Health Science Professionals

April 1, 2017 marked the day that the new Joint Health Science Benefits Trust took over stewardship of members’ health and welfare benefits, including Long Term Disability. The move from an employer-controlled fund to a jointly trusteed fund with equal representation from unions and employers was negotiated in 2014 Health Science Professionals contract bargaining. While the change was seamless, members...

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of BC dismissed an application from the BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) for judicial review related to their failed raid application on Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs) at Royal Inland Hospital in 2014. In a judicial review, a Supreme Court judge reviews the decision that has been made by an administrative tribunal, in this case the Labour Relations...

Immediate Release Health Sciences Association of BC says today’s provincial budget fails to help the thousands of British Columbians affected by long health care wait times. HSA represents 17,000 highly trained specialists working in diagnostic MRI, sonography and lab testing, physiotherapy, social work, radiation therapy, pharmacy and many other health science professions. “New buildings and machines don’t actually treat patients,”...

Printer-friendly version. Starting with the first pay period after February 1, 2017, most HSA members can expect a pay increase of 0.35% over and above the 5.5% increase rolling out over the life of the current contract. This increase is the result of the Economic Stability Dividend, a feature of the current agreement which requires the government to increase negotiated...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2016 When physiotherapist Fabiola Toyata returned to hospital work in Prince George after a 10-year absence, she had a bit of a rude awakening. Workload challenges, always a tough issue in healthcare, had skyrocketed in the course of a decade. "I saw a huge change in workloads, in acuity, in the number of patients. Also, the...

Important information about bc government changes that affect your drug coverage plan The BC Government has announced that the Reference Drug Program, which forms part of the provincial PharmaCare plan, will be expanding effective December 1, 2016. What this means for all HSA members who work under public sector contracts (HSPBA, NBA, CSSEA, CBA) is that some medications which are...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY VAL AVERY, PRESIDENT, HSA We're hearing a lot of interesting things from members like you. Over the summer, HSA circulated several surveys and invited members to participate in focus groups. Each explored different challenges and opportunities facing our union, and we'll be following up this fall with additional surveys, worksite visits and the annual...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN "I love what I do. I can't believe I get paid for it." HSA member Eric Cheng is a respiratory therapist at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and a co-founder of the Canadian charity Respiratory Therapists Without Borders. Being a respiratory therapist (RT) puts Cheng on the front lines of health...

Your elected HSA representatives and staff have been hard at work since the union's 45th convention in May. The upcoming regional meetings will be a good opportunity to provide updates on that work, and a chance for stewards and other activists to connect and discuss the issues in your region. In preparation for those meetings, please take a few minutes...

Members have told HSA that workload issues caused by shortages of key health science professionals have reached critical levels. In a series of surveys conducted over the summer, members from across BC and a range of professions expressed concern that workload was making it difficult to deliver quality care, and leaving patients waiting too long for important procedures. To address...