By Dan Hilborn
Published June 14, 2006
An expanded maternity clinic at Burnaby Hospital is making it easier for local parents to have their baby born close to home.
Dr. Joan Holman, one of seven general practitioners who work in the recently expanded clinic, said two new examination rooms and a larger reception area should help encourage more women to have their babies born in Burnaby.
"Basically what we're about is streamlined access to high-quality maternity care in a family-centred community hospital," Holman said. "This is about making access easy and keeping people close to home, if that's where they want to be."
The expansion will allow another 200 births per year at Burnaby Hospital and is part of a plan to stem the tide of women who head to Vancouver to give birth.
Statistics indicate that up to 800 women who live in Burnaby give birth in other hospitals, most notably Royal Columbian and B.C. Women's and Children's, Holman said.
Burnaby Hospital has traditionally had about 1,400 childbirths per year.
The changes are also intended to give the Burnaby Hospital maternity ward a friendlier feeling.
"We've got nice, airy, bright rooms that are large and can accommodate a whole family," Holman said. "The goal is to make the facility available for everyone who wants to come."
Another reason for the expansion comes from the simple fact that fewer family practitioners deliver babies now. Although there are more than 50 family doctors who practise in Burnaby, only about a dozen of those doctors still perform deliveries, Holman said.
Women who choose to give birth at the clinic will have the services of specially trained doctors and nurses, in addition to the benefit of specialist referrals, dietitians, lactation consultants and diabetes education, Holman said.
The expansion, which opened on June 5, is already busier than expected. In its first four days of operation, the new clinic had nine new clients, all of whom are expected to give birth in Burnaby, Holman said.
"We're off to a good start," she said.
Expectant mothers who want to have their baby born at Burnaby Hospital should contact their referring physician or the clinic, preferably before the 12th week of pregnancy.
* Open House: The new maternity clinic is opening its doors to the public today and twice a month into the foreseeable future. Today's open house runs from 6 to 8 p.m., on the fifth floor of the west wing of Burnaby Hospital, 3935 Kincaid St.
Other open houses are held on two Thursdays each month. For more information, contact the clinic at 604-431-2822.
Showing posts with label FHA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FHA. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Hospice beds in short supply
By Dan Hilborn
Published May 31, 2006
When city councillor Gary Begin's father passed away peacefully on April 9 in the 16-bed hospice at St. Michael's Care Centre in south Burnaby, he received the best care and service available in the Fraser Health Authority.
He had nurses who attended to his every need, doctors who specialized in the care of the terminally ill and an overall positive atmosphere created by a team of dedicated health-care professionals who helped to ease his transition to "that next unknown life," said his son.
But that still wasn't good enough for the younger Begin, who also serves as chair of the board of directors at St. Michael's.
For one entire week before 86-year-old Eugene Begin was admitted to the hospice, the terminally ill senior was forced to wait in Burnaby Hospital for one of those 16 hospice beds to open.
And now the son, a volunteer leader in Burnaby's non-profit health-care sector, is speaking up about the need for more hospice and palliative care beds in the city.
"When my father was admitted to hospital for his last visit, he was classified as needing palliative care," Begin said. "He was classified to go to St. Michael's for his last two days, but, as it happened, (the hospice) was full.
"They were chockablock full."
Even though his father was able to get into a hospice bed for the final two days of his life, Begin said the experience shows a dire need for more hospice beds in Burnaby.
The issue is one of quantity, not quality, said Begin, who also has 25 years of combined service on Burnaby city council and school board.
"(My father) was well taken care of all the way through," said Begin, who noted that Burnaby Hospital dealt with a variety of unusual circumstances while his father was in their care. One irregularity was an outbreak of Norwalk virus that forced his father to stay in the emergency department for three days.
"They didn't have beds to transport him out of emergency. For elderly people, I think they deserve more than that," Begin said. "There should be more facilities available."
Another problem arose when Begin's father was forced to share a medical room with two other patients, including one who was "fairly active and noisy," Begin said. "When you're in your dying days, that doesn't always make it easy."
But Begin should not get his hopes up too high, said Carolyn Tayler, director of hospice, palliative and end of life care for the health authority.
Burnaby currently is home to the 16-bed hospice at St. Michael's and a dedicated 11-bed 'specialty palliative ward' at Burnaby Hospital, meaning the city is probably better served for end-of- life care than any other community in the health region, Tayler said.
Burnaby probably won't see any more hospice or palliative care beds built until the year 2015 or 2020, Tayler said.
The only two other hospices in the region are a 10-bed unit that opened three years ago near Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and another 10-bed unit in New Westminster's Queens Park Hospital, she said.
And while there are long-term plans to open hospices in every community in the Fraser Health Authority - a region that stretches from Burnaby to Boston Bar - the short-term plan is to put more resources into helping families care for a terminally ill relative at home, Tayler said.
"We know the majority of time spent by palliative patients is at home," Tayler said. "So now we need to look at supporting those patients at home."
And there are lots of people caring for a terminally ill patient at home. While there are currently 36 hospice beds and 11 hospital- based palliative care beds in the Fraser Health region, there are an additional 600 patients receiving care from a friend or relative in the home, Tayler said.
"Palliative home care has been available for many years, and certainly it's been strengthened over the past couple of years through the provincial benefits program," Tayler said.
She is also confident that home care is an appropriate method for delivering palliative care services.
Families who have a loved one registered as a home-palliative- care patient are eligible to receive supplies, equipment and medication for the final month of life.
They also receive the support of a unique tele-nursing program that offers free advice to families that are caring for a terminally ill relative at home. Dubbed the hospice palliative care telenursing program, the program will receive the second Celebration of Medicare Award to be presented by the New Health Professionals Network in Ottawa early next month. (see sidebar)
"This means patients have greater access to advice and service," Tayler said.
And despite the delays in getting Begin's father admitted into the St. Michael's hospice, Tayler is convinced the region has enough dedicated hospice and palliative care beds.
"We have basically no wait list for our hospice beds," she said. "It might be that every once in a while people have to wait for a day or two, but we estimate that one third of patients at end of life can be cared for in our hospice beds."
"Each community is different, but we estimated that in some communities, about 35 per cent of patients are receiving care and dying at home."
But Begin believes that keeping a terminally ill patient at home in the care of a relative or some other untrained person is simply bad medicine. And even though the award-winning phone line offers the assistance and support of both trained nurses and on-call physicians, the potential for things to go wrong is simply too great to leave the work to untrained family members, he said.
When it comes to end-of life service, Begin believes most families would choose to have their loved ones taken care of in a facility rather than at home.
"I know I'm not equipped to do that kind of palliative care at home and I don't feel comfortable doing it," he said. "I'm more at ease when my loved one is in a care facility with trained people there to take care of him.
"That's one of the reasons I was hoping to get my dad into St. Michael's," he said. "They have excellent nursing staff and aide staff, and they were able to monitor him and put him at ease so on that final day, he wasn't fretting or fighting. He was just able to go.
"That can only happen when you have nursing staff who understand the people and help them walk into that next unknown life," he said.
The call for more hospice beds is supported by Peggy Eburne, co- chair of the B.C. Nurse's Union Fraser North division.
"There's never enough, that's true," said Eburne. "You will always find people who fall through the cracks, and I attribute that to a lack of beds."
While Eburne agrees that there are more palliative care services in Fraser Health today than there was when St. Mary's Hospital in New Westminster was closed and its palliative ward was transferred to Queens Park Hospital, she said those new services are not enough to keep pace with the growing needs of our rapidly aging population.
"If you're lucky, you get into the hospice. If not, you die in a medical ward with all the problems that ensue there," she said. "And I think you'll also hear stories from family members who are still unable to access services in a timely manner.
"Even though there is increased support there is never enough - never."
Eburne said another piece of the palliative care puzzle is the recent proliferation of privately built 'assisted living units', which she claimed are not proper replacements for the many long- term care facilities that were closed around the province in the past decade, such as the former Cascades residence at Burnaby Hospital.
"Assisted living is not a medical model, it's a housing model," she said. "This started with the closure of long-term care facilities, and you can't possibly keep doing that and not expect there's going to be fallout."
CELEBRATING MEDICARE
A unique program that offers over-the-phone advice to families caring for a terminally ill loved one at home in the Fraser Health Authority has won a national award.
The New Health Professional Network, which describes itself as dedicated to a publicly funded, single-tiered health care system, has chosen the hospice palliative care telenursing project as the recipient of its second Celebration of Medicare Award.
The award will be handed out at a ceremony at the University of Ottawa on June 8.
The telenursing program was chosen because it demonstrates "a strong interdisciplinary health professional focus, provision of optimal patient care, and overall excellence in innovation in Home Care within Medicare," said a statement from the awards committee.
But while the Fraser Health Authority is applauding the program today, it fought against its implementation when it was first proposed by the B.C. Nurses Union, says union spokesperson Peggy Eburne.
The union suggested the telenursing line as a counterproposal to a health authority plan that would have seen community nurses kept on-call for 24-hours a day to assist home palliative care patients.
Today, the phone service receives about one or two calls per day from the estimated 600 families in region that have a terminally ill relative at home. Plans are also being reviewed that could expand the service to other health regions around the province.
"They said it would never work," Eburne chuckled.
Published May 31, 2006
When city councillor Gary Begin's father passed away peacefully on April 9 in the 16-bed hospice at St. Michael's Care Centre in south Burnaby, he received the best care and service available in the Fraser Health Authority.
He had nurses who attended to his every need, doctors who specialized in the care of the terminally ill and an overall positive atmosphere created by a team of dedicated health-care professionals who helped to ease his transition to "that next unknown life," said his son.
But that still wasn't good enough for the younger Begin, who also serves as chair of the board of directors at St. Michael's.
For one entire week before 86-year-old Eugene Begin was admitted to the hospice, the terminally ill senior was forced to wait in Burnaby Hospital for one of those 16 hospice beds to open.
And now the son, a volunteer leader in Burnaby's non-profit health-care sector, is speaking up about the need for more hospice and palliative care beds in the city.
"When my father was admitted to hospital for his last visit, he was classified as needing palliative care," Begin said. "He was classified to go to St. Michael's for his last two days, but, as it happened, (the hospice) was full.
"They were chockablock full."
Even though his father was able to get into a hospice bed for the final two days of his life, Begin said the experience shows a dire need for more hospice beds in Burnaby.
The issue is one of quantity, not quality, said Begin, who also has 25 years of combined service on Burnaby city council and school board.
"(My father) was well taken care of all the way through," said Begin, who noted that Burnaby Hospital dealt with a variety of unusual circumstances while his father was in their care. One irregularity was an outbreak of Norwalk virus that forced his father to stay in the emergency department for three days.
"They didn't have beds to transport him out of emergency. For elderly people, I think they deserve more than that," Begin said. "There should be more facilities available."
Another problem arose when Begin's father was forced to share a medical room with two other patients, including one who was "fairly active and noisy," Begin said. "When you're in your dying days, that doesn't always make it easy."
But Begin should not get his hopes up too high, said Carolyn Tayler, director of hospice, palliative and end of life care for the health authority.
Burnaby currently is home to the 16-bed hospice at St. Michael's and a dedicated 11-bed 'specialty palliative ward' at Burnaby Hospital, meaning the city is probably better served for end-of- life care than any other community in the health region, Tayler said.
Burnaby probably won't see any more hospice or palliative care beds built until the year 2015 or 2020, Tayler said.
The only two other hospices in the region are a 10-bed unit that opened three years ago near Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and another 10-bed unit in New Westminster's Queens Park Hospital, she said.
And while there are long-term plans to open hospices in every community in the Fraser Health Authority - a region that stretches from Burnaby to Boston Bar - the short-term plan is to put more resources into helping families care for a terminally ill relative at home, Tayler said.
"We know the majority of time spent by palliative patients is at home," Tayler said. "So now we need to look at supporting those patients at home."
And there are lots of people caring for a terminally ill patient at home. While there are currently 36 hospice beds and 11 hospital- based palliative care beds in the Fraser Health region, there are an additional 600 patients receiving care from a friend or relative in the home, Tayler said.
"Palliative home care has been available for many years, and certainly it's been strengthened over the past couple of years through the provincial benefits program," Tayler said.
She is also confident that home care is an appropriate method for delivering palliative care services.
Families who have a loved one registered as a home-palliative- care patient are eligible to receive supplies, equipment and medication for the final month of life.
They also receive the support of a unique tele-nursing program that offers free advice to families that are caring for a terminally ill relative at home. Dubbed the hospice palliative care telenursing program, the program will receive the second Celebration of Medicare Award to be presented by the New Health Professionals Network in Ottawa early next month. (see sidebar)
"This means patients have greater access to advice and service," Tayler said.
And despite the delays in getting Begin's father admitted into the St. Michael's hospice, Tayler is convinced the region has enough dedicated hospice and palliative care beds.
"We have basically no wait list for our hospice beds," she said. "It might be that every once in a while people have to wait for a day or two, but we estimate that one third of patients at end of life can be cared for in our hospice beds."
"Each community is different, but we estimated that in some communities, about 35 per cent of patients are receiving care and dying at home."
But Begin believes that keeping a terminally ill patient at home in the care of a relative or some other untrained person is simply bad medicine. And even though the award-winning phone line offers the assistance and support of both trained nurses and on-call physicians, the potential for things to go wrong is simply too great to leave the work to untrained family members, he said.
When it comes to end-of life service, Begin believes most families would choose to have their loved ones taken care of in a facility rather than at home.
"I know I'm not equipped to do that kind of palliative care at home and I don't feel comfortable doing it," he said. "I'm more at ease when my loved one is in a care facility with trained people there to take care of him.
"That's one of the reasons I was hoping to get my dad into St. Michael's," he said. "They have excellent nursing staff and aide staff, and they were able to monitor him and put him at ease so on that final day, he wasn't fretting or fighting. He was just able to go.
"That can only happen when you have nursing staff who understand the people and help them walk into that next unknown life," he said.
The call for more hospice beds is supported by Peggy Eburne, co- chair of the B.C. Nurse's Union Fraser North division.
"There's never enough, that's true," said Eburne. "You will always find people who fall through the cracks, and I attribute that to a lack of beds."
While Eburne agrees that there are more palliative care services in Fraser Health today than there was when St. Mary's Hospital in New Westminster was closed and its palliative ward was transferred to Queens Park Hospital, she said those new services are not enough to keep pace with the growing needs of our rapidly aging population.
"If you're lucky, you get into the hospice. If not, you die in a medical ward with all the problems that ensue there," she said. "And I think you'll also hear stories from family members who are still unable to access services in a timely manner.
"Even though there is increased support there is never enough - never."
Eburne said another piece of the palliative care puzzle is the recent proliferation of privately built 'assisted living units', which she claimed are not proper replacements for the many long- term care facilities that were closed around the province in the past decade, such as the former Cascades residence at Burnaby Hospital.
"Assisted living is not a medical model, it's a housing model," she said. "This started with the closure of long-term care facilities, and you can't possibly keep doing that and not expect there's going to be fallout."
CELEBRATING MEDICARE
A unique program that offers over-the-phone advice to families caring for a terminally ill loved one at home in the Fraser Health Authority has won a national award.
The New Health Professional Network, which describes itself as dedicated to a publicly funded, single-tiered health care system, has chosen the hospice palliative care telenursing project as the recipient of its second Celebration of Medicare Award.
The award will be handed out at a ceremony at the University of Ottawa on June 8.
The telenursing program was chosen because it demonstrates "a strong interdisciplinary health professional focus, provision of optimal patient care, and overall excellence in innovation in Home Care within Medicare," said a statement from the awards committee.
But while the Fraser Health Authority is applauding the program today, it fought against its implementation when it was first proposed by the B.C. Nurses Union, says union spokesperson Peggy Eburne.
The union suggested the telenursing line as a counterproposal to a health authority plan that would have seen community nurses kept on-call for 24-hours a day to assist home palliative care patients.
Today, the phone service receives about one or two calls per day from the estimated 600 families in region that have a terminally ill relative at home. Plans are also being reviewed that could expand the service to other health regions around the province.
"They said it would never work," Eburne chuckled.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Outreach funding to run out
By Dan Hilborn
Published May 20, 2006
Funding for Burnaby's lone homeless outreach worker will run out in less than three weeks, at a time when local service agencies are finding an increased need for that kind of service.
Lynn Wood, executive director of the Progressive Housing Society, said she is desperately seeking a new source of funding for the worker, who has been busy for the past year compiling statistics and providing help to people who are either living on the street or at risk of becoming homeless.
"As soon as our outreach worker started her job, the need for her work increased exponentially," Wood said. "It is frustrating. We've got to the point where people are convinced there is a problem, but we need to find the right agency to help us fund this."
The outreach worker position was funded by a special grant from the Fraser Health Authority as part of its commitment to the Burnaby homelessness task force. But that temporary funding is not available after next month, and a recent application to the federal crime prevention action fund for replacement money was unsuccessful.
Progressive Housing has also sent a funding application to the B.C. community health association, which has some money available for homeless outreach services, and, failing that, the society will likely apply to the B.C. Gaming Commission and other non-profit funders, such as the United Way and Vancity Foundation, for assistance.
Wood said recent statistics compiled by Patricia Pedersen, who has been Burnaby's homeless outreach worker since last October, show that the need for services has risen dramatically ever since the community learned she was available to help.
Since last October, Pedersen has been in contact with 160 clients, including 56 children in 25 families, all of whom either live on the street or are at risk of becoming homeless.
Those numbers are substantially greater than the 40 homeless people who listed Burnaby as their city of residence during the Lower Mainland's most recent official homeless count in March 2005 and substantively more than the 17 people who listed themselves as homeless in Burnaby in 2002.
The demand is so great, Burnaby could probably use the services of "three or four" outreach workers around the city, plus a resource centre where people could get a daily meal, showers, use of a computer and referrals to other agencies, Wood said.
In fact, Wood said that Pedersen has been so busy in the Edmonds neighbourhood, in the southeast quadrant of the city, that she has been unable to look into what level of help or services might be needed in the other three corners of Burnaby.
The total cost of the outreach worker's position is about $80,000, of which less than $50,000 covers the worker's salary and benefits. The remaining money would pay for travel costs for the worker and for her clients to access services in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, bus passes for clients and occasionally food.
Wood also said she has been pleasantly surprised by the substantial donations of household items and clothing that have been brought to the society since their work became public. "We've kitted up whole families with furnishings and clothing," she said.
Southside Community Church has also stepped forward with an offer of space for the homeless resource centre and a further offer of assistance for outreach services to the multicultural community, Wood said.
And while Wood was happy to see the Burnaby Alliance Church open an emergency homeless shelter during the coldest days of last winter, she said that service was only offered with about three hours' notice, which was not adequate to bring people indoors.
"With homeless people, you have to build a level of trust over a significant period of time," she said. "You can't just drive up in a van at 10 o'clock at night and ask them to come with you to an emergency shelter.
"They have to regularly come to a location to feel comfortable."
Wood said her society and the homeless task force have been studying the various aspects of homelessness for more than a year and they should be ready to develop a formal service plan in the near future. The only thing lacking is money, she said.
"We've made significant headway in the past year and I'd hate to see it lost. We are very Burnaby-focused and that is the best thing possible," she said.
Published May 20, 2006
Funding for Burnaby's lone homeless outreach worker will run out in less than three weeks, at a time when local service agencies are finding an increased need for that kind of service.
Lynn Wood, executive director of the Progressive Housing Society, said she is desperately seeking a new source of funding for the worker, who has been busy for the past year compiling statistics and providing help to people who are either living on the street or at risk of becoming homeless.
"As soon as our outreach worker started her job, the need for her work increased exponentially," Wood said. "It is frustrating. We've got to the point where people are convinced there is a problem, but we need to find the right agency to help us fund this."
The outreach worker position was funded by a special grant from the Fraser Health Authority as part of its commitment to the Burnaby homelessness task force. But that temporary funding is not available after next month, and a recent application to the federal crime prevention action fund for replacement money was unsuccessful.
Progressive Housing has also sent a funding application to the B.C. community health association, which has some money available for homeless outreach services, and, failing that, the society will likely apply to the B.C. Gaming Commission and other non-profit funders, such as the United Way and Vancity Foundation, for assistance.
Wood said recent statistics compiled by Patricia Pedersen, who has been Burnaby's homeless outreach worker since last October, show that the need for services has risen dramatically ever since the community learned she was available to help.
Since last October, Pedersen has been in contact with 160 clients, including 56 children in 25 families, all of whom either live on the street or are at risk of becoming homeless.
Those numbers are substantially greater than the 40 homeless people who listed Burnaby as their city of residence during the Lower Mainland's most recent official homeless count in March 2005 and substantively more than the 17 people who listed themselves as homeless in Burnaby in 2002.
The demand is so great, Burnaby could probably use the services of "three or four" outreach workers around the city, plus a resource centre where people could get a daily meal, showers, use of a computer and referrals to other agencies, Wood said.
In fact, Wood said that Pedersen has been so busy in the Edmonds neighbourhood, in the southeast quadrant of the city, that she has been unable to look into what level of help or services might be needed in the other three corners of Burnaby.
The total cost of the outreach worker's position is about $80,000, of which less than $50,000 covers the worker's salary and benefits. The remaining money would pay for travel costs for the worker and for her clients to access services in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, bus passes for clients and occasionally food.
Wood also said she has been pleasantly surprised by the substantial donations of household items and clothing that have been brought to the society since their work became public. "We've kitted up whole families with furnishings and clothing," she said.
Southside Community Church has also stepped forward with an offer of space for the homeless resource centre and a further offer of assistance for outreach services to the multicultural community, Wood said.
And while Wood was happy to see the Burnaby Alliance Church open an emergency homeless shelter during the coldest days of last winter, she said that service was only offered with about three hours' notice, which was not adequate to bring people indoors.
"With homeless people, you have to build a level of trust over a significant period of time," she said. "You can't just drive up in a van at 10 o'clock at night and ask them to come with you to an emergency shelter.
"They have to regularly come to a location to feel comfortable."
Wood said her society and the homeless task force have been studying the various aspects of homelessness for more than a year and they should be ready to develop a formal service plan in the near future. The only thing lacking is money, she said.
"We've made significant headway in the past year and I'd hate to see it lost. We are very Burnaby-focused and that is the best thing possible," she said.
Health care concerns are growing
By Dan Hilborn
Published Apr. 17, 2006
Burnaby council is unanimous in its concern about the increasing levels of privatization in the Canadian health-care system, but it isn't prepared to start throwing money at the problem.
"Health care is not a municipal responsibility," said Mayor Derek Corrigan after hearing a presentation from the Burnaby Community Coalition at the May 8 council meeting.
Longtime health-care advocate Elsie Dean was joined by union activist Valentina Maliarenko, small-business owner Barry Morley and SFU student society president Shawn Hunsdale in calling for council to authorize a staff study of the effects of privatization on the health-care system.
Dean said her main concerns are the secretive nature of the provincial government's public-private partnership plans - "We do not have full access to the partnership agreements they have reached," she said - and the failure to live up to its commitment to build 5,000 more long-term care beds across B.C.
Maliarenko claimed that the contracting-out of union jobs is still occurring at private hospitals and care centres in Burnaby. She alleged that Dania Home contracted out its care aides and gave layoff notices to its nurses this week.
Morley, who said he owns a business with 50 employees, said privatization almost always leads to higher costs for the taxpayers because, when something goes wrong, the public has to pay up. "That's bad business," Morley said.
And Hunsdale said the higher cost of privatized health care could force students to have to choose between paying their tuition fees or paying for medical coverage.
While Coun. Sav Dhaliwal spoke in favour of having city staff prepare a report on the possible effects of privatization in Burnaby, a majority of council said they had already done enough on the topic.
"In my opinion, health care is in a crisis," said Coun. Garth Evans. "It was in a crisis under the NDP and it's in a crisis under the Liberals. And I'm absolutely at my wit's end about what to do about it."
Corrigan also said that there is a long list of groups and organizations already looking into the effects of privatization in the health-care system, and it doesn't make sense to spend city tax dollars to duplicate those efforts.
Published Apr. 17, 2006
Burnaby council is unanimous in its concern about the increasing levels of privatization in the Canadian health-care system, but it isn't prepared to start throwing money at the problem.
"Health care is not a municipal responsibility," said Mayor Derek Corrigan after hearing a presentation from the Burnaby Community Coalition at the May 8 council meeting.
Longtime health-care advocate Elsie Dean was joined by union activist Valentina Maliarenko, small-business owner Barry Morley and SFU student society president Shawn Hunsdale in calling for council to authorize a staff study of the effects of privatization on the health-care system.
Dean said her main concerns are the secretive nature of the provincial government's public-private partnership plans - "We do not have full access to the partnership agreements they have reached," she said - and the failure to live up to its commitment to build 5,000 more long-term care beds across B.C.
Maliarenko claimed that the contracting-out of union jobs is still occurring at private hospitals and care centres in Burnaby. She alleged that Dania Home contracted out its care aides and gave layoff notices to its nurses this week.
Morley, who said he owns a business with 50 employees, said privatization almost always leads to higher costs for the taxpayers because, when something goes wrong, the public has to pay up. "That's bad business," Morley said.
And Hunsdale said the higher cost of privatized health care could force students to have to choose between paying their tuition fees or paying for medical coverage.
While Coun. Sav Dhaliwal spoke in favour of having city staff prepare a report on the possible effects of privatization in Burnaby, a majority of council said they had already done enough on the topic.
"In my opinion, health care is in a crisis," said Coun. Garth Evans. "It was in a crisis under the NDP and it's in a crisis under the Liberals. And I'm absolutely at my wit's end about what to do about it."
Corrigan also said that there is a long list of groups and organizations already looking into the effects of privatization in the health-care system, and it doesn't make sense to spend city tax dollars to duplicate those efforts.
Hospital ER gets renovation
By Dan Hilborn
Published May 13, 2006
Plans to move ahead with a long-awaited renovation of the emergency department at Burnaby Hospital received a hearty endorsement from Burnaby council on Monday night.
Arden Krystal, the executive director of acute care services at the hospital, said the Fraser Health Authority's interim CEO, Keith Anderson, has given approval to immediately begin preliminary design work on the renovation.
The changes will provide more space for the 'front end' of the department, improve security for staff from both violence and airborne contaminants, and relocate the contamination isolation room from the rear of the department closer to the entrance, said Krystal, who arrived at Burnaby Hospital 18 months ago.
Krystal also noted that an original cost estimate of $1.5 million for the renovation will likely rise, due to the rapidly rising cost of construction materials across B.C.
Asked when construction might actually start, Krystal said: "All indications from Mr. Anderson are that it will be as quickly as possible."
The renovation is just one of several changes coming to the hospital since the arrival of a new administrative team, consisting of Krystal and a new medical director, Dr. Tom Compagna, who has a long history of involvement in bringing medical aid to some of the most impoverished people around the world, city council was told.
Compagna, who began work at Burnaby Hospital just five weeks ago, told city council that he spent several years working in a non-profit trauma centre in "the Deep South" of the United States, before taking on similar jobs in New Zealand and Papau New Guinea.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Compagna came home to Canada because he believes our national medical system is the good role model for the rest of the world.
"It's fair to say, my perspective is hopefully not one that is too common," said Compagna, who added that his family returned home to Canada "because we really felt that the future of health care lay in our current system."
But while Mayor Derek Corrigan welcomed the arrival of new administrators, he also put them on notice that city hall will continue its fight to keep the city's hospital open and available to serve the people of both Burnaby and East Vancouver.
"You will find that all of us are intimately connected to Burnaby Hospital," Corrigan said, noting that all four of his children were born in the facility and two of his grandparents died there.
Corrigan also said that one of his pet peeves with the B.C. health ministry has been its frequent attempts to 'regionalize' services - which could result in Burnaby Hospital being unable to serve the people of East vancouver.
"My advise to Fraser Health is to get used to it," said Corrigan. "We want to work with you and give you the political support you need to be an effective hospital."
Krystal, a B.C. native who worked as nurse for 20 years before being promoted as a manager in various position at Vancouver General Hospital before coming to Burnaby, said she has been impressed by the city's commitment to its hospital. And she promised to continue working on improving its services.
She noted that Burnaby Hospital has the second highest ratio of seniors among its clients, and has more low income seniors than any other hospital in the region. She also said that 70 per cent of the patient days spent in the hospital are for people aged 70 years and over.
Among the other recent improvements at the hospital are last year's opening of the regions first multiple sclerosis clinic, which will have an open house at the end of May, and the planned opening of a new maternity clinic in June.
the maternity clinic will be for expectant mothers who do not have their own general practitioner, and is intended to reduce ht number of births by Burnaby residents at Women's and Children's Hospital in Vancouver, Krystal said.
The hospital also recently agreed to create two new 'elder friendly environments' in a pair of unused hospital rooms in cooperation with the gerontology research centre at Simon Fraser University, Krystal said.
She also said the the total number of beds at Burnaby Hospital has risen to "the 290s," up from the 272 beds that were in the facility two years ago. Krystal noted that some of those beds are overflow beds, which are traditionally only used during the high demand winter months, when flu season hits.
Coun. Gary Begin, who also serves as the chair of St. Michael's Care Centre and Hospital, expressed thanks for the recent hiring of a seniors care nurse in the emergency department, and asked for a more streamlined process to help move less critically ill seniors out of the hospital and into local care centre on weekends when the hospital is otherwise full and there is a need to free up beds.
Begin noted that his own father has suffered five heart attacks in the past year, and in his most recent admission to Burnaby Hospital, he was very impressed with the work of the senior's care nurse, who asked his mother if she had any needs while the doctors looked after her husband.
"She's worth her weight in gold," Begin said.
Coun. Pietro Calendino used the opportunity to chastise the provincial government for its failure to live up to its commitment to build 5,000 new long-term care beds by the year 2008, and asked how the many new of those beds will be built in Burnaby.
Compagna said Fraser Health has seen 274 new long-term care beds built this year, and expects to have 1,500 of the province's total 5,000 beds by the end of 2008.
Krystal noted that seniors moving into a Burnaby long-term care facility typically have a wait of about eight days, which is substantially less than the wait for a bed in Vancouver, or for a patient with special health needs, such as hemodialysis.
Published May 13, 2006
Plans to move ahead with a long-awaited renovation of the emergency department at Burnaby Hospital received a hearty endorsement from Burnaby council on Monday night.
Arden Krystal, the executive director of acute care services at the hospital, said the Fraser Health Authority's interim CEO, Keith Anderson, has given approval to immediately begin preliminary design work on the renovation.
The changes will provide more space for the 'front end' of the department, improve security for staff from both violence and airborne contaminants, and relocate the contamination isolation room from the rear of the department closer to the entrance, said Krystal, who arrived at Burnaby Hospital 18 months ago.
Krystal also noted that an original cost estimate of $1.5 million for the renovation will likely rise, due to the rapidly rising cost of construction materials across B.C.
Asked when construction might actually start, Krystal said: "All indications from Mr. Anderson are that it will be as quickly as possible."
The renovation is just one of several changes coming to the hospital since the arrival of a new administrative team, consisting of Krystal and a new medical director, Dr. Tom Compagna, who has a long history of involvement in bringing medical aid to some of the most impoverished people around the world, city council was told.
Compagna, who began work at Burnaby Hospital just five weeks ago, told city council that he spent several years working in a non-profit trauma centre in "the Deep South" of the United States, before taking on similar jobs in New Zealand and Papau New Guinea.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Compagna came home to Canada because he believes our national medical system is the good role model for the rest of the world.
"It's fair to say, my perspective is hopefully not one that is too common," said Compagna, who added that his family returned home to Canada "because we really felt that the future of health care lay in our current system."
But while Mayor Derek Corrigan welcomed the arrival of new administrators, he also put them on notice that city hall will continue its fight to keep the city's hospital open and available to serve the people of both Burnaby and East Vancouver.
"You will find that all of us are intimately connected to Burnaby Hospital," Corrigan said, noting that all four of his children were born in the facility and two of his grandparents died there.
Corrigan also said that one of his pet peeves with the B.C. health ministry has been its frequent attempts to 'regionalize' services - which could result in Burnaby Hospital being unable to serve the people of East vancouver.
"My advise to Fraser Health is to get used to it," said Corrigan. "We want to work with you and give you the political support you need to be an effective hospital."
Krystal, a B.C. native who worked as nurse for 20 years before being promoted as a manager in various position at Vancouver General Hospital before coming to Burnaby, said she has been impressed by the city's commitment to its hospital. And she promised to continue working on improving its services.
She noted that Burnaby Hospital has the second highest ratio of seniors among its clients, and has more low income seniors than any other hospital in the region. She also said that 70 per cent of the patient days spent in the hospital are for people aged 70 years and over.
Among the other recent improvements at the hospital are last year's opening of the regions first multiple sclerosis clinic, which will have an open house at the end of May, and the planned opening of a new maternity clinic in June.
the maternity clinic will be for expectant mothers who do not have their own general practitioner, and is intended to reduce ht number of births by Burnaby residents at Women's and Children's Hospital in Vancouver, Krystal said.
The hospital also recently agreed to create two new 'elder friendly environments' in a pair of unused hospital rooms in cooperation with the gerontology research centre at Simon Fraser University, Krystal said.
She also said the the total number of beds at Burnaby Hospital has risen to "the 290s," up from the 272 beds that were in the facility two years ago. Krystal noted that some of those beds are overflow beds, which are traditionally only used during the high demand winter months, when flu season hits.
Coun. Gary Begin, who also serves as the chair of St. Michael's Care Centre and Hospital, expressed thanks for the recent hiring of a seniors care nurse in the emergency department, and asked for a more streamlined process to help move less critically ill seniors out of the hospital and into local care centre on weekends when the hospital is otherwise full and there is a need to free up beds.
Begin noted that his own father has suffered five heart attacks in the past year, and in his most recent admission to Burnaby Hospital, he was very impressed with the work of the senior's care nurse, who asked his mother if she had any needs while the doctors looked after her husband.
"She's worth her weight in gold," Begin said.
Coun. Pietro Calendino used the opportunity to chastise the provincial government for its failure to live up to its commitment to build 5,000 new long-term care beds by the year 2008, and asked how the many new of those beds will be built in Burnaby.
Compagna said Fraser Health has seen 274 new long-term care beds built this year, and expects to have 1,500 of the province's total 5,000 beds by the end of 2008.
Krystal noted that seniors moving into a Burnaby long-term care facility typically have a wait of about eight days, which is substantially less than the wait for a bed in Vancouver, or for a patient with special health needs, such as hemodialysis.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Workers poised for strike
By Dan Hilborn
Published Sept. 28, 2005
Burnaby Hospital, the Fellburn care centre and five other hospitals in the Fraser Health Authority could be behind picket lines by the end of the week, after newly organized housekeeping staff voted 97.8 per cent in favour of strike action last week.
The strike vote by 350 employees of Sodexho, a French-based corporation that took over housecleaning duties in many B.C. hospitals over the past two years, was announced Friday.
Taking part in the vote were an estimated 60 housekeeping workers at Burnaby Hospital and another 10 workers at Fellburn, plus cleaners at Royal Columbian and Queen's Park hospitals in New Westminster, Surrey Memorial, Chilliwack General and the Heritage Home facility in Chilliwack.
Those workers will join an estimated 1,100 Sodexho employees at 29 other sites across Southern B.C. who previously began limited job action against their employer on Sept. 15. While some of the workers were Hospital Employee's Union members employed by the health authority until their jobs were contracted out two years ago, the majority are new employees who are seeking a first contract, said Mike Old, communications officer with the union.
"The process of certifying and bargaining has been a real slog for these workers, but I think their spirits are good," said Old.
While essential service levels for the seven newly affected facilities were still being set as of press time, Old confirmed that any job action will probably have only a minimal impact on the public.
"There's been an order from the (Labour Relations Board) that establishes very high levels of essential services (at the previously strikebound facilities), so there is virtually no impact on patient care," Old said. "What that means is that Sodexho managers have to come in and provide some of the work on food tray lines. "We feel that Sodexho managers are feeling some pressure to meet their obligations, and we hope this will result in fresh talks and realistic wage proposals."
According to a press release issued by the union Friday, the main issue is 'poverty-level wages' paid by a company that had $17 billion in worldwide revenue last year and contracts with B.C. health authorities with a value of more than $400 million.
The union's secretary-business manager, Judy Darcy, said low wages - nine out of 10 workers at the seven newly affected sites earn less than $10.50 an hour to clean operating rooms, special care nurseries and long-term care facilities - are resulting in a staff turnover rate that approaches 50 per cent annually.
"The solution is for this profitable corporation - which paid its CEO $1.4 million last year - to provide its workers with decent, family-supporting wages," Darcy said in a press release.
The union also pointed to Fraser Health auditing results released this summer that indicate Sodexho failed to meet the benchmark cleaning standards in more than half of the hospitals where it has contracts to do the cleaning.
The union is seeking wages of about $13 an hour to start, with a rate of $15 an hour after four years. Sodexho's offer would see wages rise to a little over $11 an hour, said the union press release.
Published Sept. 28, 2005
Burnaby Hospital, the Fellburn care centre and five other hospitals in the Fraser Health Authority could be behind picket lines by the end of the week, after newly organized housekeeping staff voted 97.8 per cent in favour of strike action last week.
The strike vote by 350 employees of Sodexho, a French-based corporation that took over housecleaning duties in many B.C. hospitals over the past two years, was announced Friday.
Taking part in the vote were an estimated 60 housekeeping workers at Burnaby Hospital and another 10 workers at Fellburn, plus cleaners at Royal Columbian and Queen's Park hospitals in New Westminster, Surrey Memorial, Chilliwack General and the Heritage Home facility in Chilliwack.
Those workers will join an estimated 1,100 Sodexho employees at 29 other sites across Southern B.C. who previously began limited job action against their employer on Sept. 15. While some of the workers were Hospital Employee's Union members employed by the health authority until their jobs were contracted out two years ago, the majority are new employees who are seeking a first contract, said Mike Old, communications officer with the union.
"The process of certifying and bargaining has been a real slog for these workers, but I think their spirits are good," said Old.
While essential service levels for the seven newly affected facilities were still being set as of press time, Old confirmed that any job action will probably have only a minimal impact on the public.
"There's been an order from the (Labour Relations Board) that establishes very high levels of essential services (at the previously strikebound facilities), so there is virtually no impact on patient care," Old said. "What that means is that Sodexho managers have to come in and provide some of the work on food tray lines. "We feel that Sodexho managers are feeling some pressure to meet their obligations, and we hope this will result in fresh talks and realistic wage proposals."
According to a press release issued by the union Friday, the main issue is 'poverty-level wages' paid by a company that had $17 billion in worldwide revenue last year and contracts with B.C. health authorities with a value of more than $400 million.
The union's secretary-business manager, Judy Darcy, said low wages - nine out of 10 workers at the seven newly affected sites earn less than $10.50 an hour to clean operating rooms, special care nurseries and long-term care facilities - are resulting in a staff turnover rate that approaches 50 per cent annually.
"The solution is for this profitable corporation - which paid its CEO $1.4 million last year - to provide its workers with decent, family-supporting wages," Darcy said in a press release.
The union also pointed to Fraser Health auditing results released this summer that indicate Sodexho failed to meet the benchmark cleaning standards in more than half of the hospitals where it has contracts to do the cleaning.
The union is seeking wages of about $13 an hour to start, with a rate of $15 an hour after four years. Sodexho's offer would see wages rise to a little over $11 an hour, said the union press release.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Still looking for a boss
By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 17, 2005
It could be several more months before the Fraser Health Authority has a new chief executive officer to replace Bob Smith, who was fired last February in a move that was described as an attempt to restore public confidence in the local health-care system.
The Los Angeles-based executive search firm of Korn-Ferry has been hired to help find the new CEO, and advertisements were placed in local and national newspapers during the month of June, said Barry Forbes, chair of the health authority's board of directors.
"It's probably going as expected," said Forbes, adding that the health authority has still not set a timeline for having a "short list" of candidates.
"The process is you start with a long list and then you go to a short list. We still haven't got to the long list yet," Forbes said.
The job posting has also been listed on Korn-Ferry's international website, and Forbes confirmed that he expects to see at least a few applications from outside of Canada.
However, Forbes also said that interim CEO Keith Anderson, a longtime health authority administrator who most recently served as vice-president of health planning for the region, is doing a "fine job" in his acting capacity.
Smith received a salary of $321,752 and worked for the Fraser Health Authority for about 18 months before his firing.
WORKERS JOIN UNION
Approximately 30 employees who work in food services, housecleaning and laundry at the Dania Home care centre in Burnaby learned this week that they will be rejoining the Hospital Employees' Union.
The workers, who have been employed by the UK-based Compass Group ever since their jobs were privatized more than two years ago, are expected to begin bargaining as soon as the certification vote is formalized by the Labour Relations Board.
"These workers have waited far too long to have the right to choose their own union recognized, and I'm thrilled that they've voted to join the HEU," union secretary-business manager Judy Darcy said in a press release issued last Monday.
Dania Home employees voted 80 per cent in favour of joining the union, while another 300 Compass employees who work at Children's and Women's Hospital, Sunnyhill Health Centre and the B.C. Cancer Agency voted 76 per cent in favour of joining the HEU.
While the ballots were cast more than 16 months ago, they were not counted until this month because the Labour Relations Board was dealing with a series of objections from Compass and the former Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers Union (IWA).
The Hospital Employees Union now represents more than 3,300 employees of Compass, Aramark and Sodexho, three foreign-owned corporations that have signed agreements with B.C.'s six health authorities during the past four years to take over the operation of services that were not in the field of direct patient care.
Published Aug. 17, 2005
It could be several more months before the Fraser Health Authority has a new chief executive officer to replace Bob Smith, who was fired last February in a move that was described as an attempt to restore public confidence in the local health-care system.
The Los Angeles-based executive search firm of Korn-Ferry has been hired to help find the new CEO, and advertisements were placed in local and national newspapers during the month of June, said Barry Forbes, chair of the health authority's board of directors.
"It's probably going as expected," said Forbes, adding that the health authority has still not set a timeline for having a "short list" of candidates.
"The process is you start with a long list and then you go to a short list. We still haven't got to the long list yet," Forbes said.
The job posting has also been listed on Korn-Ferry's international website, and Forbes confirmed that he expects to see at least a few applications from outside of Canada.
However, Forbes also said that interim CEO Keith Anderson, a longtime health authority administrator who most recently served as vice-president of health planning for the region, is doing a "fine job" in his acting capacity.
Smith received a salary of $321,752 and worked for the Fraser Health Authority for about 18 months before his firing.
WORKERS JOIN UNION
Approximately 30 employees who work in food services, housecleaning and laundry at the Dania Home care centre in Burnaby learned this week that they will be rejoining the Hospital Employees' Union.
The workers, who have been employed by the UK-based Compass Group ever since their jobs were privatized more than two years ago, are expected to begin bargaining as soon as the certification vote is formalized by the Labour Relations Board.
"These workers have waited far too long to have the right to choose their own union recognized, and I'm thrilled that they've voted to join the HEU," union secretary-business manager Judy Darcy said in a press release issued last Monday.
Dania Home employees voted 80 per cent in favour of joining the union, while another 300 Compass employees who work at Children's and Women's Hospital, Sunnyhill Health Centre and the B.C. Cancer Agency voted 76 per cent in favour of joining the HEU.
While the ballots were cast more than 16 months ago, they were not counted until this month because the Labour Relations Board was dealing with a series of objections from Compass and the former Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers Union (IWA).
The Hospital Employees Union now represents more than 3,300 employees of Compass, Aramark and Sodexho, three foreign-owned corporations that have signed agreements with B.C.'s six health authorities during the past four years to take over the operation of services that were not in the field of direct patient care.
Unique MS clinic opens at Burnaby Hospital
By Dan Hilborn
Published Aug. 13, 2005
A new clinic that caters to the needs of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was quietly opened at Burnaby Hospital earlier this year, and already it is helping people with the condition cope with its often-devastating effects.
In fact, even the clinic's location, on the main floor straight down the hallway from the main entrance to the hospital, is one of great assets of the 1,800-sq.-ft. facility, said clinic director and neurologist Dr. Galina Vorobeychik.
"For patients who have MS, one of the most difficult parts of their life is travelling," said Vorobeychik, who heads a team of four neurologists, two therapists, several counsellors and office staff. "The most common symptoms of MS are fatigue, vision problems, pain and mobility."
The clinic, which has seen about 350 patients since it opened in January, is already making a difference in the life of Brenda Worthington, an MS sufferer who lives in Burnaby who used to travel between a variety of doctors' and therapists' offices to get the services she needs.
"My GP referred me here," said Worthington, who was diagnosed with the disease 18 years ago but went through "nine years of denial" until she had to use a cane. A car accident later exacerbated her symptoms, and Worthington was finally forced into a wheelchair, which she now uses every time she gets out and about.
Vorobeychik said the clinic will focus on what she calls "the five Cs - comprehensive, coordinated, community-based MS care, close to home."
"MS is a very complex disease that mostly hits young adults," the doctor said. "Because their needs change over the course of the disease, they need changing care and that's why I think a clinic is a good idea, because it offers the team approach."
The four specialists at the clinic are: a neuro-ophthalmologist to deal with eye problems; a rehabilitation physician who works with a physiotherapist and occupational therapist; a general internal medicine physician to deal with problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure; and a gastro-enterologist who works exclusively on stomach problems. A urologist is associated with the clinic but is located elsewhere.
Other staff include a nurse with a specialty in MS who serves as clinic coordinator, a social worker, a clinical counsellor who deals with urgent cases and a research coordinator. "Our main goals is care, but we will do research as well," Vorobeychik said.
Worthington was referred to the clinic in the hopes of finding some relief from the intense pain in her face caused by a flare-up of trigeneral neuralgia - a condition common to MS.
"I can smile and talk now," she chuckled. "You have no idea how good that feels. Before, even a simple breeze could bring on this tremendous pain."
Another recurring problem faced by Worthington and many other MS patients is heat exhaustion. "In the summertime, I'm very affected by heat," she said. "Everyone I know with MS is really hit by fatigue. you can be out and about, and you have to lie down, right now."
MS is an unusual disease in that it can give different symptoms to different people. Technically, the disease strikes at the myelin, sometimes known as white matter, in the human brain, causing the immune system to dysfunction and stopping or slowing down the signals from the nervous system. The actual symptoms a person experiences depend on what area of the brain the MS has struck.
"That's why people with MS have so many symptoms - it depends on what part of the brain it's in," Vorobeychik said. "Some parts of the brain are more affected than others, but it can go anywhere."
For Worthington, the first sign that she had MS came was when she was 20 years old. She as at work on day, and felt what appeared to be an earthquake rumble under her feet. It was a symptom that has never completely disappeared.
Worthington admits she was lucky enough to be able to walk for nine years before needing a cane, and she married a man who has been extremely supportive.
"I get away without doing housework, so I guess there are some good things," she jokes.
Patients who attend the clinic can book appointments with their specialists without having to go through the often-lengthy wait lists, and they received the added benefit of knowing an entire team of MS specialists are familiar with their case.
While MS is a debilitating disease with a variety of effects and symptoms, it is not fatal. And because its patients typically live as long as anyone else, the longterm costs of treating the disease averages $1.5 million per patient, Vorobeychik said.
Fraser Health is the last of the six health regions in B.C. to open a dedicated MS Clinic. Vorobeychik noted that B.C. has the second highest prevalence of the disease in Canada, after Saskatchewan and, based on population statistics, an estimated 3,000 sufferers live in the region with up to 500 living in Burnaby alone.
And unlike most specialized medical clinics in B.C., which are academic clinics that specialize in research, the Burnaby Hospital MS Clinic is being described as community clinic that will focus its attention on the patients.
This fall, Vorobeychik and her colleagues will attend the World Conference on Neurology where they will give two presentations on the first community-based MS clinic in B.C.
Published Aug. 13, 2005
A new clinic that caters to the needs of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was quietly opened at Burnaby Hospital earlier this year, and already it is helping people with the condition cope with its often-devastating effects.
In fact, even the clinic's location, on the main floor straight down the hallway from the main entrance to the hospital, is one of great assets of the 1,800-sq.-ft. facility, said clinic director and neurologist Dr. Galina Vorobeychik.
"For patients who have MS, one of the most difficult parts of their life is travelling," said Vorobeychik, who heads a team of four neurologists, two therapists, several counsellors and office staff. "The most common symptoms of MS are fatigue, vision problems, pain and mobility."
The clinic, which has seen about 350 patients since it opened in January, is already making a difference in the life of Brenda Worthington, an MS sufferer who lives in Burnaby who used to travel between a variety of doctors' and therapists' offices to get the services she needs.
"My GP referred me here," said Worthington, who was diagnosed with the disease 18 years ago but went through "nine years of denial" until she had to use a cane. A car accident later exacerbated her symptoms, and Worthington was finally forced into a wheelchair, which she now uses every time she gets out and about.
Vorobeychik said the clinic will focus on what she calls "the five Cs - comprehensive, coordinated, community-based MS care, close to home."
"MS is a very complex disease that mostly hits young adults," the doctor said. "Because their needs change over the course of the disease, they need changing care and that's why I think a clinic is a good idea, because it offers the team approach."
The four specialists at the clinic are: a neuro-ophthalmologist to deal with eye problems; a rehabilitation physician who works with a physiotherapist and occupational therapist; a general internal medicine physician to deal with problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure; and a gastro-enterologist who works exclusively on stomach problems. A urologist is associated with the clinic but is located elsewhere.
Other staff include a nurse with a specialty in MS who serves as clinic coordinator, a social worker, a clinical counsellor who deals with urgent cases and a research coordinator. "Our main goals is care, but we will do research as well," Vorobeychik said.
Worthington was referred to the clinic in the hopes of finding some relief from the intense pain in her face caused by a flare-up of trigeneral neuralgia - a condition common to MS.
"I can smile and talk now," she chuckled. "You have no idea how good that feels. Before, even a simple breeze could bring on this tremendous pain."
Another recurring problem faced by Worthington and many other MS patients is heat exhaustion. "In the summertime, I'm very affected by heat," she said. "Everyone I know with MS is really hit by fatigue. you can be out and about, and you have to lie down, right now."
MS is an unusual disease in that it can give different symptoms to different people. Technically, the disease strikes at the myelin, sometimes known as white matter, in the human brain, causing the immune system to dysfunction and stopping or slowing down the signals from the nervous system. The actual symptoms a person experiences depend on what area of the brain the MS has struck.
"That's why people with MS have so many symptoms - it depends on what part of the brain it's in," Vorobeychik said. "Some parts of the brain are more affected than others, but it can go anywhere."
For Worthington, the first sign that she had MS came was when she was 20 years old. She as at work on day, and felt what appeared to be an earthquake rumble under her feet. It was a symptom that has never completely disappeared.
Worthington admits she was lucky enough to be able to walk for nine years before needing a cane, and she married a man who has been extremely supportive.
"I get away without doing housework, so I guess there are some good things," she jokes.
Patients who attend the clinic can book appointments with their specialists without having to go through the often-lengthy wait lists, and they received the added benefit of knowing an entire team of MS specialists are familiar with their case.
While MS is a debilitating disease with a variety of effects and symptoms, it is not fatal. And because its patients typically live as long as anyone else, the longterm costs of treating the disease averages $1.5 million per patient, Vorobeychik said.
Fraser Health is the last of the six health regions in B.C. to open a dedicated MS Clinic. Vorobeychik noted that B.C. has the second highest prevalence of the disease in Canada, after Saskatchewan and, based on population statistics, an estimated 3,000 sufferers live in the region with up to 500 living in Burnaby alone.
And unlike most specialized medical clinics in B.C., which are academic clinics that specialize in research, the Burnaby Hospital MS Clinic is being described as community clinic that will focus its attention on the patients.
This fall, Vorobeychik and her colleagues will attend the World Conference on Neurology where they will give two presentations on the first community-based MS clinic in B.C.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Homelessness under study
By Dan Hilborn
Published July 27, 2005
A six-month research project that is looking into the root causes behind a 135-per-cent increase in homelessness in Burnaby over the past four years is discovering that there's no one simple or single reason why a person might live on the streets.
Jennifer Brubacher, the homeless outreach worker hired by the City of Burnaby and Fraser Health Authority earlier this year, said she is discovering that each homeless person she meets has a unique story.
"People, I think, are generally just one paycheque away, and once you've been evicted and on the street, it's kind of hard in our social welfare system these days to pick yourself up and pull yourself back together," Brubacher told the Burnaby NOW last week.
"That, I think, is the most common thread.
"Once you're on the street and learn to manoeuvre, you become street-entrenched and then it's hard to get out. It becomes a new uncomfortable comfort zone and then, as time goes on and more doors are slammed in your face, you lose hope."
Brubacher, who is trying to interview as many homeless people as she can find, is now halfway through her research project.
When the data collection is complete, the information will be forwarded to the firm Jim Woodward and Associates, which will conduct a "gap analysis" and needs assessment report that will be forwarded to the Burnaby Homelessness Task Force.
Earlier this year, the Greater Vancouver regional steering committee on homelessness found a total of 40 people who identified themselves as Burnaby residents living on Lower Mainland streets. That compares with just 17 homeless people identified as Burnaby residents during a similar project in 2002. Overall, the report found 2,112 homeless people in the region, up 101 per cent from the 1,049 people found three years previously.
The report also states that more than 126,000 people in 56,000 households across the Lower Mainland are 'at risk' of becoming homeless.
Brubacher, who works for the Progressive Housing Society, is now in the process of talking to as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find in an effort to make recommendations on what kinds of services are needed.
Last month, New Westminster city councillor Jerry Dobrovolny criticized Burnaby city council for its lack of services for the homeless.
"I think it's absolutely atrocious that Burnaby has 10 per cent of the (homeless) population and one per cent of the beds," he said.
Brubacher said the hiring of a permanent homeless outreach worker would be a good first step towards providing the necessary services because many homeless people are simply looking for a sign of hope.
"The level of hope probably varies with how long they've been on the street, and I'm finding most people have been out there for more than one year - over winter, over summer, all four seasons," she said.
"They're not very hopeful. I would think it would take something like an outreach worker to make them aware of services that are available and help them realize that life does not just stop once you're on the street. With some effort and some time, they can pull themselves off the street, but they need proper services, of course."
Brubacher said many of Burnaby's homeless are men who simply can't cope after the breakup of their marriages or people who have drug or alcohol addictions, but there are exceptions. In one case, she found a 10-year-old boy wandering the streets after his parents didn't come home.
Brubacher also said that much of the evidence she's seen indicates that the actual numbers are even higher than in the official count.
Brubacher expects to finish her research by the end of September but is still looking for as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find. Anyone who knows where a homeless person might be staying is asked to contact her at Progressive Housing, 604-522-9669, ext. 317.
Published July 27, 2005
A six-month research project that is looking into the root causes behind a 135-per-cent increase in homelessness in Burnaby over the past four years is discovering that there's no one simple or single reason why a person might live on the streets.
Jennifer Brubacher, the homeless outreach worker hired by the City of Burnaby and Fraser Health Authority earlier this year, said she is discovering that each homeless person she meets has a unique story.
"People, I think, are generally just one paycheque away, and once you've been evicted and on the street, it's kind of hard in our social welfare system these days to pick yourself up and pull yourself back together," Brubacher told the Burnaby NOW last week.
"That, I think, is the most common thread.
"Once you're on the street and learn to manoeuvre, you become street-entrenched and then it's hard to get out. It becomes a new uncomfortable comfort zone and then, as time goes on and more doors are slammed in your face, you lose hope."
Brubacher, who is trying to interview as many homeless people as she can find, is now halfway through her research project.
When the data collection is complete, the information will be forwarded to the firm Jim Woodward and Associates, which will conduct a "gap analysis" and needs assessment report that will be forwarded to the Burnaby Homelessness Task Force.
Earlier this year, the Greater Vancouver regional steering committee on homelessness found a total of 40 people who identified themselves as Burnaby residents living on Lower Mainland streets. That compares with just 17 homeless people identified as Burnaby residents during a similar project in 2002. Overall, the report found 2,112 homeless people in the region, up 101 per cent from the 1,049 people found three years previously.
The report also states that more than 126,000 people in 56,000 households across the Lower Mainland are 'at risk' of becoming homeless.
Brubacher, who works for the Progressive Housing Society, is now in the process of talking to as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find in an effort to make recommendations on what kinds of services are needed.
Last month, New Westminster city councillor Jerry Dobrovolny criticized Burnaby city council for its lack of services for the homeless.
"I think it's absolutely atrocious that Burnaby has 10 per cent of the (homeless) population and one per cent of the beds," he said.
Brubacher said the hiring of a permanent homeless outreach worker would be a good first step towards providing the necessary services because many homeless people are simply looking for a sign of hope.
"The level of hope probably varies with how long they've been on the street, and I'm finding most people have been out there for more than one year - over winter, over summer, all four seasons," she said.
"They're not very hopeful. I would think it would take something like an outreach worker to make them aware of services that are available and help them realize that life does not just stop once you're on the street. With some effort and some time, they can pull themselves off the street, but they need proper services, of course."
Brubacher said many of Burnaby's homeless are men who simply can't cope after the breakup of their marriages or people who have drug or alcohol addictions, but there are exceptions. In one case, she found a 10-year-old boy wandering the streets after his parents didn't come home.
Brubacher also said that much of the evidence she's seen indicates that the actual numbers are even higher than in the official count.
Brubacher expects to finish her research by the end of September but is still looking for as many homeless people in Burnaby as she can find. Anyone who knows where a homeless person might be staying is asked to contact her at Progressive Housing, 604-522-9669, ext. 317.
Hospital vendor causes concern
By Dan Hilborn
Published July 23, 2005
The new president of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation admits that a mistake was made when a private health insurance company was allowed to set up shop inside the lobby of the largest hospital in the Fraser Health Authority this week.
"It was a mistake on my part," said Adrienne Bakker, who was promoted to her new post just one month ago, about the same time that a new vending cart program was opened in the lobby of Royal Columbian Hospital.
"We don't want to create the misperception that we're promoting the privatization of health care," she said on Friday. "Now that I'm aware that it's created some anxiety, it won't be allowed in the future."
The vendor, Clarica, was offered a one-week lease for one of three new vending carts that were placed in the hospital lobby at the beginning of July. The vending carts are owned and operated by a private company - Cart Wheels International - which follows guidelines for leasing the space provided by the foundation.
The retail carts - which typically sell things such as nuts, candies, sunglasses and clothing - brought in about $50,000 of the foundation's total budget of about $5 million last year.
When the salesperson began selling private health insurance at one of the carts this week, several hospital staff members expressed concern about whether it's an appropriate use of the hospital's space.
"My God, we're a public health care facility," said one nurse, who asked to remain anonymous. "By having this kiosk, I see that as supporting the need for private care and I see that as a conflict.
"Private care only meets the needs of people who have the funds to access it, and it draws resources from everyone else.
"Is our public system so dysfunctional that we no longer have adequate coverage and we need to purchase private care?" she asked.
Bakker said the guidelines on leasing the retail carts currently only prevent vendors from accessing the space if their products are already available in the nearby hospital gift shop, which is operated by the separate Royal Columbian Hospital Auxiliary, or if they sell cigarettes, alcohol and aromatherapy.
Bakker said aromatherapy is on the banned list because many people have allergies to scented products.
"We do have guidelines but, to tell you the truth, we created those because we wanted to make sure we were working with the auxiliary and not conflicting with the merchandise they sell," she said.
"I'll probably have to be more vigilant in my screening. If certain companies are slated to come in that would cause some anxiety, we won't bring them in," she said.
"Now that I'm aware that this has occurred and it's affected people, I want to make sure that it doesn't happen again and I'll be telling the company that books them, please don't book companies of this nature in the future.
"This is a bit of a learning experience for me to understand what people are happy with, and hopefully, one of the side benefits of bringing in these carts is that it creates a nicer atmosphere in the lobby."
Published July 23, 2005
The new president of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation admits that a mistake was made when a private health insurance company was allowed to set up shop inside the lobby of the largest hospital in the Fraser Health Authority this week.
"It was a mistake on my part," said Adrienne Bakker, who was promoted to her new post just one month ago, about the same time that a new vending cart program was opened in the lobby of Royal Columbian Hospital.
"We don't want to create the misperception that we're promoting the privatization of health care," she said on Friday. "Now that I'm aware that it's created some anxiety, it won't be allowed in the future."
The vendor, Clarica, was offered a one-week lease for one of three new vending carts that were placed in the hospital lobby at the beginning of July. The vending carts are owned and operated by a private company - Cart Wheels International - which follows guidelines for leasing the space provided by the foundation.
The retail carts - which typically sell things such as nuts, candies, sunglasses and clothing - brought in about $50,000 of the foundation's total budget of about $5 million last year.
When the salesperson began selling private health insurance at one of the carts this week, several hospital staff members expressed concern about whether it's an appropriate use of the hospital's space.
"My God, we're a public health care facility," said one nurse, who asked to remain anonymous. "By having this kiosk, I see that as supporting the need for private care and I see that as a conflict.
"Private care only meets the needs of people who have the funds to access it, and it draws resources from everyone else.
"Is our public system so dysfunctional that we no longer have adequate coverage and we need to purchase private care?" she asked.
Bakker said the guidelines on leasing the retail carts currently only prevent vendors from accessing the space if their products are already available in the nearby hospital gift shop, which is operated by the separate Royal Columbian Hospital Auxiliary, or if they sell cigarettes, alcohol and aromatherapy.
Bakker said aromatherapy is on the banned list because many people have allergies to scented products.
"We do have guidelines but, to tell you the truth, we created those because we wanted to make sure we were working with the auxiliary and not conflicting with the merchandise they sell," she said.
"I'll probably have to be more vigilant in my screening. If certain companies are slated to come in that would cause some anxiety, we won't bring them in," she said.
"Now that I'm aware that this has occurred and it's affected people, I want to make sure that it doesn't happen again and I'll be telling the company that books them, please don't book companies of this nature in the future.
"This is a bit of a learning experience for me to understand what people are happy with, and hopefully, one of the side benefits of bringing in these carts is that it creates a nicer atmosphere in the lobby."
Nurses union worried
By Dan Hilborn
Pubished July 23, 2005
The B.C. Nurses' Union is expressing concern that quality of care could be eroded at Willingdon Park Hospital after the private care home decided to contract out its registered nurses this spring.
Peggy Eburne, co-chair of the union for the north side of the Fraser River, said she does not understand where the hospital will get its new nurses from, especially in light of an ongoing international nursing shortage.
"This is one of the more foolish things I've ever heard," Eburne said. "I cannot believe that anyone with any kind of vision would actually lay off registered nurses.
"This is quite shortsighted. If there were a lot of us (nurses), it might be different, but I can't comprehend where the nurses would come from to work for those people," she said. "Usually nurses wish to work in a unionized environment so their rights and their patients' rights are protected."
Attempts to contact Todd Simmons, director of operations at the Willingdon Park care home, were unsuccessful. However, Jody Shields, an administrator at the hospital, left a voice message at the Burnaby NOW asking for a list of questions in writing.
Meanwhile, an official with the Fraser Health Authority said information they've received from Willingdon Park care centre indicates that the facility does intend to maintain its current nursing standards.
"We've been assured by Willingdon Park that the care provided to residents will be maintained and they hope to increase the hours of nursing available," said David Plug, health authority spokesperson. "They hope to have more nurses with the change."
But Eburne said a total of 14 registered nurses who worked at the facility have already received their pink slips and are expected to be out of their jobs by early next month.
Eburne said the majority of nurses laid off by Willingdon Park will find work elsewhere and are not interesting in going back to work in a non-union environment.
"You really have to look at supply and demand," she said. "I think this is one employer who wants to make more money and I don't think they've thought it through very well. I do know the nurses that worked there at that facility do not want to be there any more.
"Some of them have been there for up to 20 years, and to be laid off like that is fairly significant."
The change to contract nursing is just the latest innovation at Willingdon Park Hospital. The facility was among the first care homes in the province to contract out its employees' work after the B.C. Liberal government introduced Bill 29 during its first term in office.
In 2003, the hospital contracted out 35 care aide jobs in a move that was described as "provocative and unnecessary" by the Hospital Employees' Union because it targeted workers who provided direct patient care.
The private hospital is also an active political contributor in the city.
In 2002, the hospital donated $500 to the TEAM Burnaby civic election party, and last year it donated $1,000 to the campaign of federal Liberal candidate Bill Cunningham.
Pubished July 23, 2005
The B.C. Nurses' Union is expressing concern that quality of care could be eroded at Willingdon Park Hospital after the private care home decided to contract out its registered nurses this spring.
Peggy Eburne, co-chair of the union for the north side of the Fraser River, said she does not understand where the hospital will get its new nurses from, especially in light of an ongoing international nursing shortage.
"This is one of the more foolish things I've ever heard," Eburne said. "I cannot believe that anyone with any kind of vision would actually lay off registered nurses.
"This is quite shortsighted. If there were a lot of us (nurses), it might be different, but I can't comprehend where the nurses would come from to work for those people," she said. "Usually nurses wish to work in a unionized environment so their rights and their patients' rights are protected."
Attempts to contact Todd Simmons, director of operations at the Willingdon Park care home, were unsuccessful. However, Jody Shields, an administrator at the hospital, left a voice message at the Burnaby NOW asking for a list of questions in writing.
Meanwhile, an official with the Fraser Health Authority said information they've received from Willingdon Park care centre indicates that the facility does intend to maintain its current nursing standards.
"We've been assured by Willingdon Park that the care provided to residents will be maintained and they hope to increase the hours of nursing available," said David Plug, health authority spokesperson. "They hope to have more nurses with the change."
But Eburne said a total of 14 registered nurses who worked at the facility have already received their pink slips and are expected to be out of their jobs by early next month.
Eburne said the majority of nurses laid off by Willingdon Park will find work elsewhere and are not interesting in going back to work in a non-union environment.
"You really have to look at supply and demand," she said. "I think this is one employer who wants to make more money and I don't think they've thought it through very well. I do know the nurses that worked there at that facility do not want to be there any more.
"Some of them have been there for up to 20 years, and to be laid off like that is fairly significant."
The change to contract nursing is just the latest innovation at Willingdon Park Hospital. The facility was among the first care homes in the province to contract out its employees' work after the B.C. Liberal government introduced Bill 29 during its first term in office.
In 2003, the hospital contracted out 35 care aide jobs in a move that was described as "provocative and unnecessary" by the Hospital Employees' Union because it targeted workers who provided direct patient care.
The private hospital is also an active political contributor in the city.
In 2002, the hospital donated $500 to the TEAM Burnaby civic election party, and last year it donated $1,000 to the campaign of federal Liberal candidate Bill Cunningham.
The Tragic Death of Harry Kierans
A Special Report by Dan Hilborn
Published July 23, 2005
On July 25, 2003, Harry Cawthorpe Daniel Kierans leaped from the 14th-floor window of his apartment in the Edmonds area of Burnaby. Kierans, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, had been complaining for months about hearing voices urging him to kill himself. Reporter Dan Hilborn spoke to Harry's two sisters about their quest to find some answers about why their brother died despite repeated cries for help.
- - -
When Harry Kierans' wife returned home from playing bingo at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday, July 25, 2003, she knew immediately that something was wrong.
Ambulances and police cars had surrounded the Hall Tower apartment building where the 44-year-old woman lived with her husband. And, while emergency service vehicles were always a common sight in the Edmonds area, Mrs. Kierans knew she had a more serious reason to worry on that night.
Her 51-year-old husband had schizophrenia and, for the past six months, he had been complaining about the voices inside his head - scary voices that had been urging him to kill himself.
Earlier that evening, Harry had asked his wife to call home around 8 p.m., just to check in on him. When his partner of 21 years made that call, the phone just kept ringing.
So, Mrs. Kierans, who suffers from bipolar disorder, left her favourite bingo hall at a North Burnaby church and hopped onto the bus that would carry her on a long and circuitous ride from the Brentwood area back home to Edmonds.
When the police met her at the front doors of the highrise tower at 7272 Kingsway, she heard the bad news that she had been dreading - her husband and the father of her only child was dead after jumping out of the 14th-floor window of the couple's apartment.
"Harry was a good man," his wife told the Burnaby NOW last year. "He was very jolly, he never drank, but he was schizophrenic."
Harry's suicide was first made public on BCTV News on Global, when a camera was invited into the couple's apartment to see the decrepit conditions in which they lived.
At that time, Harry's two sisters - lawyer Kathleen Walker and Catholic nun Sister Mae Kierans - expressed the belief that their brother had died because of a lack of services and a slow-moving provincial government bureaucracy.
"I think the mentally ill are not a high priority for the politicians," said Mae Kierans, a retired psychotherapist and health- care manager based out of the St. Joseph Motherhouse in North Bay, Ont. "When we saw the coroner's report, we saw that it was shallow and inadequate and it dodged the questions."
Over the past 24 months, with the assistance of Jane Dyson, the executive director of the B.C. Coalition for Disabled Persons, Harry's two sisters have filed a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to obtain their brother's personal health records and related B.C. Housing documents. In early March, the family received a 22-centimetre-thick file of documents that they believe sheds light on his repeated pleas for help to the government agencies that were supposed to protect him.
Among the documents they obtained are repeated reports of Harry's threats to commit suicide and repeated complaints from B.C. Housing that the couple would be evicted if they did not do a better job of taking care of their personal hygiene and cleaning up their apartment.
But the family believes the problem started 10 years earlier, when Harry and his wife, two people with diagnosed mental health conditions, were unsafely moved onto the 14th floor of the Hall Tower, a building that has large open windows and where the family believes as many as four other suicides have taken place in the past decade.
"Harry is not the only mentally ill patient to have lived in that dangerous building, and he's not the only tenant to be deprived of important support services," said Mae. "I would like those who suffer from mental illness to have their services restored to an adequate level so they can lead dignified lives.
"My sense is, in British Columbia, those services are being cut back as they get ready for the 2010 Olympics. There's pressure to redivert funds and what it represents to me is it means the death of my brother."
Harry's sisters said the stresses began to build in Harry's life some time after 1999, when the former NDP government cancelled the home support worker who used to help clean the apartment where the two mentally ill adults lived.
Once that home support worker was gone, Harry and his wife began to receive a series of warnings from B.C. Housing, the government agency that operated the highrise where they lived, that they must do a better job of cleaning up after themselves or risk losing their apartment.
The FOI reports also indicate that Harry's hallucinations began to increase in both frequency and severity after August 2002, when he ended up in jail after becoming upset about his inability to attend a family reunion in Ontario.
By January 2003, as the pressures of his hallucinations and the threats of eviction from B.C. Housing increased, Harry formally requested a move out of the highrise apartment, even if it meant living away from his wife. That request was denied due to what B.C. Housing referred to as "tenancy issues."
Mae Kierans believes the refusal to allow Harry to move out of the building was one of the major factors in the suicide.
"The refusal of Harry's request for a transfer, I think, was extremely negligent on the part of the reviewer," Mae said. "I think that was the beginning of the end. The lack of consistent services, the withdrawal of services, it all set the stage for what happened."
Just 10 days before his suicide, Harry met with mental health workers and B.C. Housing staff to discuss the looming threat of eviction and to "expedite a functional assessment" to get support services into the home "as soon as possible."
But it was too late. Harry jumped to his death before his wife could return home from the bingo parlour that Friday night.
Now, almost two years after her brother's death, Mae Kierans believes there is much the B.C. government can do to ensure that other mental health patients receive the treatment, care and services they deserve.
"There were a lot of comments that people (government staff) were sick, off work or didn't have time to respond to every problem," Mae said. "So I get a sense that those front-line staff were run off their feet trying to look after these patients."
Mae is equally disturbed about several memos, written after her brother's suicide, which seem to imply that government staff had no advance warning of Harry's suicidal tendencies.
The South Burnaby mental health office's 'termination assessment,' written on Aug. 28, 2003, stated that Harry had been a client for 20 years and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and dependent personality traits. That report has conflicting statements about his risk to himself and his suicidal intentions. While one part of the document acknowledges that Harry posed a high risk of suicide, the written summary indicates his decision to end his life came as a surprise.
"Harry had never presented as a risk of self-harm, had never voiced or made any suicidal gestures, but he unexpectedly jumped from the window of his 14th-floor apartment on July 25, 2003. He left no note and had not made any mention of this plan to friends, families or caregivers," said the report. The final line in the report, titled 'response to interventions,' contains the words: "Sadly, Harry suicided in the week before these services were initiated."
Other government documents produced after Harry's death express surprise at his actions.
An e-mail written on Sept. 11, 2003 said that health services and B.C. Housing staff were in favour of relocating the couple to a supportive living situation but the Kierans had "refused this type of living situation before and wanted to remain living independently."
Harry's sister said that report flies in the face of Harry's written request, presented to B.C. Housing just six months earlier, to move by himself into a new home.
A second B.C. Housing e-mail, written on Sept. 12, 2003 in response to media calls, claims a similar lack of knowledge about Harry's state of mind. "At no time during the tenancy was B.C. Housing made aware that the tenant was a suicide risk, nor had B.C. Housing received any complaint that the 14th-floor apartment was a risk to the tenant."
Another document, dated Jan. 16, 2004 and presented as an update to an Oct. 1, 2003 report, was a "confidential issues note" presented to then-health minister Colin Hansen. The paper gives the following summary of the B.C. Coroner's report into Harry's death. "The (coroner's) report contains no recommendations, but it does highlight the serious issues relating to apparent systemic failures in providing care that was appropriate and well-coordinated among agencies, i.e. B.C. Housing, to meet the client's particular needs."
Harry's family still has many unanswered questions.
"I am deeply concerned that the cover-up and buck-passing clearly evident in that (coroner's) report will mean Harry's tragic death is wasted and that there will be more suffering and suicide deaths of persons with disabilities in the care of B.C. government agencies," Mae wrote on March 7. "Documented demands were made of them as if their disabilities did not exist."
The Kierans family's attempts to have a juried inquest into Harry's death were formally rejected in an April 27 letter from the assistant chief deputy coroner of the province. The family is now hoping to take their case to the B.C. Ombudsman.
Published July 23, 2005
On July 25, 2003, Harry Cawthorpe Daniel Kierans leaped from the 14th-floor window of his apartment in the Edmonds area of Burnaby. Kierans, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, had been complaining for months about hearing voices urging him to kill himself. Reporter Dan Hilborn spoke to Harry's two sisters about their quest to find some answers about why their brother died despite repeated cries for help.
- - -
When Harry Kierans' wife returned home from playing bingo at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday, July 25, 2003, she knew immediately that something was wrong.
Ambulances and police cars had surrounded the Hall Tower apartment building where the 44-year-old woman lived with her husband. And, while emergency service vehicles were always a common sight in the Edmonds area, Mrs. Kierans knew she had a more serious reason to worry on that night.
Her 51-year-old husband had schizophrenia and, for the past six months, he had been complaining about the voices inside his head - scary voices that had been urging him to kill himself.
Earlier that evening, Harry had asked his wife to call home around 8 p.m., just to check in on him. When his partner of 21 years made that call, the phone just kept ringing.
So, Mrs. Kierans, who suffers from bipolar disorder, left her favourite bingo hall at a North Burnaby church and hopped onto the bus that would carry her on a long and circuitous ride from the Brentwood area back home to Edmonds.
When the police met her at the front doors of the highrise tower at 7272 Kingsway, she heard the bad news that she had been dreading - her husband and the father of her only child was dead after jumping out of the 14th-floor window of the couple's apartment.
"Harry was a good man," his wife told the Burnaby NOW last year. "He was very jolly, he never drank, but he was schizophrenic."
Harry's suicide was first made public on BCTV News on Global, when a camera was invited into the couple's apartment to see the decrepit conditions in which they lived.
At that time, Harry's two sisters - lawyer Kathleen Walker and Catholic nun Sister Mae Kierans - expressed the belief that their brother had died because of a lack of services and a slow-moving provincial government bureaucracy.
"I think the mentally ill are not a high priority for the politicians," said Mae Kierans, a retired psychotherapist and health- care manager based out of the St. Joseph Motherhouse in North Bay, Ont. "When we saw the coroner's report, we saw that it was shallow and inadequate and it dodged the questions."
Over the past 24 months, with the assistance of Jane Dyson, the executive director of the B.C. Coalition for Disabled Persons, Harry's two sisters have filed a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to obtain their brother's personal health records and related B.C. Housing documents. In early March, the family received a 22-centimetre-thick file of documents that they believe sheds light on his repeated pleas for help to the government agencies that were supposed to protect him.
Among the documents they obtained are repeated reports of Harry's threats to commit suicide and repeated complaints from B.C. Housing that the couple would be evicted if they did not do a better job of taking care of their personal hygiene and cleaning up their apartment.
But the family believes the problem started 10 years earlier, when Harry and his wife, two people with diagnosed mental health conditions, were unsafely moved onto the 14th floor of the Hall Tower, a building that has large open windows and where the family believes as many as four other suicides have taken place in the past decade.
"Harry is not the only mentally ill patient to have lived in that dangerous building, and he's not the only tenant to be deprived of important support services," said Mae. "I would like those who suffer from mental illness to have their services restored to an adequate level so they can lead dignified lives.
"My sense is, in British Columbia, those services are being cut back as they get ready for the 2010 Olympics. There's pressure to redivert funds and what it represents to me is it means the death of my brother."
Harry's sisters said the stresses began to build in Harry's life some time after 1999, when the former NDP government cancelled the home support worker who used to help clean the apartment where the two mentally ill adults lived.
Once that home support worker was gone, Harry and his wife began to receive a series of warnings from B.C. Housing, the government agency that operated the highrise where they lived, that they must do a better job of cleaning up after themselves or risk losing their apartment.
The FOI reports also indicate that Harry's hallucinations began to increase in both frequency and severity after August 2002, when he ended up in jail after becoming upset about his inability to attend a family reunion in Ontario.
By January 2003, as the pressures of his hallucinations and the threats of eviction from B.C. Housing increased, Harry formally requested a move out of the highrise apartment, even if it meant living away from his wife. That request was denied due to what B.C. Housing referred to as "tenancy issues."
Mae Kierans believes the refusal to allow Harry to move out of the building was one of the major factors in the suicide.
"The refusal of Harry's request for a transfer, I think, was extremely negligent on the part of the reviewer," Mae said. "I think that was the beginning of the end. The lack of consistent services, the withdrawal of services, it all set the stage for what happened."
Just 10 days before his suicide, Harry met with mental health workers and B.C. Housing staff to discuss the looming threat of eviction and to "expedite a functional assessment" to get support services into the home "as soon as possible."
But it was too late. Harry jumped to his death before his wife could return home from the bingo parlour that Friday night.
Now, almost two years after her brother's death, Mae Kierans believes there is much the B.C. government can do to ensure that other mental health patients receive the treatment, care and services they deserve.
"There were a lot of comments that people (government staff) were sick, off work or didn't have time to respond to every problem," Mae said. "So I get a sense that those front-line staff were run off their feet trying to look after these patients."
Mae is equally disturbed about several memos, written after her brother's suicide, which seem to imply that government staff had no advance warning of Harry's suicidal tendencies.
The South Burnaby mental health office's 'termination assessment,' written on Aug. 28, 2003, stated that Harry had been a client for 20 years and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and dependent personality traits. That report has conflicting statements about his risk to himself and his suicidal intentions. While one part of the document acknowledges that Harry posed a high risk of suicide, the written summary indicates his decision to end his life came as a surprise.
"Harry had never presented as a risk of self-harm, had never voiced or made any suicidal gestures, but he unexpectedly jumped from the window of his 14th-floor apartment on July 25, 2003. He left no note and had not made any mention of this plan to friends, families or caregivers," said the report. The final line in the report, titled 'response to interventions,' contains the words: "Sadly, Harry suicided in the week before these services were initiated."
Other government documents produced after Harry's death express surprise at his actions.
An e-mail written on Sept. 11, 2003 said that health services and B.C. Housing staff were in favour of relocating the couple to a supportive living situation but the Kierans had "refused this type of living situation before and wanted to remain living independently."
Harry's sister said that report flies in the face of Harry's written request, presented to B.C. Housing just six months earlier, to move by himself into a new home.
A second B.C. Housing e-mail, written on Sept. 12, 2003 in response to media calls, claims a similar lack of knowledge about Harry's state of mind. "At no time during the tenancy was B.C. Housing made aware that the tenant was a suicide risk, nor had B.C. Housing received any complaint that the 14th-floor apartment was a risk to the tenant."
Another document, dated Jan. 16, 2004 and presented as an update to an Oct. 1, 2003 report, was a "confidential issues note" presented to then-health minister Colin Hansen. The paper gives the following summary of the B.C. Coroner's report into Harry's death. "The (coroner's) report contains no recommendations, but it does highlight the serious issues relating to apparent systemic failures in providing care that was appropriate and well-coordinated among agencies, i.e. B.C. Housing, to meet the client's particular needs."
Harry's family still has many unanswered questions.
"I am deeply concerned that the cover-up and buck-passing clearly evident in that (coroner's) report will mean Harry's tragic death is wasted and that there will be more suffering and suicide deaths of persons with disabilities in the care of B.C. government agencies," Mae wrote on March 7. "Documented demands were made of them as if their disabilities did not exist."
The Kierans family's attempts to have a juried inquest into Harry's death were formally rejected in an April 27 letter from the assistant chief deputy coroner of the province. The family is now hoping to take their case to the B.C. Ombudsman.
Know the warning signs
By Dan Hilborn
Published July 23, 2005
Be aware of the warning signs of suicide and be prepared to take action. Those were the words of warning from B.C. Schizophrenia Society regional coordinator David Dickinson after hearing about the suicide of Harry Kierans in Burnaby.
"If you know somebody who has been talking about suicide, it should definitely be taken seriously," said Dickinson, who is responsible for advocacy and providing programs to people with schizophrenia in the Burnaby and New Westminster area.
And the single best thing a person can do if a friend or family member with a mental illness begins to talk about suicide or express feelings of hopelessness is to contact that person's doctor or therapist, Dickinson said.
The warning signs are fairly easy to spot, he said. Often, a person with a mental health disorder will talk about suicide before they make any attempt on their own life. Other signs include expressing feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, or else admitting that they hear voices telling them to kill themselves.
And there is good reason to be extra cautious when dealing with a potentially suicidal person with schizophrenia. Dickinson said that one out of every seven people with the disease will attempt suicide at some point in their lives.
"Fifteen per cent is a pretty consistent stat," he said. "And another thing you might want to consider is that if somebody really wants to commit suicide, there's many different ways to do it."
Dickinson refused to talk about the Kierans' case specifically but said he would be opposed to the idea of banning people with schizophrenia from living in the Hall Tower highrises with their floor-to-ceiling windows.
"I don't know the background of this story, but I think, in general, if people are being treated for a mental illness, I can't really see that we can restrict where they live or don't live," he said. "That's because most people, once they begin treatment, can lead a healthy and productive life.
"To restrict people because of their illness or because they've had a diagnosis of schizophrenia sounds a little discriminatory," he said. "I would say that people living with a mental illness should be allowed to make the housing choices that suit them."
In Burnaby, the central mental health team is available to take phone calls during regular hours at 604 453-1930. After-hours mental health workers can be reached at 604-527-0009. In the event of an emergency, call 911.
Published July 23, 2005
Be aware of the warning signs of suicide and be prepared to take action. Those were the words of warning from B.C. Schizophrenia Society regional coordinator David Dickinson after hearing about the suicide of Harry Kierans in Burnaby.
"If you know somebody who has been talking about suicide, it should definitely be taken seriously," said Dickinson, who is responsible for advocacy and providing programs to people with schizophrenia in the Burnaby and New Westminster area.
And the single best thing a person can do if a friend or family member with a mental illness begins to talk about suicide or express feelings of hopelessness is to contact that person's doctor or therapist, Dickinson said.
The warning signs are fairly easy to spot, he said. Often, a person with a mental health disorder will talk about suicide before they make any attempt on their own life. Other signs include expressing feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, or else admitting that they hear voices telling them to kill themselves.
And there is good reason to be extra cautious when dealing with a potentially suicidal person with schizophrenia. Dickinson said that one out of every seven people with the disease will attempt suicide at some point in their lives.
"Fifteen per cent is a pretty consistent stat," he said. "And another thing you might want to consider is that if somebody really wants to commit suicide, there's many different ways to do it."
Dickinson refused to talk about the Kierans' case specifically but said he would be opposed to the idea of banning people with schizophrenia from living in the Hall Tower highrises with their floor-to-ceiling windows.
"I don't know the background of this story, but I think, in general, if people are being treated for a mental illness, I can't really see that we can restrict where they live or don't live," he said. "That's because most people, once they begin treatment, can lead a healthy and productive life.
"To restrict people because of their illness or because they've had a diagnosis of schizophrenia sounds a little discriminatory," he said. "I would say that people living with a mental illness should be allowed to make the housing choices that suit them."
In Burnaby, the central mental health team is available to take phone calls during regular hours at 604 453-1930. After-hours mental health workers can be reached at 604-527-0009. In the event of an emergency, call 911.
Advocacy and being pushy can help a family in trouble
Published July 23, 2005
A former justice of the peace whose quick thinking may have helped prevent her brother from jumping off the Pattullo Bridge several years ago is calling for more public awareness about mental health issues.
Mary, who asked that her real name not be used, said her clinically depressed brother is doing well today, but only because he takes his medication, has family members who are willing to step in and help and because she's pushy.
"So many people are vulnerable to these feelings of helplessness and worthlessness," said the woman, who is now a stay-at-home mother with two small children. "I was once told that depression can be like someone else has crawled into your skin.
"Depression interferes with your ability to think logically. You get psychosis and voices tell you that this (suicide) is the rational thing to do."
Mary remembers one time, after her brother voluntarily admitted himself to hospital for observation, when hospital staff were forced to let him leave the psychiatric ward even though they were still concerned about his state of mind. Mary, who knew the hospital staff because she lived only a block away, received a phone call saying her brother was talking about the bridge and other high places.
Mary immediately called police - whom she also knew through her work - who dispatched a patrol vehicle to the bridge, where they found her brother.
"He was standing there throwing coins off the bridge. I'm just glad he didn't run out of coins."
Mary said her brother is doing fine today, thanks in some small part to the fact that his sister is well-connected and knows what buttons to push.
"I've really had to be proactive and pushy. Even today, he gets his medication provided for, but he has no talk therapy at all, even though all the research shows that a combination of medication and cognitive behaviour modification are what works best," she said. "I think a lot of the reason why my brother is doing so well today is because there was a lot of advocacy and I know how to be pushy."
Mary also said it is important for families to speak openly about mental health issues if one of their relatives either displays the signs of depression or has a clinical diagnosis.
"I've spoken to my children - even the little guy," she said. "What I say is, 'If you're feeling really sad - tell me.' I think it's really important with children that they know there is always a way out of a problem. Nothing is insurmountable.
"Hopefully, by putting out that information now, if they do have a depressive episode later in life, they can draw back to that early learning."
A former justice of the peace whose quick thinking may have helped prevent her brother from jumping off the Pattullo Bridge several years ago is calling for more public awareness about mental health issues.
Mary, who asked that her real name not be used, said her clinically depressed brother is doing well today, but only because he takes his medication, has family members who are willing to step in and help and because she's pushy.
"So many people are vulnerable to these feelings of helplessness and worthlessness," said the woman, who is now a stay-at-home mother with two small children. "I was once told that depression can be like someone else has crawled into your skin.
"Depression interferes with your ability to think logically. You get psychosis and voices tell you that this (suicide) is the rational thing to do."
Mary remembers one time, after her brother voluntarily admitted himself to hospital for observation, when hospital staff were forced to let him leave the psychiatric ward even though they were still concerned about his state of mind. Mary, who knew the hospital staff because she lived only a block away, received a phone call saying her brother was talking about the bridge and other high places.
Mary immediately called police - whom she also knew through her work - who dispatched a patrol vehicle to the bridge, where they found her brother.
"He was standing there throwing coins off the bridge. I'm just glad he didn't run out of coins."
Mary said her brother is doing fine today, thanks in some small part to the fact that his sister is well-connected and knows what buttons to push.
"I've really had to be proactive and pushy. Even today, he gets his medication provided for, but he has no talk therapy at all, even though all the research shows that a combination of medication and cognitive behaviour modification are what works best," she said. "I think a lot of the reason why my brother is doing so well today is because there was a lot of advocacy and I know how to be pushy."
Mary also said it is important for families to speak openly about mental health issues if one of their relatives either displays the signs of depression or has a clinical diagnosis.
"I've spoken to my children - even the little guy," she said. "What I say is, 'If you're feeling really sad - tell me.' I think it's really important with children that they know there is always a way out of a problem. Nothing is insurmountable.
"Hopefully, by putting out that information now, if they do have a depressive episode later in life, they can draw back to that early learning."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Hospitals get poor marks for cleaning
By Dan Hilborn
Published June 5, 2005
Officials in the Fraser Health Authority are applauding an independent audit that gives a passing grade to the housekeeping services in its hospitals and residential care facilities.
But the report, released Thursday, reveals that overall standards at Burnaby and Royal Columbian hospitals and Queens Park care centre fall below the 85 per cent 'benchmark standard'.
"All of the critical areas, like operating rooms, were above the standard. That is extremely important and it has to be reassuring," said Don Bower, spokesperson for the local health authority that has responsibility for 14 hospitals and care facilities between Burnaby and Hope. "While we will focus on the challenges we face, overall, you have to be happy with the results."
According to the audit, conducted by Vancouver's Westech Systems FM Inc. between March 1 and May 31 this year, three-quarters of B.C.'s hospitals and residential care facilities scored 85 per cent or higher. Based on its findings, Westech concluded that hospitals and care facilities across the province "displayed a level of cleanliness that was within acceptable standards."
The audit looked at cleanliness levels in 160 hospitals and residential care facilities in B.C. Region-by-region, the Interior Health Authority had the highest marks with a 90.36 per cent average, followed by Northern Health at 88.43 per cent, Vancouver Coastal at 87.64 per cent, Fraser Health at 86.14 per cent, the provincial authority at 85.22 per cent and Vancouver Island at 84.46 per cent.
Of the 14 facilities reviewed within Fraser Health, Burnaby Hospital received the lowest mark of 79.69 per cent. Substandard scores were also noted at Langley Memorial (80.51), Peace Arch (81.35), MSA (82.49) and Royal Columbian Hospital (83.16). The highest marks in the region went to Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope (95.04 per cent) and Delta Hospital (92.33).
Despite substandard scores at eight of the 14 sites in the region, Bower said the public can continue to have confidence in the cleanliness levels at Fraser Health facilities.
"There is absolutely nothing to be concerned about," he said. "Bear in mind that the release says that all the highly critical areas across the province are above the 85 per cent mark, and that includes Burnaby."
But Margi Blamey of the Hospital Employees Union said the audit report vindicates union claims that contracting out lowers the quality of service in public health facilities.
"What the report is clear on is that the two health authorities that have not contracted out their housekeeping services came in first and second. the interior and northern region still do their housekeeping in-house. The other thing it shows is that some of the bigger facilities are having a tougher time than the smaller facilities."
While Blamey is pleased to see the auditors used what they described as "international best standards" to measure cleanliness levels in B.C. hospitals, she noted that the HEU has still not been included in the audit process.
"Any province-wide audit has to ask what the reasons behind the problem are," she said., "In our opinion that includes inadequate staffing, heavy workloads, insufficient training, poor communication and a lack of onsite supervision.
Blamey said the union needs to know staffing levels inside the hospitals before it came make a recommendation on how best to improve the housekeeping services, however, she noted that getting the union involved in the audit process would be a good start.
"We need to know what (the staffing levels) are," Blamey said. "We also know that communication is a key problem. That was in the Cochrane report for Surrey Memorial Hospital where they found the whole link between infection control and procedures on the ground were broken.
"But even simply asking the workers how to improve the system would be great."
Blamey noted that 360 privatized housekeeping workers at a variety of facilities, including Burnaby, RCH, Queen's Park and Fellburn hospitals, recently learned that they will become members of the HEU, after the Labour Relations Board released the results of their year-old union affiliation votes on Monday.
According to a HEU press release issued Tuesday, those workers are now taking strike votes to back their proposals for a fair contract.
Blamey said the union believes low wages are part of the problem in the health care system, which she said is now clearly divided into two-tiers. "We know that low wages are a big part of the problem because it creates high staff turnover," she said. "People are looking for other jobs, and they're finding them."
Published June 5, 2005
Officials in the Fraser Health Authority are applauding an independent audit that gives a passing grade to the housekeeping services in its hospitals and residential care facilities.
But the report, released Thursday, reveals that overall standards at Burnaby and Royal Columbian hospitals and Queens Park care centre fall below the 85 per cent 'benchmark standard'.
"All of the critical areas, like operating rooms, were above the standard. That is extremely important and it has to be reassuring," said Don Bower, spokesperson for the local health authority that has responsibility for 14 hospitals and care facilities between Burnaby and Hope. "While we will focus on the challenges we face, overall, you have to be happy with the results."
According to the audit, conducted by Vancouver's Westech Systems FM Inc. between March 1 and May 31 this year, three-quarters of B.C.'s hospitals and residential care facilities scored 85 per cent or higher. Based on its findings, Westech concluded that hospitals and care facilities across the province "displayed a level of cleanliness that was within acceptable standards."
The audit looked at cleanliness levels in 160 hospitals and residential care facilities in B.C. Region-by-region, the Interior Health Authority had the highest marks with a 90.36 per cent average, followed by Northern Health at 88.43 per cent, Vancouver Coastal at 87.64 per cent, Fraser Health at 86.14 per cent, the provincial authority at 85.22 per cent and Vancouver Island at 84.46 per cent.
Of the 14 facilities reviewed within Fraser Health, Burnaby Hospital received the lowest mark of 79.69 per cent. Substandard scores were also noted at Langley Memorial (80.51), Peace Arch (81.35), MSA (82.49) and Royal Columbian Hospital (83.16). The highest marks in the region went to Fraser Canyon Hospital in Hope (95.04 per cent) and Delta Hospital (92.33).
Despite substandard scores at eight of the 14 sites in the region, Bower said the public can continue to have confidence in the cleanliness levels at Fraser Health facilities.
"There is absolutely nothing to be concerned about," he said. "Bear in mind that the release says that all the highly critical areas across the province are above the 85 per cent mark, and that includes Burnaby."
But Margi Blamey of the Hospital Employees Union said the audit report vindicates union claims that contracting out lowers the quality of service in public health facilities.
"What the report is clear on is that the two health authorities that have not contracted out their housekeeping services came in first and second. the interior and northern region still do their housekeeping in-house. The other thing it shows is that some of the bigger facilities are having a tougher time than the smaller facilities."
While Blamey is pleased to see the auditors used what they described as "international best standards" to measure cleanliness levels in B.C. hospitals, she noted that the HEU has still not been included in the audit process.
"Any province-wide audit has to ask what the reasons behind the problem are," she said., "In our opinion that includes inadequate staffing, heavy workloads, insufficient training, poor communication and a lack of onsite supervision.
Blamey said the union needs to know staffing levels inside the hospitals before it came make a recommendation on how best to improve the housekeeping services, however, she noted that getting the union involved in the audit process would be a good start.
"We need to know what (the staffing levels) are," Blamey said. "We also know that communication is a key problem. That was in the Cochrane report for Surrey Memorial Hospital where they found the whole link between infection control and procedures on the ground were broken.
"But even simply asking the workers how to improve the system would be great."
Blamey noted that 360 privatized housekeeping workers at a variety of facilities, including Burnaby, RCH, Queen's Park and Fellburn hospitals, recently learned that they will become members of the HEU, after the Labour Relations Board released the results of their year-old union affiliation votes on Monday.
According to a HEU press release issued Tuesday, those workers are now taking strike votes to back their proposals for a fair contract.
Blamey said the union believes low wages are part of the problem in the health care system, which she said is now clearly divided into two-tiers. "We know that low wages are a big part of the problem because it creates high staff turnover," she said. "People are looking for other jobs, and they're finding them."
Saturday, June 28, 2008
James takes aim at health care in Burnaby
By Dan Hilborn
Published May 14, 2005
A young woman from Burnaby was thrust into the media spotlight Wednesday morning when she joined NDP leader Carole James and Burnaby North candidate Pietro Calendino at a press conference that claimed a lack of cleanliness at Burnaby Hospital is putting patients' lives at risk.
Robin Lowe said she is still suffering the effects of an infection she contracted after she entered Burnaby Hospital on April 18 for what should have been a simple one-day appendectomy operation.
"I want to focus on the hospital's state of cleanliness, which I found appalling," said Lowe, who described herself as a former Green Party supporter. "Our bathroom in a post-op room was filthy. ... The toilet was never cleaned.
"I was so afraid of developing a worsening infection that my trips to the bathroom consisted of cleaning the door handles, the taps and the toilet before I used them," she said, adding that she was put into a room with two men and had to ask her friends and family to change her bedsheets during her stay.
"My life was put at risk simply to save this province money," she said.
Lowe said that she does not blame the cleaning staff for the problems she encountered.
"My problem is not with the skill of the staff," she said. "These were low-paid workers who were not well trained."
When Lowe questioned one female cleaner why she was sweating profusely while she performed her duties, she learned that same person was responsible for cleaning four wards each day.
When Lowe complained to the nurses, she was told that there is little they could do to have emergency spills cleaned up because of a hospital policy that requires staff to call a central dispatch phone number in order to take care of non-routine cleaning needs.
Lowe said that she agreed to speak at the NDP press conference because she is not convinced that the Green Party has a plan for the future of health care.
"I was lying in a hospital bed watching TV and I didn't hear the leader of the Green Party talking about health care," she said. "Nobody was talking about fixing our health-care system except Carole James."
Meanwhile, James insisted the NDP would "not tear up" any contracts with private housekeeping firms that work in B.C. hospitals and instead would demand that those companies uphold the standards in their existing contracts.
"I think the cleaning staff needs to be regulated," James said. "I want to open the contracts to public scrutiny and hold the companies responsible.
"Unlike Gordon Campbell, I am not going to rip up contracts," she said.
James also said that Lowe's complaints are part of the greater problems in the health care system that include longer waiting lists, and the closure or elimination of beds during the past four years.
James noted that city lost 234 extended care beds plus 25 per cent of the acute care beds that used to be at Burnaby Hospital, while city residents "fought tooth and nail" to ensure the emergency room at the hospital stayed open.
Meanwhile, an official with the Fraser Health Authority said that cleaning standards at Burnaby Hospital have steadily improved since the service was contracted out to Sodexho MS Canada Ltd. on April 1, 2004.
Simrita Johal said that all bathrooms in area hospitals are cleaned once per day, and bedsheets are changed every two or three days on average, and immediately if they become soiled.
"Definitely, if a person is staying in a multibedded room with three or four patients, absolutely the bathrooms may become filthy over the course of the day. But I'm not sure if that's what happened in this case," she said. "I don't know if she even contacted nursing staff. If she did and if the bathrooms still weren't cleaned, then absolutely we would look into it."
Johal also said that it is possible that the bathroom was cleaned early in the day, but became soiled before Lowe used it.
Johal also said that the health authority has no formal record of Lowe's complaints during her stay, and said officials can only react to problems when they are made aware of them.
"If people have concerns about anything - about cleanliness in the hospitals or about the care they receive - they should call us," she said. "We're always looking for improvement based on feedback from patients."
In March, the six B.C. health authorities signed a contract with Westech Systems Inc. to conduct an impartial third-party audit of cleanliness standards in the hospitals that will include "unscheduled and unannounced" visits by auditors, and public release of the results of their survey.
Published May 14, 2005
A young woman from Burnaby was thrust into the media spotlight Wednesday morning when she joined NDP leader Carole James and Burnaby North candidate Pietro Calendino at a press conference that claimed a lack of cleanliness at Burnaby Hospital is putting patients' lives at risk.
Robin Lowe said she is still suffering the effects of an infection she contracted after she entered Burnaby Hospital on April 18 for what should have been a simple one-day appendectomy operation.
"I want to focus on the hospital's state of cleanliness, which I found appalling," said Lowe, who described herself as a former Green Party supporter. "Our bathroom in a post-op room was filthy. ... The toilet was never cleaned.
"I was so afraid of developing a worsening infection that my trips to the bathroom consisted of cleaning the door handles, the taps and the toilet before I used them," she said, adding that she was put into a room with two men and had to ask her friends and family to change her bedsheets during her stay.
"My life was put at risk simply to save this province money," she said.
Lowe said that she does not blame the cleaning staff for the problems she encountered.
"My problem is not with the skill of the staff," she said. "These were low-paid workers who were not well trained."
When Lowe questioned one female cleaner why she was sweating profusely while she performed her duties, she learned that same person was responsible for cleaning four wards each day.
When Lowe complained to the nurses, she was told that there is little they could do to have emergency spills cleaned up because of a hospital policy that requires staff to call a central dispatch phone number in order to take care of non-routine cleaning needs.
Lowe said that she agreed to speak at the NDP press conference because she is not convinced that the Green Party has a plan for the future of health care.
"I was lying in a hospital bed watching TV and I didn't hear the leader of the Green Party talking about health care," she said. "Nobody was talking about fixing our health-care system except Carole James."
Meanwhile, James insisted the NDP would "not tear up" any contracts with private housekeeping firms that work in B.C. hospitals and instead would demand that those companies uphold the standards in their existing contracts.
"I think the cleaning staff needs to be regulated," James said. "I want to open the contracts to public scrutiny and hold the companies responsible.
"Unlike Gordon Campbell, I am not going to rip up contracts," she said.
James also said that Lowe's complaints are part of the greater problems in the health care system that include longer waiting lists, and the closure or elimination of beds during the past four years.
James noted that city lost 234 extended care beds plus 25 per cent of the acute care beds that used to be at Burnaby Hospital, while city residents "fought tooth and nail" to ensure the emergency room at the hospital stayed open.
Meanwhile, an official with the Fraser Health Authority said that cleaning standards at Burnaby Hospital have steadily improved since the service was contracted out to Sodexho MS Canada Ltd. on April 1, 2004.
Simrita Johal said that all bathrooms in area hospitals are cleaned once per day, and bedsheets are changed every two or three days on average, and immediately if they become soiled.
"Definitely, if a person is staying in a multibedded room with three or four patients, absolutely the bathrooms may become filthy over the course of the day. But I'm not sure if that's what happened in this case," she said. "I don't know if she even contacted nursing staff. If she did and if the bathrooms still weren't cleaned, then absolutely we would look into it."
Johal also said that it is possible that the bathroom was cleaned early in the day, but became soiled before Lowe used it.
Johal also said that the health authority has no formal record of Lowe's complaints during her stay, and said officials can only react to problems when they are made aware of them.
"If people have concerns about anything - about cleanliness in the hospitals or about the care they receive - they should call us," she said. "We're always looking for improvement based on feedback from patients."
In March, the six B.C. health authorities signed a contract with Westech Systems Inc. to conduct an impartial third-party audit of cleanliness standards in the hospitals that will include "unscheduled and unannounced" visits by auditors, and public release of the results of their survey.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Homeless population increasing in area
By Dan Hilborn
Published March 19, 2005
While the final numbers will not be known for another month or more, officials who worked on Tuesday's count of homeless people believe there is a growing number of people living on the streets and in the parks of the Lower Mainland.
"At this point, we believe the numbers are on the rise," said Lynn Wood, executive director of the Burnaby-based Progressive Housing Society.
In Burnaby, about 30 volunteers, including staff from Progressive Housing and members of the Fraser Health Authority's new task force on homelessness, combed the city's parks, bridges and back alleys looking for homeless people.
But, while the numbers across the Lower Mainland appear to be up, the volunteers, who included local church officials, school board employees and MP Peter Julian, found fewer homeless people than anticipated in Burnaby.
"I was kind of surprised that we didn't find as many people as I thought we would," said Jennifer Brubacher, a former mental health worker who will become Burnaby's new homeless outreach worker on April 1. "I usually see a few (homeless people) during the day when I'm driving around Burnaby.
"But, on the day of the count, it seemed there weren't as many people around."
The count is a semiannual project coordinated by the Greater Vancouver Regional District and conducted under the auspices of the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C.
Michael Goldberg, the council's research director, said one of the most heartening aspects of this year's count was the fact that the number of volunteers was up substantially from the previous count.
"Our goal was to try and get 100 volunteers, which would have been double the number we had in 2002. We ended up with over 300 people who helped on this count, and that meant we were able to start earlier in the morning," he said.
Among the volunteers were majors Don and Elizabeth Grad, pastors of the Salvation Army Metrotown Citadel.
"We just seek to be helpful as the needs present themselves," said Don.
In addition to their work with the count, the Grads have sponsored a regular Monday night food program for several years in which they deliver soup and sandwiches to locations in South
Burnaby where homeless people congregate.
But the pastor did not want to speculate whether the state of homelessness is an increasing problem in Burnaby.
"That's a rather politically loaded question," he said. "I think Burnaby, like any city, has homeless people, but I don't have any hard facts, per se. ... I couldn't say if it's better, worse or the same. The poor will always be around us."
But Wood suspects that the lower than expected preliminary numbers in Burnaby may be the result of a "migration" of homeless people into Vancouver.
"We had nests pointed out to us, and we visited them, but people didn't present at those locations," said Wood, noting that 'nests' was a term used by police during a Feb. 23 public safety meeting in the Edmonds area to describe any outdoor location where a homeless person can make a safe place for themselves out of public view.
But while the 'nests' were mostly empty, Wood and her team did find evidence of homelessness in Burnaby.
"The preliminary figures we have show at least as many homeless people as in the previous count," she said.
Those numbers will likely rise when officials tally up the number of people found in other communities who list Burnaby as their real home, Wood said.
"If someone comes forward at a New West shelter and says that they're from Burnaby, that will be counted."
Dr. Nadine Loewen, the Fraser Health Authority's medical health officer for Fraser North, and co-chair of the new Burnaby task force on homelessness, said her group is looking forward to the final tally so they can incorporate that information into their work.
The task force, which was struck by the health authority in December in response to calls from Wood and others for a homeless shelter in Burnaby, is currently working on its terms of reference.
"The task force is open to agencies that are wanting to participate," said Loewen. "One of the things the group wants to do is make sure all the information on the situation has been gathered and analyzed, then we'll look at the needs and gaps."
Published March 19, 2005
While the final numbers will not be known for another month or more, officials who worked on Tuesday's count of homeless people believe there is a growing number of people living on the streets and in the parks of the Lower Mainland.
"At this point, we believe the numbers are on the rise," said Lynn Wood, executive director of the Burnaby-based Progressive Housing Society.
In Burnaby, about 30 volunteers, including staff from Progressive Housing and members of the Fraser Health Authority's new task force on homelessness, combed the city's parks, bridges and back alleys looking for homeless people.
But, while the numbers across the Lower Mainland appear to be up, the volunteers, who included local church officials, school board employees and MP Peter Julian, found fewer homeless people than anticipated in Burnaby.
"I was kind of surprised that we didn't find as many people as I thought we would," said Jennifer Brubacher, a former mental health worker who will become Burnaby's new homeless outreach worker on April 1. "I usually see a few (homeless people) during the day when I'm driving around Burnaby.
"But, on the day of the count, it seemed there weren't as many people around."
The count is a semiannual project coordinated by the Greater Vancouver Regional District and conducted under the auspices of the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C.
Michael Goldberg, the council's research director, said one of the most heartening aspects of this year's count was the fact that the number of volunteers was up substantially from the previous count.
"Our goal was to try and get 100 volunteers, which would have been double the number we had in 2002. We ended up with over 300 people who helped on this count, and that meant we were able to start earlier in the morning," he said.
Among the volunteers were majors Don and Elizabeth Grad, pastors of the Salvation Army Metrotown Citadel.
"We just seek to be helpful as the needs present themselves," said Don.
In addition to their work with the count, the Grads have sponsored a regular Monday night food program for several years in which they deliver soup and sandwiches to locations in South
Burnaby where homeless people congregate.
But the pastor did not want to speculate whether the state of homelessness is an increasing problem in Burnaby.
"That's a rather politically loaded question," he said. "I think Burnaby, like any city, has homeless people, but I don't have any hard facts, per se. ... I couldn't say if it's better, worse or the same. The poor will always be around us."
But Wood suspects that the lower than expected preliminary numbers in Burnaby may be the result of a "migration" of homeless people into Vancouver.
"We had nests pointed out to us, and we visited them, but people didn't present at those locations," said Wood, noting that 'nests' was a term used by police during a Feb. 23 public safety meeting in the Edmonds area to describe any outdoor location where a homeless person can make a safe place for themselves out of public view.
But while the 'nests' were mostly empty, Wood and her team did find evidence of homelessness in Burnaby.
"The preliminary figures we have show at least as many homeless people as in the previous count," she said.
Those numbers will likely rise when officials tally up the number of people found in other communities who list Burnaby as their real home, Wood said.
"If someone comes forward at a New West shelter and says that they're from Burnaby, that will be counted."
Dr. Nadine Loewen, the Fraser Health Authority's medical health officer for Fraser North, and co-chair of the new Burnaby task force on homelessness, said her group is looking forward to the final tally so they can incorporate that information into their work.
The task force, which was struck by the health authority in December in response to calls from Wood and others for a homeless shelter in Burnaby, is currently working on its terms of reference.
"The task force is open to agencies that are wanting to participate," said Loewen. "One of the things the group wants to do is make sure all the information on the situation has been gathered and analyzed, then we'll look at the needs and gaps."
Did Surrey jump ahead of RCH?
By Dan Hilborn
Published Feb. 26, 2005
Officials with the Fraser Health Authority are downplaying claims from a New Westminster surgeon that the newly announced expansion of the emergency department at Surrey Memorial Hospital could delay a planned expansion of Royal Columbian Hospital.
Dr. Peter Blair, a New Westminster-based surgeon, said recently fired health authority CEO Bob Smith was in the process of bringing forward a $183-million plan to build a five-storey, 152-bed tower at Royal Columbian when he was let go.
"Bob Smith was someone we felt was a good administrator," Blair told the Burnaby NOW this week. "He had a complete view of the Fraser Health Authority and its funding requirements and, at RCH, we knew he was interested in our future and the future development of the hospital.
"But, with his firing, we can assume the next CEO has a direct mandate from the provincial government to focus on developing Surrey Memorial Hospital over the next couple of years," Blair said Wednesday afternoon. "One of my concerns is that the needs of Royal Columbian Hospital might be overlooked.
"Mr. Smith, on more than one occasion, had talked about resurrecting the tower plan and getting that developed and fast tracked so we can have better resources," Blair said.
But Dr. Keith Anderson, the new interim CEO of the health authority, said the proposal to build a new tower - which is described in a report called the Horizon Initiative that was given to the provincial government last fall - was simply in the early discussion stages.
The 28-page report, a copy of which was provided to the Burnaby NOW this week, discusses in detail two proposed hospital additions in the health authority - a five-storey tower at Royal Columbian, plus a $105-million, six-storey addition for Surrey Memorial that would include a new emergency department on the ground floor.
The document also describes continued funding problems in Fraser Health and makes repeated references to the need to find alternative funding sources to be able to build the additions.
But Anderson denied Blair's claims that the provincial government's request to start construction on a new $28-million emergency department at Surrey ignores the recommendations in the report.
"This (the Horizon Initiative) was meant to be a conceptual, high- level, thinking document," Anderson said. "It does not represent the complete capital needs of Fraser Health because we have 12 sites. It's not a detailed business plan, it's just designed to give discussion of some scenarios - the what-ifs and ballpark questions."
Anderson said Fraser Health officials are concerned about conditions at all of their facilities and are now in the early stages of conducting an acute care capacity plan in cooperation with the provincial government. A similar study is also underway in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
"We have capacity challenges in both acute care and home care and we're seeking to mitigate those wherever we can," he said.
Asked when the Horizon Initiative proposal for Royal Columbian Hospital might be built, Anderson replied: "That was a conceptual paper to start the discussions with government around our long-term capital needs for Columbia and Surrey, and those discussions are underway," Anderson said. "But it wasn't a detailed business plan because it lacked specificity. Some of the data is from 1999 and 2000 and it's not current.
"We need to bring forward a comprehensive plan," he said. "I'm not misleading anyone. This is not a quick fix. There is nothing to give immediate relief on the capital side. But the idea of building a tower at RCH and indeed a new addition at Surrey go back many years. Now, we're having to fully update that information and then say what's the priority No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3."
When asked if the health authority supports the province's plan to build the emergency department at Surrey Memorial first, Anderson replied, "Well, that's not a yes or no question, because you have to ensure the emergency room is well designed for the kind of people who are coming in. You have to effectively move patients from ambulances to stretchers, and even the emergency room doctors recognize that the problem is not the folks coming in the front door, it's to ensure people going out the door are going out in a timely manner."
Anderson also said he will meet with officials from the Ministry of Health Services next week to discuss future construction plans for both royal Columbian and Surrey Memorial.
"Our planning and capital departments are seeking systematically to address those issues both in the short term and the long term," he said.
But Dr. Blair said he believes the plans for Royal Columbian were put on the backburner because of all the media attention devoted to the problems in Surrey.
"We're worried about the political backlash to the exclusion of Royal Columbian Hospital," Blair said. "There's a crunch right now. Every day we operate we are worried that we won't get that day's patients into the hospital. On almost any day you walk into the emergency department and you'll see a large number of emergency patients with no bed to go to. We need more beds and we need more operating time and we need more operating space.
"The last physical construction we had was the Columbia Tower but that replaced an existing tower, it didn't give an expansion," he said. "In fact, we've had a contraction of beds in the past 15 years and I think we've innovated as much as we can with our current resources."
Published Feb. 26, 2005
Officials with the Fraser Health Authority are downplaying claims from a New Westminster surgeon that the newly announced expansion of the emergency department at Surrey Memorial Hospital could delay a planned expansion of Royal Columbian Hospital.
Dr. Peter Blair, a New Westminster-based surgeon, said recently fired health authority CEO Bob Smith was in the process of bringing forward a $183-million plan to build a five-storey, 152-bed tower at Royal Columbian when he was let go.
"Bob Smith was someone we felt was a good administrator," Blair told the Burnaby NOW this week. "He had a complete view of the Fraser Health Authority and its funding requirements and, at RCH, we knew he was interested in our future and the future development of the hospital.
"But, with his firing, we can assume the next CEO has a direct mandate from the provincial government to focus on developing Surrey Memorial Hospital over the next couple of years," Blair said Wednesday afternoon. "One of my concerns is that the needs of Royal Columbian Hospital might be overlooked.
"Mr. Smith, on more than one occasion, had talked about resurrecting the tower plan and getting that developed and fast tracked so we can have better resources," Blair said.
But Dr. Keith Anderson, the new interim CEO of the health authority, said the proposal to build a new tower - which is described in a report called the Horizon Initiative that was given to the provincial government last fall - was simply in the early discussion stages.
The 28-page report, a copy of which was provided to the Burnaby NOW this week, discusses in detail two proposed hospital additions in the health authority - a five-storey tower at Royal Columbian, plus a $105-million, six-storey addition for Surrey Memorial that would include a new emergency department on the ground floor.
The document also describes continued funding problems in Fraser Health and makes repeated references to the need to find alternative funding sources to be able to build the additions.
But Anderson denied Blair's claims that the provincial government's request to start construction on a new $28-million emergency department at Surrey ignores the recommendations in the report.
"This (the Horizon Initiative) was meant to be a conceptual, high- level, thinking document," Anderson said. "It does not represent the complete capital needs of Fraser Health because we have 12 sites. It's not a detailed business plan, it's just designed to give discussion of some scenarios - the what-ifs and ballpark questions."
Anderson said Fraser Health officials are concerned about conditions at all of their facilities and are now in the early stages of conducting an acute care capacity plan in cooperation with the provincial government. A similar study is also underway in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
"We have capacity challenges in both acute care and home care and we're seeking to mitigate those wherever we can," he said.
Asked when the Horizon Initiative proposal for Royal Columbian Hospital might be built, Anderson replied: "That was a conceptual paper to start the discussions with government around our long-term capital needs for Columbia and Surrey, and those discussions are underway," Anderson said. "But it wasn't a detailed business plan because it lacked specificity. Some of the data is from 1999 and 2000 and it's not current.
"We need to bring forward a comprehensive plan," he said. "I'm not misleading anyone. This is not a quick fix. There is nothing to give immediate relief on the capital side. But the idea of building a tower at RCH and indeed a new addition at Surrey go back many years. Now, we're having to fully update that information and then say what's the priority No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3."
When asked if the health authority supports the province's plan to build the emergency department at Surrey Memorial first, Anderson replied, "Well, that's not a yes or no question, because you have to ensure the emergency room is well designed for the kind of people who are coming in. You have to effectively move patients from ambulances to stretchers, and even the emergency room doctors recognize that the problem is not the folks coming in the front door, it's to ensure people going out the door are going out in a timely manner."
Anderson also said he will meet with officials from the Ministry of Health Services next week to discuss future construction plans for both royal Columbian and Surrey Memorial.
"Our planning and capital departments are seeking systematically to address those issues both in the short term and the long term," he said.
But Dr. Blair said he believes the plans for Royal Columbian were put on the backburner because of all the media attention devoted to the problems in Surrey.
"We're worried about the political backlash to the exclusion of Royal Columbian Hospital," Blair said. "There's a crunch right now. Every day we operate we are worried that we won't get that day's patients into the hospital. On almost any day you walk into the emergency department and you'll see a large number of emergency patients with no bed to go to. We need more beds and we need more operating time and we need more operating space.
"The last physical construction we had was the Columbia Tower but that replaced an existing tower, it didn't give an expansion," he said. "In fact, we've had a contraction of beds in the past 15 years and I think we've innovated as much as we can with our current resources."
Health authority boss gets the axe
By Dan Hilborn
Feb. 23, 2005
The top bureaucrat in the Fraser Health Authority was fired on Tuesday morning in a move that is being described as an attempt to restore public confidence in the health-care system.
"Our board's first priority is public confidence in the health-care system," said Barry Forbes, chair of the health authority's board of directors, in a press release announcing Smith's departure.
"We believe that the dedication of our skilled leadership, care providers and other Fraser Health employees will help us to ensure that the patients, residents, clients and families we serve, and the many community partners with whom we work, do have confidence in our facilities, programs and services," Forbes said in the release.
Keith Anderson, a longtime employee of the health authority whose previous position was vice-president of health planning and systems development, will take over as the interim president and CEO for the health authority.
In a conference call with reporters just 10 minutes after announcing Smith's firing, Forbes tried to stick to the language outlined in the press release announcing the change. However, he did respond to several questions. While Forbes did not divulge details of Smith's severance package, he said the compensation will abide by the provincial government's guidelines.
Forbes also said that Smith, who earned an annual salary of $323,000, met "most of the targets" in his performance contract.
But Mike Olds, communications officer for the Hospital Employees' Union, said Smith's firing is indicative of the ongoing turmoil in the health-care system.
"It looks like an active pre-election panic by a government that's trying to fix the mess it created in the first place," Old said. "The government sat by while Bob Smith fired close to 1,000 workers, closed hundreds of beds and closed a hospital in New Westminster.
"They needed to set the blame," Olds said. "The problems in the Fraser Health Authority have been going on for many years. This looks like more of a political fix than a long-term strategy to fix the problems in the FHA."
Smith's firing comes one day after Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum called on the provincial government to fix the crisis in the Surrey Memorial Hospital emergency department, and as the NDP called for a public inquiry into the death of Baljit Bains, a 42-year-old man who was sent home from that hospital's emergency department.
Forbes insisted that Smith's firing was not "incident-driven." However, Anderson admitted that one of his first functions as interim CEO will be to meet with the leadership of Surrey Memorial Hospital.
"We're confident the services provided at Surrey Memorial Hospital were appropriate. But I will be meeting with Barry Forbes and the Surrey site to ensure that all appropriate actions were taken."
Smith had served as CEO and president of the Fraser Health Authority since June 2002 after serving in a similar post in Halifax.
Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Lions Gate Hospital and served as a director for the B.C. Cancer Agency and Arthritis Society of B.C.
His replacement, Anderson, was the local health authority's spokesperson who responded to media queries last week after Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the provincial government would be unable to meet its target of opening 5,000 new residential care beds in the province by the year 2006.
Feb. 23, 2005
The top bureaucrat in the Fraser Health Authority was fired on Tuesday morning in a move that is being described as an attempt to restore public confidence in the health-care system.
"Our board's first priority is public confidence in the health-care system," said Barry Forbes, chair of the health authority's board of directors, in a press release announcing Smith's departure.
"We believe that the dedication of our skilled leadership, care providers and other Fraser Health employees will help us to ensure that the patients, residents, clients and families we serve, and the many community partners with whom we work, do have confidence in our facilities, programs and services," Forbes said in the release.
Keith Anderson, a longtime employee of the health authority whose previous position was vice-president of health planning and systems development, will take over as the interim president and CEO for the health authority.
In a conference call with reporters just 10 minutes after announcing Smith's firing, Forbes tried to stick to the language outlined in the press release announcing the change. However, he did respond to several questions. While Forbes did not divulge details of Smith's severance package, he said the compensation will abide by the provincial government's guidelines.
Forbes also said that Smith, who earned an annual salary of $323,000, met "most of the targets" in his performance contract.
But Mike Olds, communications officer for the Hospital Employees' Union, said Smith's firing is indicative of the ongoing turmoil in the health-care system.
"It looks like an active pre-election panic by a government that's trying to fix the mess it created in the first place," Old said. "The government sat by while Bob Smith fired close to 1,000 workers, closed hundreds of beds and closed a hospital in New Westminster.
"They needed to set the blame," Olds said. "The problems in the Fraser Health Authority have been going on for many years. This looks like more of a political fix than a long-term strategy to fix the problems in the FHA."
Smith's firing comes one day after Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum called on the provincial government to fix the crisis in the Surrey Memorial Hospital emergency department, and as the NDP called for a public inquiry into the death of Baljit Bains, a 42-year-old man who was sent home from that hospital's emergency department.
Forbes insisted that Smith's firing was not "incident-driven." However, Anderson admitted that one of his first functions as interim CEO will be to meet with the leadership of Surrey Memorial Hospital.
"We're confident the services provided at Surrey Memorial Hospital were appropriate. But I will be meeting with Barry Forbes and the Surrey site to ensure that all appropriate actions were taken."
Smith had served as CEO and president of the Fraser Health Authority since June 2002 after serving in a similar post in Halifax.
Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Lions Gate Hospital and served as a director for the B.C. Cancer Agency and Arthritis Society of B.C.
His replacement, Anderson, was the local health authority's spokesperson who responded to media queries last week after Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the provincial government would be unable to meet its target of opening 5,000 new residential care beds in the province by the year 2006.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Permanent shelter may be in works for city
By Dan Hilborn
Published Jan. 26, 2005
In the last edition of the Burnaby NOW, reporter Dan Hilborn looked at a local shelter that provided a warm place for the homeless during the cold weather, and at a new task force preparing to look at the impact of homelessness in Burnaby. In this edition, the NOW examines the long-term planning for a permanent shelter, and where to go for help.
- - -
Planning for a permanent homeless shelter in Burnaby is underway, but it may take several years before a facility is built to keep the poor and destitute from having to set up tents on vacant lots or in city parks.
"We all recognize this could be a long process, but I think they're finally putting the building blocks in place," said Lynn Wood, the executive director of the Progressive Housing Society.
Along with a growing awareness that there are homeless people in Burnaby, Wood said she is seeing signs that local service agencies and businesses are willing to step up to the plate to lend a hand.
Last month, the City of Burnaby formally asked the Fraser Health Authority to fund a homeless outreach street worker.
And unbeknownst to all the official planners, a small non-profit group was able to open a temporary emergency cold weather shelter on Edmonds Street.
Simrita Johal-Virk, spokesperson for the health authority, said that request to fund a permanent homeless outreach worker is now being processed, and the health authority does have a role in making sure that residents of the region can find appropriate housing.
However, Johal confirmed that almost all of the $32 million currently spent by the Fraser Health Authority on housing is targeted at people with mental health issues.
"We do recognize that having proper shelter is a determinant of health," Johal said.
"And we do fund a lot of partnerships and agencies, but more of that is on the mental health and addiction side. There is nothing strictly for homelessness on the north side of the river."
Several actions are underway to help fill that gap. This spring, the Greater Vancouver Regional District homeless task force will conduct a survey of homeless people around the region, including Burnaby, which will help determine the need for a shelter in this city. Wood is currently looking for volunteers to help conduct that survey.
Wood is also looking for partners to help open and operate a facility for the homeless in Burnaby.
One of the partners will likely be Annie McKitrick, the coordinator of the extreme weather response for the Cold/Wet Weather Strategy task force funded by the provincial government, GVRD and other agencies.
"One strategy of the GVRD committee is to ensure that when people are homeless they should be provided for in their own community," McKitrick said.
"I'm sure there are people who are homeless (in Burnaby), but my guess is that they're going into Vancouver or New Westminster for shelter.
"The strategy has been to put shelters in each municipality rather than concentrate them in the Downtown Eastside," she said.
"That's why you're seeing shelters open in Maple Ridge, Surrey and the North Shore plus an effort to open one in Langley."
McKitrick noted that homeless people can often become discouraged after their first few attempts to find a warm bed because permanent housing is typically only offered to people who are already known to the government. An exception to that rule is the provision of "cold/ wet weather beds" - which are offered on a first-come first-served basis, but are only opened on days when the temperature drops below - 4 C.
"If you're homeless and you go to a shelter, you may be turned away because there's no space," she said. "Then, if you do this a few times, you probably won't want to go to the shelter again. Not only that, but sometimes people may lose the warm dry place that they had on the street, and still find no room in the shelter."
Fortunately, that was not the problem experienced by the Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society, a small aboriginal service agency based on Edmonds Street, that was able to open a temporary cold weather shelter for almost two weeks this winter.
As a member of the aboriginal homeless steering committee based out of Vancouver, Arrows to Freedom also wants a role in helping to plan for a permanent homeless shelter in Burnaby, Stevens said.
"We'd like to be involved," Stevens said. "We're aware there's a real need for a shelter for the homeless and for those who are at- risk of becoming homeless. We get a lot of families who, for various reasons, end up on the streets, and most of the services for them are in Vancouver."
Stevens noted the Arrows to Freedom temporary shelter had capacity for 25 people, but averaged only six people per night for the 10 nights the facility was opened. In addition to providing a warm place to sleep, people who used the service were also offered food, hygiene kits and the use of the society's clothing bank and furniture bank.
Meanwhile, Wood said she is heartened by the response she's received since she first alerted this newspaper to the presence of a homeless person living on a vacant lot near Edmonds and Kingsway last month.
Last week, Wood met with Paul McDonell, chair of the Burnaby parks commission and former chair of the Simon Fraser Health Region, who expressed a commitment to help shepherd the homeless shelter project through the official channels at Burnaby city hall and the Fraser Health Authority.
Once the groundwork is laid, Wood said Progressive Housing will likely open and operate a shelter in Burnaby with another partner such as the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, which operates a variety of permanent and temporary shelters in Vancouver and the Cliff Block residence in New Westminster.
"Progressive Housing typically provides supportive living, which is really the next step after getting people off the street. Our thought is to partner with a group like Lookout, which has experience providing homeless shelters."
Wood also said that she understands why officials in Burnaby may be reluctant to open a temporary shelter. "People are hesitant to put up trailers as shelter because their afraid that would turn into a long-term facility," she said.
"However, I got a distinct impression from the mayor that there would be lots of cooperation from the city if other levels of government come to the table."
WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP:
People seeking emergency shelter are asked to call the following numbers:
Daytime services -- Salvation Army, New Westminster, 604-521- 5043- Elizabeth Fry Society, New Westminster, 604-540-1238
24-hour emergency services -- Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society, 604-780-9859- Ministry of Human Resources (1 to 8:30 a.m.) 1-800-663-9122
Published Jan. 26, 2005
In the last edition of the Burnaby NOW, reporter Dan Hilborn looked at a local shelter that provided a warm place for the homeless during the cold weather, and at a new task force preparing to look at the impact of homelessness in Burnaby. In this edition, the NOW examines the long-term planning for a permanent shelter, and where to go for help.
- - -
Planning for a permanent homeless shelter in Burnaby is underway, but it may take several years before a facility is built to keep the poor and destitute from having to set up tents on vacant lots or in city parks.
"We all recognize this could be a long process, but I think they're finally putting the building blocks in place," said Lynn Wood, the executive director of the Progressive Housing Society.
Along with a growing awareness that there are homeless people in Burnaby, Wood said she is seeing signs that local service agencies and businesses are willing to step up to the plate to lend a hand.
Last month, the City of Burnaby formally asked the Fraser Health Authority to fund a homeless outreach street worker.
And unbeknownst to all the official planners, a small non-profit group was able to open a temporary emergency cold weather shelter on Edmonds Street.
Simrita Johal-Virk, spokesperson for the health authority, said that request to fund a permanent homeless outreach worker is now being processed, and the health authority does have a role in making sure that residents of the region can find appropriate housing.
However, Johal confirmed that almost all of the $32 million currently spent by the Fraser Health Authority on housing is targeted at people with mental health issues.
"We do recognize that having proper shelter is a determinant of health," Johal said.
"And we do fund a lot of partnerships and agencies, but more of that is on the mental health and addiction side. There is nothing strictly for homelessness on the north side of the river."
Several actions are underway to help fill that gap. This spring, the Greater Vancouver Regional District homeless task force will conduct a survey of homeless people around the region, including Burnaby, which will help determine the need for a shelter in this city. Wood is currently looking for volunteers to help conduct that survey.
Wood is also looking for partners to help open and operate a facility for the homeless in Burnaby.
One of the partners will likely be Annie McKitrick, the coordinator of the extreme weather response for the Cold/Wet Weather Strategy task force funded by the provincial government, GVRD and other agencies.
"One strategy of the GVRD committee is to ensure that when people are homeless they should be provided for in their own community," McKitrick said.
"I'm sure there are people who are homeless (in Burnaby), but my guess is that they're going into Vancouver or New Westminster for shelter.
"The strategy has been to put shelters in each municipality rather than concentrate them in the Downtown Eastside," she said.
"That's why you're seeing shelters open in Maple Ridge, Surrey and the North Shore plus an effort to open one in Langley."
McKitrick noted that homeless people can often become discouraged after their first few attempts to find a warm bed because permanent housing is typically only offered to people who are already known to the government. An exception to that rule is the provision of "cold/ wet weather beds" - which are offered on a first-come first-served basis, but are only opened on days when the temperature drops below - 4 C.
"If you're homeless and you go to a shelter, you may be turned away because there's no space," she said. "Then, if you do this a few times, you probably won't want to go to the shelter again. Not only that, but sometimes people may lose the warm dry place that they had on the street, and still find no room in the shelter."
Fortunately, that was not the problem experienced by the Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society, a small aboriginal service agency based on Edmonds Street, that was able to open a temporary cold weather shelter for almost two weeks this winter.
As a member of the aboriginal homeless steering committee based out of Vancouver, Arrows to Freedom also wants a role in helping to plan for a permanent homeless shelter in Burnaby, Stevens said.
"We'd like to be involved," Stevens said. "We're aware there's a real need for a shelter for the homeless and for those who are at- risk of becoming homeless. We get a lot of families who, for various reasons, end up on the streets, and most of the services for them are in Vancouver."
Stevens noted the Arrows to Freedom temporary shelter had capacity for 25 people, but averaged only six people per night for the 10 nights the facility was opened. In addition to providing a warm place to sleep, people who used the service were also offered food, hygiene kits and the use of the society's clothing bank and furniture bank.
Meanwhile, Wood said she is heartened by the response she's received since she first alerted this newspaper to the presence of a homeless person living on a vacant lot near Edmonds and Kingsway last month.
Last week, Wood met with Paul McDonell, chair of the Burnaby parks commission and former chair of the Simon Fraser Health Region, who expressed a commitment to help shepherd the homeless shelter project through the official channels at Burnaby city hall and the Fraser Health Authority.
Once the groundwork is laid, Wood said Progressive Housing will likely open and operate a shelter in Burnaby with another partner such as the Lookout Emergency Aid Society, which operates a variety of permanent and temporary shelters in Vancouver and the Cliff Block residence in New Westminster.
"Progressive Housing typically provides supportive living, which is really the next step after getting people off the street. Our thought is to partner with a group like Lookout, which has experience providing homeless shelters."
Wood also said that she understands why officials in Burnaby may be reluctant to open a temporary shelter. "People are hesitant to put up trailers as shelter because their afraid that would turn into a long-term facility," she said.
"However, I got a distinct impression from the mayor that there would be lots of cooperation from the city if other levels of government come to the table."
WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP:
People seeking emergency shelter are asked to call the following numbers:
Daytime services -- Salvation Army, New Westminster, 604-521- 5043- Elizabeth Fry Society, New Westminster, 604-540-1238
24-hour emergency services -- Arrows to Freedom Cultural Healing Society, 604-780-9859- Ministry of Human Resources (1 to 8:30 a.m.) 1-800-663-9122
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
