Sun Peaks council seeks new operator for health centre after ending lease (Kamloops)

Sun Peaks is without a medical centre with ski season fast approaching, but the search for a remedy is underway. Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality officials are taking steps to find a new operator for the community’s health centre after its council ended a lease held by a non-profit care provider. Sun Peaks council decided over the summer to end the Supporting Team Excellence with Patients Society’s (STEPS) lease of the Sun Peaks Community Health Centre. STEPS’ last day providing medical services was Oct. 10, and the clinic has been closed since then. During a council meeting on Tuesday, CAO Deanna Campbell said Sun Peaks issued a request for proposals for a new health care delivery operator. It received a response from one proponent. “The evaluation team has reviewed that proposal and has completed the evaluation process, however, discussions and negotiations with the proponent are still ongoing,” Campbell said. In a memo prepared for Tuesday’s council meeting, Campbell said Sun Peaks has diverse care needs, including providing health care services for residents, seasonal homeowners, visitors and migrant workers. “The range and scope of care and professional expertise required is vast,” the memo said. “The municipality saw an opportunity for improvement in understanding rural and resort community needs and putting a plan to gather to fill as many gaps as possible for our community.” A working group was tasked by mayor and council to identify the most effective health care model for the Sun Peaks Health Centre, located at 3115 Creekside Way. In a report, the working group recommended moving ahead with establishing the Sun Peaks Health Centre as a family practice clinic, noting the model is familiar to practitioners and patients which will support staff recruitment and retention. Family practice clinics involve family doctors or nurse practitioners who build relationships with patients, providing primary care throughout a patent’s life. The working group said this model can be implemented quickly, allowing for “a smooth transition in a limited timeframe” to meet the community’s urgent needs. During Tuesday’s meeting, Sun Peaks Mayor Rob O’Toole acknowledged concern in the community about access to health care, noting council has received plenty of messages from residents. O’Toole said members of council, the working group, and the Sun Peaks Health Association are putting “hundreds of hours” into the process of finding a new health care operator. “I hope that folks would take the time to trust in this process. It's important that we follow a process, that the process has integrity,” O’Toole said. “I truly believe that we're going to come out the other end better for it. I know at times it can feel a little bit stressful as we're going through that process.” He said the municipality is working on options to “stabilize and plan for a future” with the Sun Peaks Health Centre. “We will get there. Every storm runs out of rain, and these are important times, but we just need to have patience and know that the decision in the end, will be in the best interest of the community,” he said.