Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations

HSA welcomes today’s announcement that government will fund 37,000 more MRI scans in the public system during the coming year, compared to last year. BC has had the longest wait times for MRI in the country for several years, resulting in many patients paying for medically necessary scans at private clinics. Some of these patients then use these scans to...

HSA welcomes the provincial government’s new four-part surgical strategy announced today aimed at reducing wait times for surgery around the province.The initial phase of the strategy includes funding for an additional 4,000 hip and knee replacements in the coming year – an increase of 34 per cent – with long-term funding to continue increasing the number of surgeries in future...

Periods are a fact of life and menstruation products are a necessity. Nobody should have to pick between feeding their family and being able to afford basic hygiene products. Yet far too many people – especially those living in poverty – simply can’t afford them. “We know it is a struggle for food banks and community groups to collect menstruation...

Health Sciences Association of BC says today’s provincial budget makes critical social investments that will strengthen public services and make life more affordable for all British Columbians. HSA represents 18,000 highly trained specialists working in diagnostic MRI, sonography and lab testing, physiotherapy, social work, radiation therapy, pharmacy, early childhood development and many other health science and social service professions. “HSA...

The HSA's national union, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), has launched a 6o-second commercial now airing throughout the 2018 Winter Olympics on CBC. The video's message is timely, highlighting the central role unions have played in obtaining meaningful gains for all workers, whether unionized or not. From paid vacations to the banning of asbestos, unions have...

CoDevelopment Canada (CoDev), a BC-based non-governmental organization working for social change in the Americas, is inviting interested HSA members to travel with a learning delegation to Guatemala in March 2018 to meet with some of CoDev’s partner organizations supporting women in Guatemala, who face enormous economic and social challenges. The ten-day delegation is scheduled for March 17 to 26. Participants...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2017 HSA'S newest ad shines a light on the professions delivering mental health care in BC. The 30-second spot, airing on TV, Facebook and YouTube between October 23 and November 19, is an emotional story that helps the public, the media and members of the new government recognize the important role of key HSA professions working...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2017 A random survey conducted last fall found that 75 per cent of members are concened that workload is negatively impacting patient care. Over the course of 2016, HSA consulted thousands of members in several surveys. Over 5000 members completed a short survey on workload. Another 1400 completed a comprehensive survey. A futher 2500 were randomly...

HSA Report Magazine, September 2017 Last fall, HSA's mobilizing team brought together a small group of HSA members who wanted to do something more. The Member Engagement Team, as it came to be known, drew individuals from a range of professions. They spent a lot of time in a room full of white boards, sketching out ideas and eating terrible...

REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2017 BY VAL AVERY, PRESIDENT, HSA Months of uncertainty ended July 9. That's when an historic agreement between the NDP and Green Party of BC created a governing coalition that could hold a majority of seats in the BC Legislature, and bring down the minority BC Liberal government that had been hanging on since the May election...