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Bringing Cancer Care Closer to Home: Thompson Regional Hospital District

Assignment

Cancer patients in the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap Health Service Delivery Area of British Columbia face challenges accessing care locally. While Kamloops’ Royal Inland Hospital provides diagnostic and chemotherapy services, it lacks cancer radiation treatment facilities.

The government has promised a new cancer centre to the region for over three decades. However, missed deadlines have left the community skeptical about the about the cancer centre moving forward.

In the fall of 2023, Santis Health was engaged by the Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD) to raise awareness and advocate for tangible action to bring cancer care closer to home.

What Santis Did

Santis developed a public awareness campaign strategy, focused on mobilizing community support and emphasizing the urgent need for the cancer centre. The campaign featured a unified visual brand and strategically designed materials to ensure consistent messaging.

Santis established a committee and facilitated regular advocacy meetings with the Thompson Regional Hospital District leadership, local government officials, and stakeholders to align efforts. The committee appointed several local Kamloops residents to play a vital role as spokespeople for the campaign. These community influencers shared their personal stories with our team, which were then featured online and in the local news.

To further activate the community, Santis organized two community events. First was a branded ‘puck drop’ with the local Kamloops Blazers hockey team, which featured a local cancer survivor and distributed campaign merchandise to thousands of attendees. Santis then organized a three-day booth at Kamloops’ annual RibFest event, to allow local officials to interact with the 80,000+ local residents in attendance.

Outcomes

In its 10 month duration, the campaign received significant attention at the regional level. Santis’ successful media relations significantly amplified the campaign’s reach, securing extensive local and regional coverage in over 13 high-profile media articles and reaching more than three million British Columbians. 

Within three weeks of the campaign launching, former Health Minister Adrian Dix visited Kamloops to announce an approved business plan for a new BC Cancer Centre at Royal Inland Hospital, with construction set for completion in 2029. The Thompson Regional Hospital District cited the Cancer Won’t Wait campaign as a success after its final report, and looks forward to collaborating with BC Cancer on next steps in the coming years.

Our Work In Action