Former Dawson Creek mayor Dale Bumstead came to Tumbler Ridge to talk about the Bulterys House project and the South Peace Health Services Society (SPHSS).
Bumstead says three years ago, the future of the society and the project looked bleak. The society collapsed and the then-board all resigned, but in December of 2021, a new board was elected, previous financial commitments were taken care of, and the house was finished, and the doors were opened to the public, in conjunction with the Dawson Creek Society for Community Living, who operate it.
“It took us a while to get the facility open,” says Bumstead. “It was just a little more complex than any of would have believed.”
But in March of this year, Bulterys House was open for the public to use.
Bumstead says originally, he was calling people who were staying there “patients,” but now, he says he’s calling them guests.
“It’s guest accommodation. It’s for people who are there,” he says. “I really like that. If someone needs a place to stay because mom’s in the hospital, it should be open for them too.”
He says the society also is running a house, where visiting doctors and other specialists can stay. “We now have a place for locums.”
More than that, he says, a pair of Dawson Creek businesses—Bannister Ford and Brown’s Chevrolet—each donated a vehicle for visiting doctors and nurses to use.
“We have an anesthesiologist comes in once a month,” says Bumstead. “She can use the vehicle, and that’s one of the reasons why she continues to comes in; it works for her.”
He says last year, the SPHSS held appreciation events for the medical staff in Dawson. “It’s not just about recruitment, it’s about retention,” he says. “We wanted to say thank you to all the people who stay here, to let them know we appreciate what they do. We need health care services for stronger communities.” He says he and Councillor Norbury—who also sits on the SPHSS—are in conversation do a similar event here in Tumbler Ridge.
He says that he served six years on board of Northern Health, and one of the most important things he learned is the primary care model is built on strong acute care system. “Family doctors need to have access to those specialty services,” he says. “If they don’t, it makes it hard on them to have an effective family practice. That’s why this model of acute care is so important. All those acute care services: maternity, oncology, etc—are important.”
He says that the Bulterys House wouldn’t have happened without the help of communities like Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge. “Honestly, the society is in the shape that it is right now because of the support of places like Tumbler Ridge,” he says. “I want to emphasize this, I want to specifically thank the District of Tumbler Ridge, who have stuck with us right from the start, financially.”
He says the SPHSS is working hard to create a strong health care system here. “Because if e don’t have a strong healthcare system, if we don’t have strong education, people aren’t going to move here.”
To find out more, visit the Bulterys House website: https://dcscl.org/bulterys-house/
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
