Press release
Lower Mainland Health Authorities supporting Armstrong care home residents impacted by wildfire evacuation alerts
Vancouver, B.C. — As a result of a wildfire threat and an evacuation alert in the Vernon area, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Providence Health Care (PHC) are working in cooperation with Interior Health to temporarily receive and care for residents of the Pleasant Valley Manor long-term care home in Armstrong, B.C.
The residents will begin arriving on Friday, Aug. 13 and will be housed at long-term care seniors’ homes in Vancouver, including Holy Family Hospital Long Term Care, St. Vincent’s: Langara, Brock Fahrni Pavilion and Capilano Care Centre, which is a VCH contracted long term care site owned by Revera. The incoming residents will temporarily stay in vacant beds in these care homes.
The wildfire emergency and current extreme heat event are impacting communities across the province. Lower Mainland Health Authorities have been planning for this contingency and are fully prepared to accommodate and care for the residents who will be arriving and in need of our support.
Our focus will be to provide the best continuity of care for the arriving residents as well as maintaining high levels of care for our current residents. Health Authorities have mobilized additional resources to help make the transition as seamless as possible and provide a safe and comfortable environment. All COVID-19 safety protocols are being adhered to during the transfer and accommodation of the residents.
We will be working closely with provincial emergency management services and Interior Health over the coming weeks to evaluate the wildfire threat and to determine a date when residents can be safely moved back to Pleasant Valley Manor. In the meantime, we will be providing a welcoming and caring environment for the arriving residents, while also keeping in close contact with all impacted residents and families, answering any questions or concerns.
VCH and PHC would like to thank all the staff, medical staff, volunteers and others who have kindly stepped up to help the residents arriving from B.C.’s Interior during this difficult time.
Vancouver Coastal Health is responsible for the delivery of $4.1 billion in community, hospital and long-term care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola. VCH also provides specialized care and services for people throughout B.C., and is the province's hub of health-care education and research.
About Providence Health Care (PHC) is one of Canada's largest faith-based health care organizations, operating 17 health care facilities in Greater Vancouver. PHC operates one of two adult academic health science centres in the province – St. Paul’s Hospital – performs cutting-edge research in more than 30 clinical specialties, and focuses its services on six “populations of emphasis”: cardio-pulmonary risks and illnesses, HIV/AIDS, mental health, renal risks and illness, specialized needs in aging and urban health and is home to the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
Media Contacts:
Vancouver Coastal Health
604-202-2012
media@vch.ca
Providence Health Care
604-312-3547
communications@providencehealth.bc.ca
