A province-wide study conducted on the priorities for health care in rural areas surveyed the Shuswap along with the rest of British Columbia has come to some conclusions. The Rural Evidence Review is a joint effort between the University of British Columbia researchers and the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia, which advocates for rural health.

Receiving 1476 responses from 211 rural communities around the province in 2018 and 2019, the researchers report states that the communities surveyed are growing and need services to grow as well.

Many respondents to the survey revealed that they didn’t have family doctors and depend on emergency medical service to receive treatment for non-emergency issues.

The report mentions a high turnover rate among rural physicians.

The respondents said that they often miss or avoid treatment due to lack of access to local care and there are travel and cost difficulties too.

They also have to undergo treatment away from support networks such as friends and family. Some cases noted in the report that residents, including seniors nearing the ends of their lives had to move from their home communities in order to access treatment.

Transportation and travel to access care was a common challenge according to the report. Island communities where residents depend on ferry service to access care, mountainous terrain and dangerous weather patterns making it hazardous for residents to travel to other communities for medical services.

Rural citizens feel that there needs to be better recognition of the mental health and addiction challenges in their communities and more local services assisting with these issues.

Recommendations from survey respondents include:

• Including the local availability of a variety of care types.

• Expanding hours for which medical facilities are open.

• Creating more walk-in clinics and community health centres to reduce reliance on emergency services.

• There is a need to travel outside the community for care.