Northern Health Seeing Impact Of Bad Air

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Prince George, B.C. -  The poor air quality due to wildfires is impacting health care services in the Northern Health Authority -- people are feeling the effects of the bad air.

NH Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. David Bowering, says while exact figures are not available, a number of sources -- from emergency departments, to walk-in clinics, to doctors' billing records, to pharmacies dispensing asthma medication -- all show signs of increased use. 

Dr. Bowering says, at this point, those services are not being overwhelmed.  He says there have been no extra hospital admissions and, points out that, there seems to be no general effect in Vanderhoof and Burns Lake, even though Burns Lake is in closer proximity to a large wildfire.

Northern Health will continue to monitor the situation.  And Bowering says it could get to a point where the sickest may need to be moved out of one community and into another.  Right now, he says, we're in a state of flux.  "It's not the kind of thing to get in a panic over," says Bowering.  "We have no choice, but to wait it out."

He admits the poor air quality is frustrating.  The Chief Medical Health Officer says it's one thing to be able to advise a patient to stop smoking to realize immediate improvements in their health, but area residents are at Mother Nature's whim. 

However, sticking with the smoking analogy, he says this stint of bad air is like smoking for a few weeks -- it should have few long-lasting impacts for most people, "In the long-term, our systems will clear."

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