Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations
HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 On May 1st, a group of 20 HSA members from around the province and from a range of professions spent the day in Victoria. Meeting with key decision makers in the areas of health care, community social services, skills training, job creation and advanced education, they raised HSA's profile and discussed issues of importance to members...
RPNS Nicole McIntosh and Genelle Sandberg were on hand to promote HSA's work. HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 HSA and its members played a big role in a recent event hosted by the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC. The CRPNBC's annual education day, held in Coquitlam this year, focussed on the various forms of trauma affecting psychiatric nurses and...
HSA president Val Avery listens to Ingrid Sochting, an HSA member and chief psychologist for Richmond mental health outpatient services. HSA marked yesterday's expiry of the Canadian Health Accord with a public forum on mental health services. "For the past three years, Prime Minister Harper has refused to meet with the provinces to discuss the renewal of the health accord...
BC HEALTH COALITION The current Health Accord expires March 31st, 2014 and the federal government is refusing to renegotiate it. Expiration of the accord will result in a $36 billion dollar cut to public health care, and an additional $16.5 billion dollar cut to health care equalization payments. On March 31, people across the country will be holding rallies to...
Health Sciences Association of BC, a union representing mental health professionals working in hospitals and communities across the province, will hold a public forum on mental health services March 31 in Vancouver. Download and share the poster “Support for British Columbians struggling with mental illness and mental health is desperately needed. The HSA members who work every day with patients...
Bill 7, the Laboratory Services Act was introduced in the BC Legislature by the Liberal government on February 17, 2014, and is currently at the stage of first reading. The proposed legislation makes significant changes in several areas, including the legislative framework, governance and funding models for medical laboratory services. A general overview of these changes is available here on...
HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Ok, so we have a five year deal. How do you propose to take advantage of the break from bargaining? Despite the fact that we won't be at the bargaining table, we have some important work to do. The workloads for many professions are causing our members a lot of stress. And when people are under...
HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Several HSA members are working with their professional associations to encourage the provincial government to regulate their professions under the Health Professions Act, and to create a joint regulatory college to oversee the practice of these health science professions. Approximately 6,000 HSA members would be regulated by this joint college. This initiative is supported by the...
HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Nicole Gilliss had a burning issue that motivated her to run for office. "When I decided to run for council in 2011, there was no doctor in our little town of Hudson's Hope, and hadn't been for three years. I wanted desperately for council to work towards recruiting a resident physician," says Gilliss. "I've always been...
HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 BY JEANNE MEYERS, LABOUR RELATIONS AND LEGAL SERVICES As many members know, the process of transitioning to a 37.5 hour work week has been frustrating. From the beginning, employers have misunderstood and misinterpreted the terms of the negotiated agreement. They have attempted to reduce hours of work, eliminate earned days off and even layoff members. None...