family physicians (presence of family doctors). Telemedicine was regularly used at the local hospitals
in 15 of the communities. Meanwhile, only 11 of the 19 communities had demonstrated momentum
for enhancing palliative care services through the creation of a proposal for a local residential
hospice.
The findings displayed in Table 3 reveal several interesting results regarding the overall community
suitability rankings. For example, no change in rank is observed in the top six communities
between the original quantitative model and the new mixed methods model. Each of these
communities also had all of the community readiness indicators present. Alternatively, the midranked
communities experienced the most change in rank. These communities had anywhere
from five to two of the community readiness indicators present. As with the communities with
the highest suitability ranks, those in the bottom two positions also did not change rank between
the two models. As shown in Table 3, these communities, namely Whistler and Mackenzie, had
little to no presence of the community readiness indicators.
Figure 1 illustrates the results of the siting model based on the inclusion of the community
readiness indicators. Suitability rank changes are highlighted for each community, indicating
whether the community’s suitability to be designated as a SPCH rose, fell, or remained static
with the inclusion of the new indicators. Symbols are used to show the change in rank from the
previous model; the number in the symbol indicates the community’s updated rank position.
Small differences in the results emerge when the findings of the two models are compared,
including the decrease in suitability for Kimberley in the southeast of the province and Kitimat
and Terrace in the northwest, in comparison with their neighboring communities. Also, the presence
of all five readiness indicators increased the rank for two of the communities clustered in
the northeast of the province: Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. To summarize, the most significant
changes in rankings as demonstrated visually in Figure 1 have occurred in two clusters: (a)
Terrace–Smithers–Prince Rupert–Kitimat (with Kitimat becoming noticeably less suitable) and
(b) Fort St. John–Dawson Creek–Mackenzie (with Fort St. John becoming noticeably more suitable).
With few significant or noticeable changes happening in communities between the original
model and the revised model, the community readiness arm has served to complement the existing
siting variables of population, isolation, and vulnerability.