HSA in the news

Prince George Citizen Some elective surgeries are expected to be postponed Friday as members of the Health Sciences Association of B.C. complete a two-day job action. For 24 hours beginning at midnight Friday morning, staff who operate diagnostic imaging equipment such as MRIs will reduce their staffing levels to minimum essential levels across the province. There will be enough staff...

Vancouver Sun The second stage of strike action by members of the Health Sciences Association hits B.C. hospitals today. Workers who deliver diagnostic imaging services like X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds will scale back to essential services as part of an effort to pressure the government to come up with a better contract offer. The union's job action began yesterday...

Nanaimo News Bulletin Byline: Niomi Pearson A two-day strike by health care workers at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and across the province will mean a delay in services for some residents. After nine months of contract negotiations and serving strike notice to B.C. employers, the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) announced that job action will commence today and tomorrow...

Trail Daily Times By Jeff Nagel Source: Surrey North Delta Leader The province has granted a one-year reprieve from its directive that health workers wear a mask this flu season if they refuse to be vaccinated. Those who don't comply won't be disciplined, deputy health minister Graham Whitmarsh said in a Nov. 30 letter to health authorities. Enforcement that was...

Cowichan News Leader Pictorial Byline: Peter Rusland Cowichanians whose long-awaited CT-scan dates are bumped by this week's hospital labour strife will be re-booked quickly, health brass promised Thursday. "Those dates will be rescheduled as soon as possible; they wont go back to the bottom of the list," said Suzanne Germain of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. "If someone has not...

Castlegar News Hospital pharmacists and medical imaging technicians plan to go ahead with brief strikes Thursday and Friday as a mediator attempts to reach a settlement with 16,000 health science employees at hospitals and clinics across B.C. Mediator Vince Ready was brought in Tuesday after negotiations that started in February failed to produce an agreement. The Health Employers Association of...

The Daily Bulletin (Kimberley) Hospital pharmacists and medical imaging technicians plan to go ahead with brief strikes Thursday and Friday as a mediator attempts to reach a settlement with 16,000 health science employees at hospitals and clinics across B.C. Mediator Vince Ready was brought in Tuesday after negotiations that started in February failed to produce an agreement. The Health Employers...

Comox Valley Record St. Joseph's General Hospital has cancelled about 70 diagnostic imaging scans on Dec. 7 due to medical imaging technicians' job action. The essential-service-only job action is expected to last 24 hours and Jane Murphy, St. Joseph's president and CEO, notes only non-urgent outpatient tests have been cancelled; urgent and inpatient tests have not been cancelled. Diagnostic imaging...

Alberni Valley News By Terri Theodore Source: The Canadian Press The B.C. government has temporarily backed away from a controversial plan to force thousands of provincial health workers to get a flu shot before they can work with patients. Instead of forcing workers to wear a mask or have the mandatory flu vaccination, the B.C. Health Ministry said it will...

Kamloops Daily News By Mike Youds The Daily News; Canadian Press A decision to ease introduction of a policy requiring thousands of health-care workers to receive flu vaccinations is winning applause from some corners. Instead of forcing workers to get flu shots, the Health Ministry says it will work toward getting compliance from workers in the first year of the...