Interior Health ending oversight role at Summerland long-term care home

After almost 17 months of being under the supervision of an administrator appointed by Interior Health, Summerland Seniors Village will now be run by its private operator.

It was on Feb. 24, 2020 that Interior Health appointed Vanda Urban to administer the care home after a number of complaints were received by the health authority about its operation.

READ MORE: Dozens of violations found at Summerland senior’s home

The initial appointment was for six months but was extended twice to July 15.

“The board is pleased with the detailed reports that indicate the level of care at Summerland Seniors Village is once again meeting legislated standards,” Doug Cochrane, Interior Health board chair, said in a news release. “Interior Health will continue to work with the operator moving forward with a focus on resident safety and quality of care.”

READ MORE: Inspection reports suggest why Summerland Seniors Village is now being run by Interior Health

Interior Health will continue monitoring the facility and meeting with the mangers to make sure the changes it made continue, the release says.

The health authority says the the facility is privately owned by West Coast Seniors Housing Management. The company is operating the home for Retirement Concepts, which is the largest owner of long-term care homes in B.C.

The company is subject to a class action lawsuit that was launched on Vancouver Island in February 2020. The Retirement Concepts website shows it also owns the Kamloops Seniors Village and Williams Lake Seniors Village.

READ MORE: Owners of three B.C. Interior seniors homes being sued as part of class action lawsuit


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics

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