the salmon river watershed - Learning Centre

Approximately 11% of families in the watershed are low income families according to Statistics
Canada's definition. 28% of tenants paid more than 30% of their income on rent, but only 10%
of homeowners had household expenses greater than 30% of their incomes. These income
data are not available by enumeration area for 1981, and therefore trends over the 1981-91
period cannot be estimated.
Comparative data in Tables 2 and 3, indicate that the above social trends observed in the
watershed are generally also evident for Vernon and BC as a whole. The data also indicate
that cultural diversity, education levels and poverty levels are all higher on average in BC
relative to the watershed. It is expected that increasing cultural diversity and education levels,
as well as declining family sizes observed in the watershed over the 1981-91 period, will
continue for the foreseeable future.
Health 9
There are currently 3 main health care facilities in Salmon Arm:
1. Shuswap Lake General Hospital (46 acute care beds, 25 extended care; there are also 20
beds currently out of service)
2. Bastion Place, a multi-level care facility with 38 intermediate care beds, 38 extended care,
and 28 special extended care
3. Pioneer Lodge, an intermediate care facility with 75 beds
There is concern about the lack of extended care beds, particularly over the longer term, as
the population ages and more retirees migrate to the area. There are already 10 acute care
beds in Shuswap Lake General that are being used for extended care. An aging population
also means higher expenditures on health care, although the local governments incur only a
portion of these additional costs. Residents in the rural portion of the watershed use facilities in
Salmon Arm, Vernon and Chase.
There are approximately 25 General Practitioners in Salmon Arm and a part-time physician
who travels from Vernon to Falkland 2-3 times per week. The ratio of physicians per thousand
population is higher than average in Salmon Arm compared to other similar communities, and
significantly higher than for rural areas. 3-4 new practices were established in 1994, resulting
in a ratio of general practitioners (in full time equivalents) of over 15, compared to an average
of about 8 for the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District and about 9 for BC as a whole (Ministry
of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, 1992). This growth is partly due to the
attractiveness of Salmon Arm as a place to live. The number of visits and incomes per
physician are lower than average for similar communities. However, there is some concern
about the growth in the number of physicians in Salmon Arm while the rural areas of the
Watershed have no permanent health facility or residing physician.
There has been a stronger emphasis in the past several years by health administrators on
provision of more home services and greater self-reliance, particularly of the elderly. The
location of a nurse practitioner in Falkland or at least a more readily accessible contact (e.g. an
information number) has been suggested as a way to better service the rural part of the
watershed and reduce unnecessary trips to facilities in Salmon Arm or Vernon.
9 Based on discussion with Eugene Casavant, Hospital Administrator, Shuswap Lake Hospital and Ministry of
Health data provided by BC Stats.
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