News & Updates

The Report: January / February 2001 vol.22 num.1 by CINDY STEWART Whats it going to take? Hard work and determination on the part of each and every health professional that HSA represents. In mid-November, delegates to HSAs Paramedical Professional Bargaining Conference met to determine the priorities for HSAs10,000 health science professionals in the upcoming round of negotiations. The conference coincided...

The Report: January / February 2001 vol.22 num.1 by BRIAN ISBERG No matter how much the Capital Health Region or any other region amalgamates, consolidates, restructures, reorganizes or regionalizes, it will not get past the underlying fact that there are not enough health science professionals to continue providing quality patient care in the present environment - let alone in one...

The Report: January / February 2001 vol.22 num.1 by RICK LAMPSHIRE The collective bargaining process for health science professionals has begun. HSAs bargaining proposal conference held November 15 through 17 was a huge success; participants worked hard, and were prepared to make difficult decisions to identify the priority issues of our membership. We will present a tight, focused package to...

The Report: January / February 2001 vol.22 num.1 by SARAH O'LEARY Q: How will the new Employment Insurance provisions affect me? A: In the 2000 federal budget, the Liberal government introduced some changes to the Employment Insurance Act. Bill C-32: An Act to Implement Certain Provisions of the Budget was tabled in parliament on February 28, 2000. These changes will...

The Report: January / February 2001 vol.22 num.1 by YUKIE KURAHASHI Lori Scherer Ultrasound Technologist Mission Memorial Hospital Like many sonographers, Lori Scherer knew she wanted to pursue ultrasound "the minute" she walked into medical imaging. "I like sonography because I like people," she says. "I like the one-on-one contact with the patient, and I wish I had more opportunity...

Union president says increased training spaces will help address shortage of x-ray technologists but more needs to be doneThe Health Science Association of BC, the province's third largest health care union, is pleased that the provincial government's new health care strategy includes a plan to train more x-ray technologists.HSA president Cindy Stewart says the plan demonstrates that the government has...

British Columbia's acute shortage of health science professionals is leaving some BC communities without access to critical health services. Physiotherapy, pharmacy, radiation therapy and ultrasound are just some of the professions where shortages are particularly severe.To raise awareness about this growing problem, the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia (HSA) is launching a province-wide campaign calling on government, health authorities...

The Report: November / December 2000 vol.21 num.6 by CAROLE PEARSON That a policy to improve health care should create so many headaches is ironic. But when the BC Ministry of Health implemented its Better Teamwork Better Care approach through regionalization, it created a tangle of jurisdictional and contractual issues. Then-Health Minister Joy MacPhail called it the "dawn of a...

The Report: November / December 2000 vol.21 num.6 by YUKIE KURAHASHI Most recipients of the coveted Bowl of Hygeia ... the highest honour in pharmacy ... are fairly certain which of their achievements is being recognized by the award. Some may be state senators. Others might be city mayors. Still others might receive the award for devoting their time and...

The Report: November / December 2000 vol.21 num.6 HSAs executive staff are the Executive Director of Labour Relations, Executive Director of Operations, Executive Assistant / Human Resources Coordinator ... and their secretarial support. Executive Director of Labour RelationsThe Executive Director of Labour Relations is one of the two senior executive staff positions in HSA and reports directly to the President...