News & Updates

Registration Now Open! Tools and tips to Stomp Out Period Poverty In B.C. and around the world, the menstrual equity movement is building. Across wo rksites, HSA chap ters are acting to make menstrual products more accessible and tackle taboos surrounding periods and period poverty. Access to menstrual products is a public health issue and a human right, and HSA...

The Health Sciences Association is proud to welcome 31 new health science professionals working at the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC division (CMHA BC), to HSA. Workers were fully united, voting 100 hundred percent in favour of joining HSA. “It is always an incredible moment when we welcome new members into the labour movement,” said HSA President Val Avery. “Through...

Last year, 131 B.C. workers died from a workplace injury or disease. When you lose a loved one, the pain never goes away. Across Canada, April 28 has been designated the Day of Mourning. As workers, families, employers, and communities come together at ceremonies held around the province to remember those who have lost their lives to work-related incidents or...

A once in a generation opportunity to improve workers' legislation. Join us! A message from HSA President Val Avery Dear HSA members, I am writing to you today with an important request in our ongoing work to improve the rights, protections and benefits available to BC workers. We are at pivotal moment in time. The provincial government is about to...

HSA is offering a 1 day, non-partisan election campaign school for members who are interested in getting more involved with the upcoming federal election. With general voting day set for October 21, 2019, political campaigns are quickly gearing up and many important issues will start to shape the national conversation on who is best to lead our country. At HSA...

Val Avery, a physiotherapist from Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, was re-elected Friday at HSA’s annual 2019 Convention for another two-year term. “I have your backs. I am committed to working on your behalf, very diligently, day in and day out,” said Avery to delegates during her acceptance speech on April 5. “We need to work together, and the more...

ABOUT SHAI I have be en working at the BC Cancer Agency as a Cytotechnologist for 10 years and in that time, I’ve learned about the union and what opportunities are available to its members. I first became a steward in 2013 and then later trained to be an Occupational Health and Safety Steward. Since then, I have been an...

CROSSTOWN CLINIC AND THE BEGINNING OF SUPERVISED INJECTABLE OPIOID-ASSISTED TREATMENTS AN INTERVIEW WITH PHARMACIST TWINKLE RUPAREL Twinkle Ruparel is an HSA member and pharmacist at Providence Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver. Crosstown Clinic is like no other in North America. It is the only clinic on the continent “to offer medical-grade heroin (diacetylmorphine) and the legal analgesic hydromorphone within a supervised...

ADVISORY COUNCIL RELEASES INTERIM REPORT ON NATIONAL PHARMACARE: CONCERNS RAISED OVER FINANCE MINISTER'S PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST The Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare released its interim report on March 6. The council was established with a funding commitment from the federal government’s 2018 budget, and has been tasked with recommending measures for implementing affordable national Pharmacare for...

As the province undergoes major reform to the delivery of primary care in BC, we have a valuable opportunity to learn from and build off the successes seen in other jurisdictions. HSA has long been an advocate for expanding team-based approaches to primary and community care. They allow health professionals with specialized knowledge and skills to collaborate to optimize patient...