Editor:
Re: Hospital name change (Coast Reporter, March 20)
I don’t have a great problem with the unnecessary renaming of St. Mary’s Hospital. However, I wish the provincial government first had dealt with the real health care issues facing the Coast, such as hospital over-crowding or the lack of adequate supports for the elderly.
With regards to the choice of the new name, I would have much preferred a name reflective of all the communities that support and use the hospital. I think the name Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital is much more inclusive.
Vancouver Coastal Health spokespeople suggest that this more geographically inclusive name would be confusing. I don’t recall anyone looking for the village of St. Mary’s so they could find the hospital.
If VCH is genuinely concerned about potential confusion, can we expect that all their hospitals will be renamed based on their location? Perhaps UBC Hospital could be renamed Wreck Beach Hospital? Or is it only people who live or visit the Sunshine Coast who are so easily befuddled?
Al Erlenbusch, Sechelt
