For Immediate Release

Health Sciences Association of BC says today’s provincial budget provides important investments in health care and social services, but workforce challenges need attention.

HSA represents 18,000 highly trained specialists working in diagnostic MRI, sonography and lab testing, physiotherapy, social work, radiation therapy, pharmacy, early childhood development and many other health science and social service professions.

HSA welcomes today’s news that BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix has introduced legislation repealing 16-year-old legislation that targeted health care and community social services workers British Columbians count on to care for them during their most vulnerable times.

“This legislation introduced today brings an end to almost two decades of attacks on health care and community social service workers,” said HSA President Val Avery.

Health Sciences Association of BC says today’s provincial budget makes critical social investments that will strengthen public services and make life more affordable for all British Columbians.

HSA represents 18,000 highly trained specialists working in diagnostic MRI, sonography and lab testing, physiotherapy, social work, radiation therapy, pharmacy, early childhood development and many other health science and social service professions.

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.

Printer-friendly version.

The 23 recommendations made by the BC Legislature’s Committee on Children and Youth are critical to addressing the current crisis in mental health services for children and youth.

HSA lawyers Tonie Beharrell and Randy Noonan and HEU’s Kaity Cooper appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada today to challenge the decision of the BC Supreme Court and BC Court of Appeal to overturn a decision of the BC Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal (WCAT).

Printer-friendly version.

July 16, 2015 (St. John's, NL): After a week of activities organized by health care advocates from across the country calling for federal leadership to ensure universal access to public health care, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Paul Davis has announced that the he and his provincial counterparts are asking the federal government to increase the health-related transfers to the provinces. 

 health care workers who don’t get a flu shot, or wear masks at work, face risk of being fired

An arbitrator has ruled on the controversial flu shot policy for health care workers, siding with the health authority policy that dictates all health care workers must get immunized against seasonal influenza, or wear a mask at all times during the declared flu season. Flu season is typically declared from late-November to March by the Provincial Health Officer.

Families and advocates for children with serious mental health challenges are speaking out against a month-long closure of the child psychiatry inpatient unit at BC Children’s Hospital.

The month-long closure from July 19 to August 19 is to allow for a redesign of the treatment model used at the unit. The program is being redesigned from a 24/7 inpatient program to a Monday to Friday day program. The redesign includes reducing the number of Youth and Family Counsellors (YFCs) from the health care team working with the children aged 5 to 12 years old and their families.