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Vanderhoof Looking for Cancer Services

By Elaine Macdonald

Representatives from Vanderhoof have put a pitch before the Northern Health Board. Vanderhoof Mayor Len Fox says its more and more challenging to get to Prince George, especially for seniors. He also notes there is an ever increasing number of logging trucks on the road, making travel hazardous for cancer patients.

Along with Dr. Shannon Douglas, the two requested Northern Health set up a Cancer treatment centre that would be centred at St. John’s Hospital and would provide Counseling, chemotherapy and follow-up in the Vanderhoof area. Dr. Douglas says the centre would mimic services offered in Smithers, but would not include surgery, except for biopsies that could be done in an out patient capacity.

Mayor Fox noted the catchment area for Vanderhoof is similar to Smithers, in that Vanderhoof serves about 19 thousand people, and Smithers services about 15 thousand.

Dr. Douglas says in Fraser Lake there are a number of patients who have been diagnosed with Cancer who choose not to have treatment at all. She says that’s partly because of fear, partly because of a lack of oncology information. Douglas says having someone in the community who could “navigate” a patient through the process would be beneficial.

Board Chair Jeff Burghardt says the presentation is very timely as the region tries to develop a complete cancer care strategy for the north and their request is along the lines of the types of services that they would like to have in various communities

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