said.
The 2013 budget of $6,623,456.00 represents 40 percent of the cost of equipment. The IH pays the other 60 percent. Of note, the board will pay $200,000 for a new CT scanner in Trail.
Rotvold said General Electric offered IH a deal it couldn’t refuse: a new scanner for about half the price Nelson paid for its scanner.
Other purchases will include:
Kootenay Lake Hospital: Emergency power system upgrade, Pyxis Medstations,Single stage press,General rad room and portable x ray unit
Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital: Boiler hoistway, Multi‐purpose radiology system, CT scanner, Storage building, and Registration security enclosure
Castlegar Community Health Centre: Chiller replacementand Telephone system upgrade.
Kaslo (Victorian Community Hospital): Nurse Communication system
The WKBRHD deals with equipment and construction costs only, said Rotvold.
