News & Updates

The Health Sciences Association of BC (HSA) today released a report by an environmental health expert that recommends a high standard of personal protective equipment use by health care workers to minimize the spread of the deadly H1N1 virus. HSA and its national union, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), commissioned the study by John Murphy of...

USW members of Local 2009 are fighting for a fair collectiveagreement with Compass Canada. The members areamongst the lowest paid workers in the health care sectorand are fighting for equality with other workers doing thesame work. Compass is not negotiating with the union at this time and need the support of their colleagues at Surrey Memorial Hospital to achieve a...

HSA President Reid Johnson -Government spin wont help autistic children and their families," Health Sciences Association of BC (HSA) President Reid Johnson said today in response to a massive government cut in support for autistic children across British Columbia. HSA is the union that represents the team of health science professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorder and...

Notice to HSA members of the Health Science Professional Bargaining Association: From February 2008 to date, the HSPBA Bill 29 Education Fund has provided bursaries to more than 600 HSA members, supporting education ranging from one-day professional development courses to Masters and PhD programs. This funding arose out of the unions negotiated settlement flowing from the Supreme Court of Canada...

The World Health Organization has declared a world H1N1 flu pandemic. It is uncertain how serious this pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will be severely affected. However, because H1N1 is a new virus, many people may have little or no immunity against it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In...

British Columbia's Ambulance Paramedics - members of CUPE Local 873 - are still fighting for a fair contract.Please join them tomorrow - Friday, September 18 - for a march and rally in Richmond, BC and show your support for their struggle with the Campbell government.Marchers will assemble on the Elmbridge Way sidewalk at the north side of the Sheraton Airport...

Citing budget cuts, the Interior Health Authority has eliminated crucial services for vulnerable residents in the Kootenays. Golden Hospitals speech language pathologist will leave at the end of September, leaving neurological patients, speech-delayed children and stroke and surgery patients without the critical support they need. Meanwhile, the recreation therapist at Talarico Place in Castlegar has been laid off and recreation...

Kimball Finigan (radiation therapist, representing Region 5 on HSA's board of directors) chats with representatives from the Centre for Ability in Vancouver.Representatives to this year's regional meetings will also elect delegates to HSA's health science professionals' bargaining proposal conference, to be held November 8-10. Click here for more information and a full schedule of regional meetings around the province.

UPCOMING FREE PUBLIC EVENTS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The BC Health Coalition is hosting TWO free public events with special guests from the US-based Physicians for a National Health Program, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, and the Canadian Health Coalition. Learn what the current lawsuit launched by private clinics in B.C. means for public health care, US health insurance companies, and Canadas...

As BC leaders in the fight to end breast cancer, the Health Sciences Association of BC is an active participant in the annual Run for the Cure, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's most important fundraising event of the year. As health sciences professionals, HSA members are the key health professionals breast cancer patients count on for the diagnosis and treatment...