Medical support staff cutbacks — does anyone care?

More health care dollars slashed — cuts affect us all.

Recently, the British Columbia government announced to staff at hospitals and extended care facilities across the province, that there were going to be job cuts, pay cuts and shorter hours in dietary and housekeeping departments in an effort to cut more from the health budget. In a system that has already cut costs to the bone and deeper, another cut is hard to imagine. So CVNews has done some digging and what we have discovered has raised a great many questions that don’t seem to be receiving any reasonably believable answers. [Read more]

Cough and fever? — stay at home

Use your ER wisely – advice for patients with flu-like symptoms.

Interior Health.

Interior Health would like to remind everyone that hospital Emergency Departments are designed for the treatment of seriously ill patients and those requiring urgent care. If you go to the Emergency Department when your symptoms aren’t serious, this can result in high volumes and delays in treatment.

Most cases of the H1N1 flu virus in BC have been mild, with people recovering on their own, at home. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, particularly if you have a cough and a fever, it’s advised you stay home for 7-10 days or until your symptoms have resolved and you’re able to continue with daily activities. This will help prevent the spread of infection. [Read more]

Hospital board meeting, Oct 9 highlights

Highlights from the hospital district board meeting of October 9, 2009.

H1N1 Flu Update.

The Board received an update from Allan Sinclair, Interior Health’s Chief Operating Officer for the East and West Kootenay. Interior Health has plans in place at all of its health care facilities and hospitals to deal with influenza-like illnesses, including H1N1.

Interior Health continues to encourage people to wash their hands frequently, use Emergency Rooms only if absolutely necessary, and stay home if they are not well. Anyone with questions regarding H1N1 or other health related issues can call Health Link BC at 8-1-1 or visit their website www.healthlinkbc.ca. [Read more]

Promises, promises…

Letter to editor —

Mr. McKee,

I read the above budget and if I didn’t know better, I would think it was a fairly good one as budgets go. Lots of promises. However I see that the Liberal government has earmarked 4.8 billion dollars for health care and you will forgive me for not believing it one bit. If you have been following the Columbia Valley News article [Government practices force neglect of elders] and many comments from readers regarding the deplorable conditions in the long term health facility in Invermere specifically, but all over the province in general, you perhaps would be so kind as to respond to the charges that the Liberals under Gordon Campbell have failed miserably to keep the promises made last time around.

I doubt that you will have much fun on the campaign trail this spring, what with having to make up excuses left and right for the failings of the people we trusted with our tax money.

I am taking a great interest in the health care scene since I myself am a senior and reasonably intelligent. The last thing on earth I would want is to end up in one of your facilities.

Another thing I am hearing is that the ER in the Invermere Hospital was at the top of the list for money to improve the facility and now seems to have been lost in your government’s decision to take over whatever they can get their hands on.

Another tap dance seems to be in order to explain away that one too.

Respectfully,

Lynn Knell

Government practices force neglect of elders

A few years ago the Liberal government cut back the number of long-term care beds. That now means that if an elderly person falls and breaks a hip they end up in the hospital. If the break means that they can no longer live on their own, then they go on a waiting list to get into Columbia House. In the meantime, they are staying in hospital — taking up a bed that someone else might need. Some of these patients are ending up ‘living’ in hospital for months, maybe even a year or so. Our hospital used to have 13 beds. Now it has 8. That was also part of the Liberal cutbacks. [Read more]