Public Health Care Rally – March 31

On March 31st, communities across Canada are holding rallies in support of Public Health Care. Princeton’s rally will begin at 11:00 am in Veteran’s Square. You can show your support by attending the rally and wearing red, carrying a red umbrella, or waving a Canadian flag.

There are 36 rallies being held in BC, organized by the Hospital Employees Union and local support groups such as SOHC. The following information is provided by the HEU, outlining their concerns and issues.



Taking Back Public Health Care
By Bonnie Pearson, HEU Secretary-Business Manager

It’s time for Canadians to take back the public health care agenda. For far too long, forces have been chipping away at our most cherished social program. To get a glimpse of the future facing public health care today, just follow the money.

This March 31 marks the first anniversary of a decade-long $36 billion cut to health care transfers to the provinces by Ottawa. B.C.’s share of that historic ten-year long reduction totals $5 billion. I think we can all agree that less money for health care is not what is needed for our province. In fact, a Conference Board of Canada report released last August determined Victoria must invest $1.8 billion more than budgeted for health care between 2014 and 2017 just to maintain current service levels. Continue reading

Brian Day Court Case Postponed

Here’s the latest information from the BC Health Coalition on the Brian Day court case:

-The number of potentially relevant documents provided by the Ministry of Health for review is likely around 100,000 or more. Many of these will be duplicates. The province estimates that they’ll need until August 2015 to go through the documents, identify which ones are relevant to the case, and then share them with the plaintiffs.

-Based on these timelines, the earliest possible estimated trial date is November 2015. The parties have agreed that they’ll make opening statements a few weeks before the trial starts.

-The province has found out that the clinics may have a very large number of documents that they did not disclose. The province is now going after those documents and may bring an application to the court to do so.

-As a result of the content of these new documents, the province will also be conducting more examinations for discovery – perhaps sometime in September or October.

NEWS RELEASE

Princeton Health Care Steering Committee

The Princeton Health Care Steering Committee (PHCSC) held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 17 at Princeton General Hospital. The meeting was attended by representatives from Area H (RDOS), the Town of Princeton, hospital administration, health care practitioners, Interior Health, and SOHC.

In January, the PHCSC formed an Aesthetic Improvements Work Group to develop a more welcoming and healing space for patients, visitors, and staff in the health care buildings. The work group consists of local artists, Susan Delatour, Merrilyn Huycke, Nienke Klaver, and Ed Staples.

Following a tour of the facilities, the work group prepared a report that was presented to the Steering Committee. The report, entitled Princeton Art for Health, makes several recommendations, including the installation of artwork in various locations inside and outside Princeton General Hospital and Cascade Medical Centre. Continue reading