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In 1982/83, the author, in the role of consultant to the firm of Thompson Berwick Pratt and Partners, Architects and Planners, Vancouver, conducted a regional health needs study In the interior of British Columbia for the Board of the Thompson-Nicola Regional Hospital District (TNRHD). The completed report entitled, The Thompson-Nicola Regional Hospital District Health and Hospital Study has subsequently been tabled as a public document. This planning thesis is concerned with the processes of conducting the study which was more complex than originally envisaged. The narrative describes the planning model developed by the consultants to fit the terms of reference which were, in brief, to assess existing local health service needs and the supply and distribution of health resources in the region, and to project future requirements through 1991. In attempting to develop the model it was realized that the Thompson-Nicola Regional Hospital Board had limited powers to initiate a study for all health and hospital providers in the region. The Board's planning mandate was limited by statute, and this limitation is explored. Co-operation among local providers was achieved through persuasion. The Ministry of Health (MOH) had funded 60 per cent of the project, thereby indicating to local groups that it supported the Board's planning approach. The Ministry of Health's concern for rational planning has already been expressed in other ways (e.g. The British Columbia Hospital Role and Funding Studies) although planning is still ad hoc rather than part of a clear Ministry policy. The lack of integration among providers made it difficult to determine need and demand for health services in the region. There were specific problems of definition of need, and specific and recurrent problems of data collection and analysis because of the large number of independent data resource groups involved. Problems in selecting and applying models of analysis were also experienced. Nevertheless, a model of health services needs and resource requirements was constructed. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate

In recent years, the term "Healthy Communities" has become a catch phrase among planners, health promotion workers, social workers and government agencies, and increasing numbers of professionals have taken a role in the development of healthy communities projects. The literature on the healthy communities concept has increased in size and scope. Yet the concept itself is byno means clearly defined. Nor is there a standard method for developing a successful healthy communities project, or a regional collaboration of healthy communities projects. The question remains, when a planner undertakes a role in the development of a healthy communities project, what are the most important factors to consider? This thesis examines the influence of various project inputs on the ability of a regional healthy communities project to achieve its objectives. The thesis uses a case study of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, a collaborative healthy communities project undertaken in the cities of Castlegar, Trail and Nelson in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. In this study, documentary analysis and interviews with Tri-City project staff illuminate the importance of several influences on a regional healthy communities project. Some of these are: the approach used by the participants (task- orprocess-orientation), the resources and constraints specific to each community, the context from which the project grew, the personalities of those involved, the ability of the collaborating communities to work together, and the relationship between the community and regional bodies in the project structure. Conclusions: While every healthy communities project will be affected differently by various inputs, in the case of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, the relationship between the regional and community bodies in the project structure had the greatest influence on the ability of the community Steering Committees to achieve their goals. Planners working on a regional healthy communities project must carefully examine the design of the project, in order to develop a structure which enhances the working relationship between regional and community bodies. This is particularly crucial in the healthy communities context, where decision-making power often resides at the community level, rather than being centralized in the regional body.

In recent years, the term "Healthy Communities" has become a catch phrase among planners, health promotion workers, social workers and government agencies, and increasing numbers of professionals have taken a role in the development of healthy communities projects. The literature on the healthy communities concept has increased in size and scope. Yet the concept itself is byno means clearly defined. Nor is there a standard method for developing a successful healthy communities project, or a regional collaboration of healthy communities projects. The question remains, when a planner undertakes a role in the development of a healthy communities project, what are the most important factors to consider? This thesis examines the influence of various project inputs on the ability of a regional healthy communities project to achieve its objectives. The thesis uses a case study of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, a collaborative healthy communities project undertaken in the cities of Castlegar, Trail and Nelson in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. In this study, documentary analysis and interviews with Tri-City project staff illuminate the importance of several influences on a regional healthy communities project. Some of these are: the approach used by the participants (task- orprocess-orientation), the resources and constraints specific to each community, the context from which the project grew, the personalities of those involved, the ability of the collaborating communities to work together, and the relationship between the community and regional bodies in the project structure. Conclusions: While every healthy communities project will be affected differently by various inputs, in the case of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, the relationship between the regional and community bodies in the project structure had the greatest influence on the ability of the community Steering Committees to achieve their goals. Planners working on a regional healthy communities project must carefully examine the design of the project, in order to develop a structure which enhances the working relationship between regional and community bodies. This is particularly crucial in the healthy communities context, where decision-making power often resides at the community level, rather than being centralized in the regional body. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate