BC Health

A part of the street is closed to traffic on Lonsdale Ave in North Vancouver, B.C. Tuesday, May 26, 2020. The partial street closures allow extra distance for pedestrians going past outdoor markets and restaurant patios during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

B.C. sees 9 new COVID-19 cases, one death as officials watch for new cases amid Phase Two

Number of confirmed active cases is at 244, with 37 people in hospital

A part of the street is closed to traffic on Lonsdale Ave in North Vancouver, B.C. Tuesday, May 26, 2020. The partial street closures allow extra distance for pedestrians going past outdoor markets and restaurant patios during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Health coalition says use of private clinics won’t cure B.C.’s surgical backlog

Health coalition says use of private clinics won’t cure B.C.’s surgical backlog

Greater use of for-profit clinics could pull doctors and nurses away from the public system, argues BC Health Coalition

Health coalition says use of private clinics won’t cure B.C.’s surgical backlog
Cleaning with spray detergent, rubber gloves and dish cloth is the safest way to clean a surface. (BCCDC photo)

B.C. poison control officials see spike in disinfectant exposure calls amid COVID-19

BC Centre for Disease Control urging people to clean safely and not mix chemicals

Cleaning with spray detergent, rubber gloves and dish cloth is the safest way to clean a surface. (BCCDC photo)
BC Hockey and the Vancouver Canucks are encouraging stick taps for health care workers every night at 7 p.m. (Facebook page)

BC Hockey, Vancouver Canucks encourage stick tapping to honour frontline health care workers

Families are encouraged to video themselves tapping their sticks at 7 p.m. and post to social media

BC Hockey and the Vancouver Canucks are encouraging stick taps for health care workers every night at 7 p.m. (Facebook page)
Healthcare workers on Vancouver Island have been instructed to forego the 14-day isolation period upon return from international travel. Black Press file photo

COVID-19: Isolation exemptions to frontline workers a danger to patients, say Island Health employees

Staff exempt from self-isolation upon return from international travel according to Island Health

Healthcare workers on Vancouver Island have been instructed to forego the 14-day isolation period upon return from international travel. Black Press file photo
A referral-only drive-through COVID-19 screening clinic has opened in Cowichan. Island Health has emphasized that only those with appointments will be accepted at the clinic. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)

Island Health opens referral-only COVID-19 testing clinic in Cowichan

Patients must be referred by their primary care provider or an 811 nurse

A referral-only drive-through COVID-19 screening clinic has opened in Cowichan. Island Health has emphasized that only those with appointments will be accepted at the clinic. (Nina Grossman/News Staff)
Pharmacists in B.C. can now authorize prescription refills and renewals amid COVID-19. (Black Press Media files)

COVID-19: Skip doc, see pharmacist for renewals

B.C. pharmacists authorized to issue prescription renewals and emergency refills

Pharmacists in B.C. can now authorize prescription refills and renewals amid COVID-19. (Black Press Media files)
The Cowichan Community Centre is among the facilities closed by the CVRD, Municipality of North Cowichan and town of Ladysmith amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)

CVRD recreation facilities close doors amid coronavirus precautions

North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring expects the closures to be indefinite.

The Cowichan Community Centre is among the facilities closed by the CVRD, Municipality of North Cowichan and town of Ladysmith amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)
Tl’etinqox Chief Joe Alphonse encourages all band members to err on the side of caution in light of the coronavirus. (File photo)

B.C. First Nation chief urges caution in rural areas amid COVID-19

“We all have to do our part and look out for one another”

Tl’etinqox Chief Joe Alphonse encourages all band members to err on the side of caution in light of the coronavirus. (File photo)
Dr. Brian Day, Medical Director of the Cambie Surgery Centre, sits for a photograph at his office in Vancouver on Aug. 31, 2016. A lawsuit that begins today in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver has the potential to fundamentally change the way Canadians access health care. Day, who operates a private surgical centre in Vancouver, is challenging B.C.’s ban on Canadians buying private insurance for medically necessary services already covered by medicare. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Private clinics would harm ‘ordinary’ people using public system in B.C.: lawyer

Health Minister Adrian Dix announced in 2018 that the government would begin to fine doctors $10,000

Dr. Brian Day, Medical Director of the Cambie Surgery Centre, sits for a photograph at his office in Vancouver on Aug. 31, 2016. A lawsuit that begins today in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver has the potential to fundamentally change the way Canadians access health care. Day, who operates a private surgical centre in Vancouver, is challenging B.C.’s ban on Canadians buying private insurance for medically necessary services already covered by medicare. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
Courtenay couple Doris McLaughlin and her husband Don share their stories about their respective heart attacks - and the unique symptoms - in hopes to spread awareness during heart month in February. Photo by Erin Haluschak

Heart attacks strike B.C. husband and wife just over one year apart

Courtenay couple share personal stories to bring awareness to heart month

Courtenay couple Doris McLaughlin and her husband Don share their stories about their respective heart attacks - and the unique symptoms - in hopes to spread awareness during heart month in February. Photo by Erin Haluschak
Emergency rooms in B.C. are getting the overflow from a shortage of family doctors. (Black Press files)

B.C. primary care aims to reduce swelling in hospital ER

Patients without family doctor diverted to urgent treatment teams

Emergency rooms in B.C. are getting the overflow from a shortage of family doctors. (Black Press files)
Wait times for surgery and diagnostic scans are a continuing problem in B.C., and pressure on health care system is increasing. (Black Press files)

B.C. VIEWS: Private health care crackdown touches painful nerve

Many people are no longer prepared to suffer in silence

Wait times for surgery and diagnostic scans are a continuing problem in B.C., and pressure on health care system is increasing. (Black Press files)
Surgery wait lists remain persistently long in B.C. (Black Press files)

B.C. health ministry moves to bar extra billing

Debate continues over role of private clinics, wait lists in B.C.

Surgery wait lists remain persistently long in B.C. (Black Press files)
Photo by: WeissPaarz.com

Medical wait times cost B.C. patients $2,300 each

New Fraser Institute report places B.C. at second worst in costs associated with long wait times

Photo by: WeissPaarz.com