As a second-year UBC Occupational Therapy student at UNBC, I witnessed firsthand how northern communities are tackling their healthcare challenges at the 2024 Rural Voices Gathering. This virtual event brought together over 430 healthcare professionals, community members, and decision-makers to shape the future of rural healthcare in British Columbia.
The gathering zeroed in on three pressing issues: getting patients to and from medical services, training healthcare providers, and developing hybrid care models that work for remote areas. What I found most striking was the dedication of northern healthcare providers working against incredible odds.
“We provide care across an area the size of Vancouver Island with just two OTs, one physiotherapist, and one rehab assistant,” explained Valerie Pagdin, an Occupational Therapist at St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof. Her team serves multiple communities including Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, and Fort St. James.
Transportation emerged as a major hurdle. One participant highlighted a common crisis: patients being discharged in Prince George or Vancouver with no way to get home. “Not everybody has someone in their life to take care of them or support them,” they noted.
The conversation around end-of-life care particularly resonated. Pagdin emphasized how crucial it is for rural residents to receive care in their communities: “People have often been here for decades. Their families are here, their properties are here, their horses are here.” She stressed the importance of accommodating Indigenous families’ cultural needs during end-of-life care.
From Virtual to Reality: Vanderhoof Takes Action
The momentum continued with an in-person follow-up session in Vanderhoof, where local leaders gathered to transform ideas into action. A troubling revelation emerged: the College of New Caledonia’s Licensed Practical Nursing program is seeing declining enrollment, with multiple empty seats in both years of the program.
In a conversation with Saik’uz First Nation Chief Priscillia Mueller, she called for UNBC to broaden its engagement with rural First Nations communities beyond Prince George. “We need more engagement at the leadership levels,” Chief Mueller emphasized. “How do we prepare and support students coming from isolated communities?”
The gatherings produced concrete next steps:
- Developing community ambassador programs
- Creating early exposure to healthcare careers in schools
- Building stronger connections between educational institutions and rural communities
For UNBC students considering northern healthcare careers, the message is clear: rural communities are actively working to support healthcare professionals, especially those returning to serve their home communities.
Want to get involved? Contact the Rural Coordination Centre of BC at RuralVoices@rccbc.ca.
