Columbia Valley Pioneer staff
To say that Invermere and District Hospital (IDH) is a busy place is an understatement.
That was evident in a recent report to the Regional District of East Kootenay.
Current Health Authority (HA) data shows that IDH’s emergency department saw 10,366 visits, an average of about 29 per day between April 2023 and March 31, 2024. Of note, 34 per cent of these emergency visits were without an attachment to a family physician, with a significant increase to 48 per cent in July and August. (The additional numbers in the summer demonstrates a significant increase in emergency department visits primarily attributed to tourism.)
From April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, there were 9,505 visits, an average of approximately 26 per day.
In the period April 1, 2023 to October 12, 2023, the emergency department in IDH saw 5,835 patients. This is approximately 47 per cent of the volume seen in the emergency department at East Kootenay Regional Hospital (12,457) over the same period.
During the April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 period, health authority data shows that hospital inpatient occupancy was 99.5 per cent, up from 92 per cent in the year prior. This means on average the hospital acute/inpatient status is full. The report says that additional funding support and staffing are needed to increase the facility’s bed base. It was also noted that if the hospital doesn’t increase capacity, it will risk needing to start overflowing into the emergency department or, at worst, other empty spaces in the hospital such as hallways or unmonitored rooms.
The report highlights there has been a dramatic increase in the general population of Invermere and the surrounding area (23.3 per cent population growth since 2016, according to Columbia Valley Vital Signs).
Given the community’s local attractions and proximity to Alberta, there is also a significant population surge over the summer and mid-winter (projections of over 40,000).
It is noted that Invermere and District Hospital treats a higher percentage of patients relative to census numbers. The primary driver is the visiting tourist population and increased general population growth.
According to Statistics Canada, as of 2022, Radium Hot springs (72.6 per cent), Canal Flats (20.1 per cent) and Invermere (15.5 per cent) all placed in the top four growing municipalities in the East Kootenays.
As a result of this population growth, there is a sharp increase in the number of patients (without family doctors) living in the community, according to the report.
“The current physician team is working hard but remains unable to accommodate this group in a longitudinal care model,” the report states. “Without more clinicians this problem will likely continue to get worse. The natural consequence is an increased use of the emergency department for primary care.”
The report points out that East Kootenay community hospitals lack allied resources such as respiratory therapists, mental health clinicians, casting technicians, and advanced care paramedics. The natural result is that local physicians are responsible for more tasks that would ordinarily fall under allied or specialist services, particularly overnight or in situations where a transfer is not possible. This means the time taken to care for each patient is higher than in some other communities.
