A recent expansion of renal and oncology services at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital will not include radiation therapy, despite a push from local elected officials to include the service infrastructure into a newly announced $59 million two-storey building.
At face value, the argument is a simple one — since it's a new building, why not put radiation therapy infrastructure in the basement while the expanded renal and oncology services will go on the first and second floor, respectively?
Ostensibly, radiation therapy infrastructure wasn't included because there isn't enough annual patient demand compounded by a shortage in health-care specialists needed to provide services.
However, providing radiation therapy infrastructure isn't as simple as building a concrete bunker in the basement — a necessary element to shield and protect adjacent areas from linear accelerator radiation particles that is used for radiation oncology.
Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma explained the challenges in a recent interview.
"Radiation oncology requires a facility to have a linear accelerator and a purpose-built vault and other requirements in the surrounding facilities, in addition to specialized health professionals like radiation therapists, radiation oncologists and so forth," Ma said.
"...The purpose-built vault will have thick concrete walls and that is to contain the radiation and house a linear accelerator. But it's also worth noting that BC Cancer doesn't typically build only one linear accelerator when they are providing a service in a community; they actually build at least two because they do need replacing, they need down time."
A single linear accelerator can provide approximately 7,000 treatments annually.
In 2023/24, East Kootenay patients who required radiation therapy received 3,545 treatments, while Kootenay-Boundary patients received 3,395 treatments, based on data provided by BC Cancer.
Currently, Kelowna is the closest city that offers radiation therapy services through BC Cancer, while radiation therapy services across the provincial Alberta border in Lethbridge or Calgary are all but unavailable to BC-based patients.
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne acknowledged the travel disparity in a recent interview with the Cranbrook Townsman, while also touting the province's travel assistance programs and support for the Canadian Cancer Society's programming.
"When you live in a small community that is far away from services, not only does it cost you to travel up to where those specialized services are, but you may need to take time off of work, you may need to have a ride or depend on a family or friend to be able to provide you that transportation," said Osborne. "And this really hits close to home for me because these are experiences I've seen people in my home community of Tofino face."
"...My commitment is to continue to do everything that I can supporting people who live in rural areas where we are not able to deliver the specialized services as close to home, I think it's incumbent on us to continue to do everything we can to support people with the travel that they need, and being able to access high quality public health care that we have here in British Columbia."
The new two-storey building at EKRH will include all renal modalities on the first floor, while the second floor will provide spaces that support an increase in oncology services.
The expansion itself will increase the number of renal hemodialysis stations, oncology systemic therapy chairs, and exam and consultation rooms as well as a new 12-stall patients' parking lot with a public entrance directly to oncology and renal services.
Design and build procurement is expected to begin in July 2025, with shovels to break ground by May 2026, with project completion by January 2029.
The East Kootenay Foundation for Health is also kicking off a $1 million fundraiser for furniture and equipment in support of the project.
