Michael Beauclair (Conservative Party) Answers Health Care Questions

The following answers to our Health Care Questions were received from Michael Beauclair (BC Conservative Party):

1. Over the past ten years, rural B.C. communities have experienced a gradual erosion of health services and reduced accessibility to timely health care. Acute doctor shortages, scheduled closures of emergency departments, increased waitlist times, cutbacks in community nursing services, and difficulties with transportation to specialized services in regional centres are indicative of a health care system unable to meet the needs of rural patients.
If you are elected to the legislature in the 2013 provincial elections, what will you and your party do to reverse this trend and improve accessibility for rural residents?

BCCP Policy
5.4.5. Studying other health care systems world wide to look for ways to improve our own, including ways to reduce increasing wait times. 

One the questions that I ask as a tax-payer is what do Hospital Trustees and Administration do? Interior Health has become a monolithic entity that non-efficient and ” Top Continue reading

Healthcare Questions to Our Political Candidates

In collaboration with the BC Health Coalition, SOHC has crafted 6 questions about healthcare and distributed them to all four political candidates in the Fraser-Nicola riding. The candidates have two weeks to respond. We will publish their answers in our two local papers, our website and our facebook page. The BC Health Coalition will publish the questions on their website www.bchealthcoalition.ca and their member organizations are encouraged to use the questions in their own communities. Continue reading

SOHC is still SOHC

SOHC has decided to change its name. As of March 18, our new name will be Support Our Health Care instead of Save Our Hospital Coalition.

Back in April of 2012, when we first started, we focused on the nighttime ER closures and were concerned that this was indicative of a hospital in decline. After eleven months working to improve healthcare in our community, we still support the need for 24/7 emergency service. We now realize, however, that this is only one component of a better healthcare system for everyone. Continue reading

Lynn Pelly, guest speaker at our Seniors’ Presentation

The following is the speech given on February 25, 2013 by invited guest, Lynn Pelly, Executive Director of Princeton Community Services:

“I’m pleased to have the opportunity this evening to review some of the services currently available to seniors in our community. Princeton & District Community Services has been in existence since 1973. In the 40 years since its inception, the focus has been on the needs of seniors and persons with disabilities. Much has changed over time but our focus remains firm. Continue reading

BC Pharmacy Associaton Proposals

If these proposals by the BC Pharmacy Association are accepted, they could mean significant savings to our healthcare costs.

  • Trial Prescription Program
  • Treatment of Minor Ailments
  • Medication Adherence Services
  • Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes
  • Community Pharmacist-led Anticoagulation Management Service
  • Pharmacist-led Smoking Cessation Services
  • Asthma Consultation Service

For the full article, visit www.bcpharmacy.ca

News Release

From: The Town of Princeton and RDOS

March 1, 2013

On Thursday, February 28 healthcare practitioners and community representatives met with Interior Health (IHA) to discuss the implementation of an improved and sustainable model of healthcare for Princeton and District. This consultation is an IHA initiative with active participation by members of the community and all healthcare practitioners, including Dr. Sandhu who will be joining our community in August. Continue reading

Presentation on Seniors’ Care

On Monday, February 25th a small but appreciative audience attended a presentation on seniors care in our community. The first speaker was Lynn Pelly, Executive Director of Princeton Community Services Society. She gave a comprehensive report on the wide range of services provided by her organization. She explained that many of these services are under contract with the Interior Health Authority and are administered by a paid staff, supported by many volunteers. It was made clear that these important services are available as a result of government funding and that recent cutbacks have limited the scope of several services that the Society offers.

The second speaker was Gloria Levi, seniors advocate and coordinator of Integrated Care Advocacy. As Gloria explained, “integrated care” refers to the need to provide comprehensive medical and non-medical home health care that considers every aspect of a person’s well being. She pointed out that integrated care is not only what seniors want, it is also the most effective and cost efficient way to provide care; “it’s the best way to get a bang for your health care buck.”
Continue reading

‘A GP for Me’

BCMA president Dr. Shelley Ross joined Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid in launching a new province wide program, A GP for Me. This program is based on a successful pilot program that matched patients with doctors. As well, a separate and complementary program is being created to support hospitalized patients in receiving care from family physicians.

The innovative approach to improving primary care services and finding family physicians for patients was piloted in the communities of Cowichan Valley, Prince George and White Rock-South Surrey. The approach has already matched more than 9,000 patients – who did not previously have GPs – with family doctors.

In the pilot communities, through the collaborative local efforts, new primary care clinics were opened for patients, more doctors were recruited, and more multi-disciplinary teams were developed, which included nurse practitioners and mental health workers.

The new programs being launched throughout the province are initiatives of the General Practice Services Committee, which is a partnership between the Ministry and the BCMA.

Read: Government and doctors partner to improve primary care at BC Government Online NEWSROOM