HSA President Val Avery presented to the provincial legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services this week, and urged government to invest wisely in the people who deliver the health care and social services British Columbians rely on.

“The provincial government’s promising and ambitious new health care directions will require health human resources planning for health science professionals, and should not be limited to one or two professions, such as nursing and medicine where the greatest focus remains,” Avery told the committee.

HSA Basic Steward/OH&S Training Dates 2019

Registration Information:
Stewards may register by logging into My Events Registration. Workshops are listed under Steward Education events.
 
Basic Steward Training

Bargaining for a new collective agreement for BC’s 18,000 health science professionals working in hospitals and communities throughout the province gets underway this week as bargaining representatives for the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers’ Association of BC (HEABC) are set to begin contract negotiations tomorrow in Vancouver.

Join the BC Labour Heritage Centre in its exploration of the pivotal 1983 Solidarity Movement, described as the largest political protest in BC's history.  This fall, consider attending two exciting events taking place at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster as part of the Solidarity 35 project:

"It Seemed Anything was Possible" film screening and panel discussion
Thurs. Oct. 4, 7pm
Featuring a screening of the 1984 film Common Cause. 

Register for pension seminars for HSA members

Thanks to popular demand HSA is offering multiple Municipal Pension Plan seminars scheduled as follows:

The Health Sciences Association of BC is pleased to announce a new $3-million professional development fund aimed at supporting members of the health care team to undertake professional development to increase specialization, improve health care service to rural and remote areas of BC, and meet ongoing requirements for professional development. The fund is available to health science professionals who work under the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association collective agreement.

Health Emergency Management BC has activated the provincial Emergency Health Provider Registry to assist in the coordination of relief staffing for health care providers in areas impacted by the hundreds of wildfires burning across BC. Any Health Authority is able to access the registry when local emergencies create additional staffing needs.

After several years of advocacy efforts by HSA, British Columbians will see the launch of the College of New Caledonia (CNC)’s Northern Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, scheduled to begin in Prince George in January 2019.

Sonographers form a critical part of the public health team through producing sonographic images to assist medical practitioners in the diagnosis of a variety of medical conditions. An increase in training spaces in sonography will help to reduce waitlists for ultrasounds and improve patient care across BC.