Embarking on a vision for expanded surgical services

Through a shared vision and unified efforts of providers and the community, the Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre not only expanded surgical services for residents, but also showcased how it is possible to improve accessibility and quality of local health care services. 

Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre (Xaayda Gwaay Ngaaysdll Naay) is located in Daajing Giids and serves many surrounding communities.

Engaging the community: a focus on vasectomies

Dr. John Barnhill identified that many surgical procedures were unavailable on their remote island, requiring patients to undergo expensive and time-intensive travel to access them. He saw that there was capacity to build a stronger surgical services program for the community.

He and his team first sought valuable input from community  members and heard resoundingly that vasectomy procedures were by far the most burdensome for patients in terms of travel, costs, and time, compounded by an extraordinarily long waiting list.

Engaging hospital teams

The site needed to start from scratch to organize new services, and engaged biomedical staff, nursing, and hospital administrators to support the process. The team created documents for patients, set up training for nurses, gathered materials and instruments specific to the procedure, and set up a sterile operating room.

The project launched with six procedures out of the gate, with a steady influx of requests. As of May 2024, 14 procedures have been completed and another 15 are scheduled to follow.

Positive response, optimism for the future  

The response was overwhelmingly positive, with appreciation from family members who no longer have to travel off-island, allowing them to receive safe, high-standard care locally.

The project not only boosted internal teamwork but also stimulated conversations about further service expansion to other procedures. It has also strengthened ties with the community, leading to optimism for future growth of health services on the island.
 

Facility Engagement is quite a positive feature among our physicians in stimulating discussions on what we might offer, improvements we could consider, ways we could engage with the healthcare authority, and our patients. 

Through this small project, we have opened the door for expanding offerings to Haida Gwaii community, increased our appreciation of what we can offer, generated, more positive connections with the community, and a sense of optimism for the future. 

I feel very fortunate to be involved in this project and particularly appreciative of the people and resources available to us to offer services locally. – Dr John Barnhill

(Photo: L to R:  Dr John Barnhill, Dr Gordon Horner)