Northern Health asks local communities for help with Strategic Plan
Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Northern Health is developing a new Strategic Plan and is seeking input from residents across the region. The first stop on the campaign was in Burns Lake.
The invitation was open to all Lakes District community members, and was hosted by Northern Health and Urban Matters, a consulting firm, at the Burns Lake Curling Club on Monday, May 25.
“We really want to hear what the priorities are for your community moving forward, and that’s going to inform and guide [our] Strategic Plan and the priorities in the North,” explained Anne Burrill, social health and well-being consultant with Urban Matters.
To better access challenges, Northern Health has launched a region wide initiative to meet with community members from across the health care authority, hosting in-person and virtual meetings thoughout the coming months.
For Burns Lake, the team outlined specific system challenges. Among the top of the list were: ER closures, long waitlists for long-term care, and high use of acute care beds for patients waiting for long-term care and other placements.
However, there was good news, the health authority said. Northern Health announced it has hired five new doctors and two new associate doctors for the Burns Lake area, stating that the area has been very successful in both recruitment and retention efforts.
“Our remote and rural geography poses significant challenges, in terms of delivering health care,” said Daryl Petsul, senior operating officer of the Northern Interior Rural devision of Northern Health. “At almost 600,000 square kilometres, Northern Health is the largest health care authority in B.C. It’s “about the size of the entire country of France.”
A small, but enthusiastic group of community members attended the first session in Burns Lake. The meeting served as an opportunity for open dialogue between Burns Lake residents and Northern Health officials.
Residents were encouraged to provide feedback on specific topics, such as: past experiences, personal priorities, and ideas for the future.
While Monday’s meeting was for the public, Northern Health is also meeting privately with health care professionals and local government officials in the area.
Northern Health plans to adopt the strategic plan by the end of 2026 and have it in place from 2027 to 2032.
For those who missed the meeting, residents are encouraged to fill out a 5-minute survey at the Northern Health website.
