The Burns Lake Medical Clinic Society now have the support of Northern Health and Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad in forms of support letters.
Society members recently met with Northern Health representatives and Rustad on two separate occasions to discuss their business plan for their proposed not for profit medical clinic.
As reported in the Lakes District News edition of Nov. 23, 2011, the society is planning to set up a community owned medical clinic in Burns Lake. The clinic will operate separately from the privately owned Burns Lake Medical Clinic.
Donna Brochez, society secretary said the projected start up cost will be around $250,000 and a detailed business plan has been drawn up. Funding requests have been sent out to numerous organizations and private businesses.
Due to a donation from the Burns Lake and District Health Care Auxiliary of $25,000 as well as donations from a community pin drive the society has approximately $27,000 of the start up costs in place, however Brochez announced during the meeting that the society has also been approved for a $200,000 loan from a financial institution. "We just need to sign the paperwork [for the loan] in the next couple of weeks," Brochez later said.
Lakes District News contacted the financial institution, it was confirmed that any loan to the society has not yet been approved at all.
Once a loan is officially secured, the society will also qualify for a 25 per cent loan [default] guarantee from Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT). Janine North, chief executive officer for the NDIT said to Lakes District News that the society has qualified for the loan guarantee program as a business. "They are looking to open a business and when you have less equity in your business it helps to have this type of guarantee in place. The society will qualify for the loan guarantee program once they have funding from a bank or credit union in place,” she said.
Maria Varga, society member said to Lakes District News that the group has now hired a doctor from South Africa to work full time at the clinic, which they hope to have opened in August, 2012, rather than their previous date of February 2012.
Varga said the doctor is arriving on Aug. 1, 2012 and she added that they are working in conjunction with Northern Health in the hiring process, however Northern Health said to Lakes District News that they don’t have any details about any doctor’s that have been hired for the proposed medical clinic. Jessica Quinn, Northern Health media spokesperson said that if a doctor had been hired by the society, they would have to go through the B.C. College of Physicians as well as Northern Health for certification.
“We have no knowledge of any doctor being hired,” Quinn added.
As reported in the Aug. 17, 2011 edition of the Lakes District News, Northern Health have hired another South African doctor to work in Burns Lake. Dr. Membo Kibonge is expected to arrive in the area sometime this year, pending the immigration process.
“This is a separate South African doctor to the one Northern Health have recruited,” said Varga.
According to Brochez, operations at the clinic will be similar to the existing Burns Lake Medical Clinic. “You will be able to make appointments to see a doctor and you would present your Care Card when necessary. There is no membership fee. The clinic will not be a walk in clinic so patients will have to book appointments.”
Brochez said, “Northern Health has unanimously decided to support the society. The support will come in the form of aiding the society in processing new physicians paperwork, bulk ordering of supplies and training the medical office assistants in electronic medical record systems.”
In a letter provided to the society by Michael McMillan, chief operating officer for Northern Health he said, “Northern Health believes that the support of community members and groups is an important part of the recruitment and retention health professionals to any community. The creation of high quality working environments, as described by the business plan, is also one of the strategies that will contribute to success in recruitment. We are very interested in the plans and in assisting with seeing them through to success. I look forward to continuing to develop a strong working relationship with the society, to assisting with the development of the plans and to finding areas where both organizations can provide support to the efforts to recruit physicians to Burns Lake.”
He said to Lakes District News, “Northern Health is interested in working with the society as we look at health care services in the North.” But could not confirm the type of support that Northern Health will be providing. “It’s early yet, but Northern Health is looking at working with the group.”
Earlier this month Brochez, on behalf of the society, also met with Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad to address the concerns he had previously expressed about the society’s plans. As reported in the Lakes District News edition of Dec. 21, 2011 he had questioned the fee for service model proposed by the society for their community clinic
Under a fee for service model, physicians are funded through the province with respect to how many patients they see. The alternative to fee for service is the alternative payments plan model, whereby doctors are paid a salary through the province based on experience and location, regardless of how many patients they see per day.
Rustad confirmed his support of the society’s plans to Lakes District News. “I was originally taken by surprise when I heard about the society’s plans and I was concerned that their proposal would hinder Northern Health’s plans to get doctors into the community, as well as hinder the plans for a new hospital,” Rustad said.
While Rustad said he hasn’t seen the entire business plan, he said he commends the society for being proactive. “What I have seen so far is positive ... they have given me a lot of information to go through.”
As for the fee for service model the society is proposing, Rustad said there is an alternative to it, and to the alternative payments plan model in the works, that could be an option for the clinic further down the road. The details are still being ironed out but Rustad said it is another option that will be available to the clinic in the future.
The society is currently looking at Muriel Mould Neighbourhood Learning Centre as a prospective location for the proposed clinic.