Latest news with #FraserHealth
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Paddlers gather at Crescent Beach for youth mental health fundraiser
The annual Champion of the Crescent fundraiser was held in Blackie Spit Park on Friday, July 18, 2025. (CTV News) With the sound of an airhorn, the first paddleboard relay race got underway at the annual Champion of the Crescent fundraiser in Blackie Spit Park. Each team of four had to raise a minimum of $3,000 to take part in the races in Boundary Bay on Friday. 'The water is refreshing, right? When you work as hard as we work, it feels good to get a little cold,' said Craig Enns, whose team finished first in their opening heat thanks to his frantic sprint to the finish on the beach. All funds raised go towards youth mental health programming at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Event organizers set a goal of raising $275,000 – with some of that money earmarked for transition services. '(That means) providing services in the community,' said Nicole Robson, president and CEO of the Surrey Hospitals Foundation. 'Once people have come in and accessed acute mental health in the hospital, it's really important to ensure the transition home is supported and supported well.' According to staff at Fraser Health, many people living with mental health issues first experience them between the ages of 14 and 24. 'The sooner we're able to get services in place and help support an individual, it really helps them to recover and then put them on a positive trajectory in life,' said Geneva Healey, the child, youth, young adult, mental health and substance use director of clinical operations at Fraser Health. Organizers did not immediately have a final tally of the funds raised, but said between corporate sponsors and individual donations they were closing in on their goal. 'We're a young community. We've got to take care of our youth, not only physically but mentally,' said David McFarlane, vice-president and COO of EllisDon Corporation, one of the event's major sponsors. 'It's struggles that we don't appreciate as adults, and we've got to put mental health front and centre.'
CBC
7 days ago
- Health
- CBC
B.C. minister praises recruitment of health-care workers from U.S., with 780 applications in 2 months
British Columbia's health minister says the province has received almost 780 job applications from qualified American health professionals as part of its recruitment campaign. Josie Osborne says more than 2,250 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C. since March. Bylaw changes implemented by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. this month mean U.S.-trained doctors can become fully licensed in B.C. without further assessment if they hold certifications from various American medical boards. Osborne says that means Canadian doctors trained in the U.S. can "come home" and the path also becomes easier for American physicians. The minister says the college is also considering more changes that would give internationally trained physicians a pathway to practise, if they completed a minimum of two years of postgraduate training in family medicine in the U.S., Australia, United Kingdom or Ireland. It would also make it simpler if they have completed postgraduate training and received certification in certain specialties from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the U.K. or Ireland. A statement from B.C.'s Ministry of Health says of the 780 job applications received between May and June, 181 are for Interior Health, 154 for Fraser Health and 121 for Vancouver Coastal Health.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C.'s health minister to provide update on measles cases amid new exposures
B.C.'s health minister is set to provide an update on measles cases in the province Thursday morning. It comes as officials warn of new potential exposures to the highly contagious disease. According to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, there is currently one active case in the Fraser Health region. There have been 99 cases so far in 2025, most of which were in the Northern Health region. Officials are warning of a number of potential new exposures. The first was at the Fort St. John Prenatal Clinic on June 27 between 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. There were also reports at the Fort St. John Hospital emergency department on July 4 from 3:30 p.m. to July 5 at 2 a.m., July 1 from 4:35 a.m. to 6:05 a.m., and from 6:35 p.m. to July 2 at 12:03 a.m. Cases are at a 27-year high in Canada, with more than 3,700 reported. Alberta has the most infections in North America on a per capita basis, with more than 1,200 cases since March. Since the introduction of the measles vaccine, rates of infections have dropped greatly in Canada and around the world. However, measles is making a resurgence as immunization rates decline. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, and red and inflamed eyes that are often sensitive to light. These symptoms are followed by a rash, which starts first on the face and neck, and spreads to the chest, arms and legs. The rash lasts about four to seven days and there may also be small white spots inside the mouth. Symptoms can start between seven and 21 days after a person is infected with the measles virus. Measles is a serious illness that can also lead to complications including pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and even death. If you have confirmed measles, you're asked to stay home and isolate for at least four days after the rash first appeared.
Vancouver Sun
03-07-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Opinion: People who need long-term care shouldn't face financial ruin trying to get help
My wife has advanced multiple sclerosis. MS is a soul-sucking disease that gradually destroys your body but leaves your mind intact, so you know exactly what's happening to you. There is no cure. My wife has been wheelchair-bound for several years because of her MS. Despite the loss of her mobility and independence she remains remarkably upbeat about her situation. 'It could always be worse' is a common refrain. In early 2023 she suffered a major MS attack and was hospitalized for 11 days. The attack effectively left her semi-paralyzed. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Much to its credit, upon her release Fraser Health arranged to have a care aide come to our house four times a day to help her get in and out of bed and assist with personal hygiene. To receive this support, I had to agree to assist the aide during each visit. That year was extremely stressful for both of us — life seemed pretty bleak at times. However, one of the things that made life less stressful were the visits from the aides — they only missed two appointments that winter due to road conditions. They were, and are, truly amazing people. We were charged $300 a month for homecare support throughout 2023. We assumed part of the reason for the low cost was that it kept my wife out of a government-run, long term care facility. We also thought it was in recognition of the assistance I had to provide the aides each day — amounting to just under 1,400 hours in 2023. On Dec. 18, 2023, seven days before Christmas, we received a letter from Fraser Health informing us that we were no longer eligible for $300-a-month homecare support because I was no longer working. As Fraser Health already knew, I'd retired several years earlier. Because I didn't report 'employment income' on my 2022 tax return, we would now be charged $5,000 a month for home-care support. None of this would be covered by my private health insurance. The author of the letter didn't bother to provide any contact information. The next morning my wife, who seldom complained during the preceding 11 months, broke down in tears. To paraphrase, she said: If I wasn't here there would be no problem and we both know the only way I'm getting out of here is by asking for MAID (medical assistance in dying). Advanced MS is one of the diseases for which individuals are currently eligible for MAID in Canada. On Dec. 21, I wrote Premier David Eby asking for his help. Thinking they might be interested, I copied provincial Opposition leaders and the B.C. Seniors Advocate's office. Among other things, I asked the premier if we were supposed to sell our home or, alternatively, apply for MAID to solve the financial challenge his government had imposed on us. Obviously, the latter would help him deal with the province's long-term, care bed shortage. I also asked him to explain why someone who was still working qualified for a $300-per-month cap but someone who was retired, with limited income, was required to pay thousands more. Neither Eby nor the Opposition replied to my letter — or to any of the followup correspondence I sent them. I found their lack of interest and empathy surprising. I understand the seniors advocate and the B.C. ombudsperson have tried unsuccessfully to get the provincial government to address this issue since at least 2012. The advocate's office referred me to B.C.'s Continuing Care Act and the Continuing Care Fees Regulation. The regulation allows the government to take up to 80 per cent of the combined incomes of both spouses once they've retired — even though only one of them requires long-term, homecare support. However, if one spouse continues to receive employment income, no matter how small the amount, they're eligible for the $300-per-month cap on fees. We've since learned that other provinces, like Manitoba, have similar legislation. Fortunately, and for a truly Byzantine reason, the government eventually agreed to continue charging us $300 per month for home support. However, we know of a middle-class retiree with mild dementia who is being charged $2,000 per month. We also know of a couple who had to divorce to afford care for one of them in a long-term care facility. People don't choose to get diseases like Parkinson's, Huntington's, ALS, MS or dementia — or to suffer strokes and brain injuries. No one would willingly choose to have strangers come into their home to help them perform basic personal hygiene — like going to the bathroom. If we think it's reasonable to provide Canadian parents with $10-a-day daycare, why isn't similar consideration being given to truly helpless members of our society? Similarly, if we can't afford to look after our own citizens, why do we continue to pay out billions of dollars in foreign aid each year? It's time for the provincial and federal governments to create a fully funded, national long-term care program — like we have for unemployment. Hopefully, just like employment insurance, most of us will never need it but, if we do, we won't have to face financial ruin — or MAID — trying to get medical help. Continuing to dither and do nothing is clearly not the answer. Canadians deserve better. If you agree, please write/text/email the premier ( premier@ ) and Prime Minister Carney ( pm@ ) and tell them we need a national long-term care program. Larry Wilkins is a B.C. resident who retired in 2019 after a long career in the public service.
Vancouver Sun
27-06-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Interior Health CEO steps down following closure of Kelowna's pediatric unit
Interior Health CEO Susan Brown has stepped down following the shutdown of the pediatric ward in May at Kelowna General Hospital because of a shortage of pediatricians. Brown is the second health authority CEO to leave this year after the sudden departure of Fraser Health president and CEO Dr. Victoria Lee. In a statement Friday, Interior Health said it remains committed to reopening the hospital's pediatric in-patient unit 'as soon as possible.' Sylvia Weir, the current chief financial officer and vice-president of corporate services has been appointed interim president and CEO. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Health officials said four new physicians have signed offers to join the department but at this time the hospital does not have enough pediatricians available to safely reopen the 10-bed in-patient unit. The decision was made without public notice from the either the Interior Health Authority or the Ministry of Health. Instead, Kelowna doctors broke the news on the eve of the pending closure. After that, Interior Health confirmed the unit would be out of service from May 26 until the first week of July or longer to preserve pediatric coverage for the neonatal intensive care unit and high-risk deliveries. Interior Health said Friday the medical staff association and Doctors of B.C. have established a joint action committee to develop a solution to the staffing challenges, and said Brown is concluding her tenure ahead of her pending retirement. 'On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to Susan Brown for her unwavering commitment and service to Interior Health and the health and well-being of the communities we serve during the particularly challenging times of COVID-19 and a global health care worker shortage,' said Dr. Robert Halpenny, Interior Health board chair in a statement Friday. The statement said KGH remains equipped to support any children requiring emergency care although pediatric in-patients will not be admitted at this time. Some will be transferred elsewhere, including to B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver. ER Dr. Jeff Eppler told Postmedia last month that he never imagined a disruption of pediatric services of this magnitude and that 'it seems almost surreal.' ticrawford@ With files from Vaughn Palmer
