Happy New Year to the town of Hope!
Our town is growing in population and shrinking in business. What can we do to make this town the best place to live?
First of all, we as business people need to step outside our stores and look in as a customer. What do we have to offer and what can we do better, both in products, service and attitude? Us as locals need to patronize our stores and make suggestions of products that are needed in our community. In order to be successful in business in a small community, we must be willing to change with the times and manage our businesses with good leadership.
The next critical business in our community that needs strong leadership and management is our hospital. As I said before we have grown in population, yet we have shrunk in doctors and medical coverage. No more walk-in clinic and no available doctors for new families coming into our community. Yes, our local hospital is a business as well with employees, management, a board of directors and some great volunteers. This business also needs to step outside and look in as a patient. Unfortunately our hospital is faced with more demands today in the emergency department without the availability of a walk-in clinic. There are more people using the emergency room as a family doctor — for sick kids, pain medication and prescriptions. Add the fact that Hope is a hub to five highways coming into it and also covers Boston Bar and Sunshine Valley. So this service can be faced with many challenges and also needs to change with the times.
Unfortunately our family had to use this emergency room service over the holidays and after seven hours of waiting, we eventually ended up going home and eventually ended up at Chilliwack Hospital. No one expects to get looked at immediately, especially on a holiday, but one would think that during that seven-hour wait someone would check in on you and make sure you were still breathing. I don’t blame the nurses or the one doctor rushed off her feet. I blame management! Mainly because as said by more than one ambulance attendant, “Boxing Day is always the same every year, not enough staff!”
As a manager and business owner, it is my responsibility that my business runs smoothly and professionally. If I don’t succeed I can’t blame city hall or my customers, I can only blame myself for not managing my business properly.
As a community we need to send our message to Michael de Jong, our Minister of Health, as well as contact a patient care quality officer at Fraser Health if you are having problems with this service.
This is a publicly funded health service. Each year $17 billion of our tax dollars is spent to look after 4.6 million people and if we don’t let them know how we feel, changes will not be made. Over $400,000 was spent this past year to upgrade our hospital emergency waiting room. But if we don’t have the people to provide the service that is needed in our community, then that was a waste of money.
This is where we have all chosen to live, so let’s work collectively to ensure we don’t loose any more services! So in 2012, let’s try and shop local as much as we can and if you are unhappy with the health care service take some time and write the man in charge of $17 billion - Michael de Jong.
Cathy Harry