The Report

The Report: August 2010 vol.31 num.4THE TINY BEADED FIGURE HSA member JoanneSchwartz wears on her lanyard every day at workcould be dismissed as just a colourful trinket.However, for Schwartz and for over 100 SouthAfrican women infected with HIV, along withtheir families, this ornament has more valuethan the most luxurious of necklaces. In fact, it represents survival, health, financial security, human...

The Report: August 2010 vol.31 num.4 SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE, and while I hope that all of you have an opportunity to slow things down and spend time with family, here at HSA were moving forward on several fronts. Our ad campaign on waitlists, featured on the cover of this edition, wound down in June after reaching countless British Columbians...

The Report: June 2010 vol.31 num.3 WITH A TOUGH ROUND OF BARGAINING ONLY JUST BEGUN, and in the face of short-sighted provincial cuts, delegates gathered at the Hotel Vancouver to grapple with the issues underlying this years theme: a strong union, its members an essential part of the changing and modern health care system, standing up for the patients they...

The Report: June 2010 vol.31 num.3 BY DAVID FAIREY, KATHY McLENNAN AND JEANNE MEYERS HSPBAS CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WAS FIRST DESIGNED SOME 40 YEARS AGO. TODAY, MANY EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH A SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR A SMALLER AND LESS COMPLEX BARGAINING UNIT. DELEGATES TO THE NOVEMBER BARGAINING PROPOSAL CONFERENCE DIRECTED HSA TO MODERNIZE THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM IN CURRENT CONTRACT...

The Report: June 2010 vol.31 num.3 PATIENTS MUST ALWAYS BE TOP PRIORITY FOR INNOVATIONS IN HEALTH CARE HEALTH MINISTER KEVIN FALCON has announced pilot programs for shifting hospitals to funding based on the number of patients they treat. HSA President Reid Johnson says he welcomes innovative changes in the delivery of health care, but will be watching as the patient-focused...

The Report: June 2010 vol.31 num.3 AS ANYONE WHO HAS OBSERVED a group child care situation knows, there are always children who dont fit in. Kids who sit alone in a corner, kids who disrupt the group, kids the others avoid or pick on, kids the supervisor doesnt know how to handle, and kids who end up getting pulled from...

The Report: June 2010 vol.31 num.3 FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, we have been working as a union to raise the profile of health science professionals. We've used many tools: advertising campaigns, sponsorship of community events like Run for the Cure, our constituency liaison program, our excellent relationships with professional associations. We're about to launch another ad campaign; a bold...

The Report: April 2010 vol.31 num.2 BY CAROL RIVIERE DO BCS POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES HAVE ANY IDEA who HSA is and what we do? Will they weigh our concerns in balance with those of many other groups who vie for the attention and support of the MLAs who craft the laws we all live by? Thanks to a dedicated group of...

The Report: April 2010 vol.31 num.2 THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT has settled on a disturbingly ironic tone in recent announcements. It began a few months ago, on December 1, which marks World AIDS Day. While local and national governments around the world recognized this date by reaffirming their commitment to continue the fight against HIV and AIDS, BCs government chose this...

The Report: April 2010 vol.31 num.2 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN SHEILA KERR DIDNT NEED the services of a career counsellor to choose her professional path. In fact, she never even had time to wonder what she wanted to be when she grew up. At the age of 14, her life experience led her to a volunteer position at the Living Positive...