A war chest has been created to ensure that the new hospital tower at Penticton Regional Hospital is built, no matter what happens in the next election.
Penticton’s medical community and the Regional District have agreed to put aside $40,000 for ongoing efforts to get the project off the ground. Officials say the money will go towards everything from bumper stickers to a media campaign.
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The hope is to keep the pressure on the province and make sure the project is not forgotten after the election.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to put that money towards the media. It’s unfortunate the RDOS has to put money towards this as well,” said Dr. David Paisley of the Penticton Medical Society.
“Unfortunately we are in a political arena and we’ve got to do that.”
The Penticton Medical Society says the hospital runs at 110% capacity and there are indications these numbers will continue to climb.
The new care tower will cost about $300 million. The province is expected to chip in $160 million while the Regional Hospital District and South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation will cover $140 million.
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