Northern Health New Bus Unveiled
Monday, August 26, 2013 @ 11:36 AM
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond and Northern Health Connections driver Deborah Alexander talk about the new bus – photo-250News
Prince George, B.C. – Northern Health has unveiled it’s newest bus for its North Health Connections service.
The new bus will operate on the Prince George to Valemount route, and it offers some upgrades including, extra seating ( 26 seats, up from the previous 21) a washroom, dvd players, and extra storage for luggage.
The service links patients to health care services in Prince George and Kamloops, and connections to transportation to Vancouver.
“It’s made a huge difference to people in the communities” says bus driver Deborah Alexander. “My husband and I were wondering if we would have to leave McBride and move to Prince George because as you get older access to health care services is a concern. This service means we can stay in our community and still have access to the health services we may need.”The Northern Health Connections service started in 2006 and has seen steady growth each year. The service carried more than 13 thousand passengers in the 2012/13 fiscal year, a 6 % increase over the previous year.
Comments
While most would think this is a good news story, and for some it is, truly it speaks to how poorly NHA is running and not being able to provide services in people’s own community that this whole service has to be created.
I know you can’t provide all the services in each small town but there are tons of people being sent from PG to Quesnel, just for an ultrasound or basic surgery.
I would rather see this service getting smaller, than expanding, as the politicians think it is ok for us to travel for hours to get rudimentary medical testing or procedures done.
Northern Health keeps gettin heavier and heavier at the top like the entire health care project.
Cheers
I think that if there is extra capacity in Quesnel when P.G. is fully booked I would expect those in charge to utilize that otherwise idle capacity.
They are paid big bucks to be on the ball.
Skip the jibber jabber you nay sayers. I and my wife have used this service a number of times and it is great, saving us time, money and angst.
No where in the world can you get everything all the time at your finger tips.
This article is about increasing access to services available IN THE REGION. God forbid the day when all services are available in Prince George. Logistically for financial and other regions the city would have to at least double in size.
And Retired2, health care is not a project. It is a service to the community. A project has a beginning and an end IMO.
I’m with you, Runner46! Well said!
It is in her riding …. it is government money ….. it is a well known fact that one of the job descriptions of MLA is to get out there and be seen whenever the money the government collects from the people is redistributed ……
sort of like the giving of gambling money for direct use of charities ….
It is the way the system works.
Now, if you think that the money is ill used and should be given to PG as a gift to fill pot holes …. then express that opinion and smile when she poses for the picture art the first pot hole filling event {:-)
Notice I go one of those comb haircuts …. {:-)
Of course, the service from the Valemount region to either Kamloops or PG is a natural one, the same as the service from Kamllops and PG to Vancouver is a natural one.
The service from PG to Quesnel or Vanderhoof, on the other hand is not quite as natural and shown a failure to me as well.
hmmm…. hopefully, this is one of the new buses that replaced one of the old Eldorados that keep breaking down. Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression they have been doing this route for a while.
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