ADVOCACY

Fair Care Alliance fighting to expand health care for Central and North Island residents

The Fair Care Alliance is a coalition of concerned medical, healthcare, business and community professionals and citizens who are fighting to ensure fair access to health care for the 460,000 people living north of Victoria, in Central and North Vancouver Island.

Specifically, the Alliance is advocating for a cardiac cath lab and patient tower to be built at an expanded Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

To sign the Fair Care Alliance petition to support the building of a cardiac cath lab and patient tower at an expanded Nanaimo Regional General Hospital visit the Alliance’s petition page.

Heart Sisters Joanne Booth (left) and Shelley Wilkins Wallace (right).

Heart Sisters receive update about future cardiac catheterization lab in Nanaimo

On Saturday, January 18, 2025, the Nanaimo Heart Sisters welcomed Barney Ellis-Perry, Chief Executive Officer of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, and Janice Krall, the Foundation’s Chief Development Officer, to our monthly meeting.

They offered advice to the Heart Sisters on how to advocate as a group in support of a new cardiac catheterization lab that would serve residents of the Central and North Vancouver Island.

(l-r) Janice Krall, Diane Shipclark, Barney Ellis-Perry

The Central/North Island is the only region in Canada with a population of over 400,000 without a Cath Lab; Victoria has two. Despite the high percentage of people experiencing heart disease in the Central/North Island region, the Foundation says these patients are dying or left with poor health outcomes due to the lack of advanced cardiac services and a Cath Lab outside of Victoria. A Cath Lab is a medical facility in which doctors can perform lifesaving, non-surgical interventions.

The Heart Sisters are encouraged to advocate and write in support of the Cath Lab to the cabinet ministers listed below. Please note: To reach the following emails, please highlight and copy each address below and then paste it into your Outlook or other email provider in order to send your message:

• Minister of Health - Honourable Josie Osborne HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca

• Minister of Finance - Honourable Brenda Bailey FIN.Minister@gov.bc.ca

• Minister of Infrastructure - Honourable Bowinn Ma INF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

• Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction - Honourable Sheila Malcomson, SDPR.Minister@gov.bc.ca

Nanaimo Heart Sisters meet with BC’s Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction

On Friday, March 14, 2025, a Heart Sisters’ delegation made a presentation to Sheila Malcolmson, MLA for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island and BC Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. The presentation, done by Heart Sisters Shelley Wallace, Diane Shipclark and Joanne Booth, advocated for a cardiac catheterization lab to be constructed at or adjacent to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

The new cath lab would serve residents living in Central/North Vancouver Island.

(l-r) Minister Sheila Malcolmson, Diane Shipclark, Shelley Wallace and Joanne Booth at the minister’s constituency office in Nanaimo.

The Heart Sisters were encouraged when the minister advised them that she fully supports a catheter lab operating in Nanaimo.

Minister Malcolmson stressed that while the cath lab was not included in the most recent BC provincial government budget, she’s hopeful that it will be in the next provincial budget.