MLA Kathy Corrigan - whose riding includes the 60-year-old Burnaby Hospital - says she's looking forward to seeing what comes of the recently announced future-planning process for the facility.
But she adds she's "a little nervous" about how much partisan politics will impact the process - and how much of a role she'll be able to take in the coming months.
Liberal MLAs Harry Bloy (BurnabyLougheed) and Richard Lee (Burnaby North) were named chair and vice-chair of the Burnaby Hospital Community Consultation Committee during a visit by Minister Mike de Jong to the hospital last week
De Jong was at the facility, which has the second busiest emergency department in the province, to kick off a "high level master-planning" process to determine what kinds of changes are needed for the future.
The age of the facility has been named as one of the key factors in ongoing challenges with outbreaks of the highly infectious C. difficile over the last two years there.
De Jong said during that announcement that the committee will be expected to come back with an initial report by the fall.
Corrigan said it sounds promising and the community needs to plan ahead for future demands, but it's hard to know yet what will come from the exercise.
"I was hoping for something a little more tangible, but I think it's a step forward," she said. "I'm pleased that they are looking at what has to be done, to look at Burnaby Hospital, and what needs to be done to bring it up to standard. At some point it needs to be fully or partially replaced, and I'm pleased that they're starting out taking a look at it all.
"It's a little step. - My concern is: is it a little step at the start of a long walk, or a little step that is diverting our attention?
"I'd like to trust that this is a good-faith move in terms of helping our community and improving the hospital. - On the other hand, the government has been reviewing the heck out of everything lately.
"I would have liked to (have been invited to sit on the committee), it's a hospital in my riding. I would have liked to have been included, but I didn't expect it," she said. "I'm assuming they're going to act in the best interest of our community, - and I'm assuming that whatever consultation there is, that the City of Burnaby will be fully involved."
Though she said it wasn't surprising for the government to have named two Liberal MLAs to the committee and neither of the city's NDP MLAs, Corrigan questioned the impact that the decision could have over the long term.
"I do think when you're that political as they are obviously being, and setting it up as a political exercise by not including the MLA who is in the riding, it makes me a little nervous about the process itself," she said.
"You want these kind of processes to be transparent and for people to be credible and you want their integrity to be unassailable," she added. "I want this to work, I want us to have the best hospital. - If we can end up with a good solution for Burnaby hospital, then that's wonderful."
Corrigan added that she hopes the committee will be looking at all possible ideas, including everything from additions on the current site to a new building elsewhere.
"I hope it's creative and looking at everything."
At last week's hospital press conference, de Jong told the crowd that the committee of 12 would be leading the process but said that everyone in the community was welcome to to take part.
"I am happy to tell you today that the first step in reviving, renewing and modernizing the Burnaby campus begins today. - It will involve you, all of you," he said, adding that the City of Burnaby, local community organizations, various health agencies, and other potential stakeholder groups would all be part of the process. "Please take seriously the invitation to be a part of this."
The first stage of the process is expected to run from now to the autumn, with an expected cost of $230,000.
Aside from MLAs Bloy and Lee, the committee will include citizen chair Pamela Gardner, committee spokesperson Dr. David Jones, Vern Milani, Dr. David Yap, Dr. Ross Horton, Bob Enns, Thomas Tam, Teresa Leung, Wendy Joan Scott, and Jennifer Roff as recording secretary.
The committee will assess the health-care needs of the community and look at ways to improve healthcare outcomes in long-term and acute care, by gathering information from various stakeholder groups and the community.
Burnaby Hospital is made up of two buildings - the first was built in the 1960s and the other in the 1970s.
There have been no major renovations since then, other than a small expansion to the ER in 2008.
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