BC Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid wants health care workers to either get a flu shot, or be wearing a mask, as of December first. "Steps will have to be taken if people won't cooperate with that, because we're talking about patient safety and that is our top priority; it has to be our top priority, it has to be our top priority,it has to be … [Read more...]
Care home jobs contracted out
October 31, 2012 by
Days before Remembrance Day, more than 90 health care workers at a veterans' care facility in Burnaby are being handed pink slips. The Hospital Employees Union is reporting long-term staff at the George Derby Centre will be displaced by the end of April, because their jobs are being contracted out. Services affected include food and nutrition, … [Read more...]
Senior found dead near care home
October 30, 2012 by
Delta Police have found the body of the Delta senior who disappeared from his care home on Saturday night. 87 year old Edward Lysyk was last seen at 3 a.m. at the Augustine House Residence for seniors. Staff reported him missing when they couldn't find him throughout the day. Constable Ciaran Feenan says Lysyk was found dead yesterday … [Read more...]
Family of plane crash survivor miffed at health care system, but not for the usual reasons
September 7, 2012 by
One of the two remaining survivors from a plane crash near Penticton in August can't get a doctor to accept him at Vancouver General Hospital. Vincent Hannay is out of the intensive care unit at Kelowna General Hospital, and his family wants him back in Vancouver to continue his recovery. His uncle Rick Hannay says BC Bedline has an … [Read more...]
Health care workers ordered to get flu shots, or wear masks
August 23, 2012 by
Health care workers in BC will be required to get a flu shot or wear a mask during the coming flu season in order to protect patients from the virus. That announcement from Provincial Health Officer Doctor Perry Kendall today. Kendall says the new policy will apply to health authority staff, doctors and residents, volunteers, students, … [Read more...]
Clinic launches health care fight
July 31, 2012 by
It's being called a defining case in the history of Canadian health care. Four plaintiffs have now joined a constitutional challenge of BC's health laws. The challenge, launched by Doctor Brian Day of the Cambie Surgical Centre, was started after a recent audit revealed the private clinic was billing for services normally covered by Medicare. Now … [Read more...]
Latest report on kids in care
July 17, 2012 by
BC's Child and Youth Representative has released her latest report into critical injuries and deaths among children and youth in care.Since February, 119 critical injuries and 41 deaths have been reported, and reviews are underway in the case of 71 injuries and 14 deaths.Those reviews will determine whether a full-scale investigation is needed if … [Read more...]
Canada-wide protests planned over cuts to refugee health care
June 17, 2012 by
Several groups representing healthcare workers are set to protest looming cuts to refugee medical care tomorrow, as part of a national day of action. Ottawa is set to slash refugee healthcare service as part of changes made to its interim federal health program. Nurse practitioner Sonja Rietkirk is one of many healthcare workers planning to … [Read more...]
Ten recommendations made after death of developmentally disabled woman who was waiting for long-term care
June 16, 2012 by
A coroner's inquest jury has made ten recommendations in the case of a developmentally disabled woman on Vancouver Island who died while waiting for long-term care. 76-year-old Joan Andrews died last year after she crawled over a bed railing and injured her head. She was a client of Community Living BC at the time, at a caregiver's Langford … [Read more...]
Inquest into case of woman who died waiting for long-term care wraps up tomorrow
June 15, 2012 by
An inquest into the case of a Vancouver Island woman who died while waiting for a room in long-term care is expected to wrap up Friday. Joan Andrews, a 76-year-old client of Community Living BC, died in February 2011 from a head injury after crawling over a bed railing. At the time, she was living in the Langford home of a caregiver who believed … [Read more...]
