Support For Cardiac Centre

Mayor Sharon Shepherd of Kelowna, Mayor Jake Kimberley of Penticton and Mayor Wayne Lippert of Vernon have added their voices in strong support of expanding cardiac care in the interior of the province.

A steering committee representing five B.C. health regions recently sent a report to Health Minister George Abbott recommending that cardiac services be expanded, with Kelowna General Hospital at the hub.

"Cardiac care in the interior is high on our list of priorities," says
Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd. "Mayors Kimberley, Lippert and I met in September to discuss mutual interests and the importance of working towards a cardiac surgery unit in the Okanagan was obvious to each of us."

"With approximately 1,000 patients from the Okanagan traveling to the lower mainland every year for bypass surgery, angioplasty and other cardiac procedures, a central cardiac centre in the Okanagan would save both the province and patients a significant amount of money," says Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert.

Penticton Mayor Jake Kimberley noted that transportation from the Interior to the Coast bears its own level of risk. "In cardiac care cases, a treatment delay could result in the loss of life. Distance also means the patient is separated from family and the connectivity and support friends and family provide."

Minister Abbott has stated a decision could be months away since a full business case for the project must still be prepared, including capital and operational costs.