Category Archives: Health

Health, Housing, Politics, Transportation

Eby talks transport, toxic drug crisis and short-term rentals at economic summit

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Transportation, short-term rentals and disorder related to the toxic drug crisis in city centres were the top issues raised with Premier David Eby at the State of the Island Economic Summit on Thursday. 

After addressing the crowd at Nanaimo’s conference centre, Eby fielded questions and concerns from business and industry leaders, politicians and communities on the key issues hurting economic development across Vancouver Island. 

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Health, Politics

Province proposes more restrictions to public drug use; advocate fears this will force people back into the shadows

Editor’s note: While the examples in this story are from Victoria, a July 2023 BC Government press release named the Greater Campbell River Health Area (which includes outlying areas like Cortes and Quadra Islands, as well as the city of Campbell River) among the six worst health areas in BC for unregulated drug deaths. 

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Victoria, B.C. – On Oct. 5 the B.C. government announced its proposed amendments drug-use regulations, which would put illicit use more in alignment with the limits of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis in public places.

On Jan. 31 of this year, the province decriminalized personal possession of opioids (heroin, morphine, and fentanyl), crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine (meth), and MDMA (ecstasy) in amounts of 2.5 grams and under.

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Health

Curing the Most Deadly Communicable Disease on the Planet

Editor’s note: A health warning for our area as well the urban centres mentioned.

By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The hepatitis C Virus kills more people than most other communicable diseases, including AIDS and tuberculosis, says Dr.  Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases  Centre. Conway was recently named an Elimination Champion for his work fighting the disease.

This excludes COVID-19 which, as a generational pandemic gets measured differently by infectious disease experts, Conway adds. 

HCV killed 290,000 people globally in 2019 according to the World Health Organization, including 1,162 Canadians. 

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Health

BC’s Rural Emergency Room Crisis

An alarming trend to watch.

Editor’s note: During a protest over closures at North Island ERs, Adriane Gear VP of the BC Nurses Union told CHEK NEWS, “Our nurses are very worried. The Campbell River Hospital, I understand at any given time could be at 140%, 145% capacity, and at the same time there’s maybe only 60% to 70% of the nurses that would be normally scheduled to work.”  

By Michelle Gamage, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The province’s emergency rooms are in crisis.

ERs across the Lower Mainland have made the news for being at capacity and past their breaking points. This overcrowding led to the death of an infant in 2020 and a senior in 2022.

Doctors have even been urging people to stay away and seek help elsewhere. In the Lower Mainland one in 10 patients are leaving ERs without seeing a doctor, according to reporting by CTV. 

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Health

Transparency, accountability at B.C.’s ambulance service has flatlined, audit review shows

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Vital signs on the performance and state of B.C.’s ambulance service remain an outstanding mystery, an update from the B.C. auditor general on Tuesday shows. 

BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and the Ministry of Health have failed to improve public transparency and accountability for ambulance services, or establish a co-ordinated approach so that patient care meets acceptable medical standards, indicates an extensive review of the province’s track record in response to 18 individual audits involving a wide range of agencies since 2019. 

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