Your December update from the BC Health Coalition

Details: Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00; Written by editor

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Your December 2022 monthly update from the
BC Health Coalition

UPDATE

Beyond Prohibition

BC is experiencing a public health crisis stemming from an influx in toxic drug supply. Alongside our partners at the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), the BC Health Coalition convened a dialogue earlier this fall to learn from People Who Use Drugs (PWUDs) and their advocates, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the drug policy landscape in BC.

Nearly 50 members of the coalition representing 11 organizations participated, including provincial and local leadership from labour unions, organizers from locals, member activists, community and nonprofit leadership, and frontline workers. As a result of the dialogue among our coalition members, we published a report presenting a summary and key recommendations. Read the report - Beyond Prohibition.

Watch the... panels from the dialogue HERE.

ACTION

Take Action for Pharmacare

As Canadians deal with increased costs of living, more of them are unable to afford access to their medicines. Elected representatives report constituents urging them to do something about drug costs not currently covered by inadequate provincial plans. Pharmacists have seen a growing number of low-income seniors that have resorted to skipping doses and deferring prescriptions because inflation has eaten away at their fixed incomes.

Anti-poverty groups have witnessed more and more families making impossible trade-offs between paying rent, buying groceries, and taking medications. Our friends at the Council of Canadians are asking supporters to email PM Trudeau and their MP to let them know universal pharmacare cannot wait. Click HERE to send a message to your elected representatives. Read more about why this is a critical point for universal pharmacare in Canada.

WATCH & LEARN

2022 AGM & Annual Report

In 2022, we continued to build a coalition across BC to defend and improve public health care. Thank you to all our coalition members for coming together!

Watch a four-minute video summarizing our work in 2022 HERE, read our Annual Report HERE, or watch our 2022 AGM HERE.

At the AGM, organizational members of the coalition decided to appoint the following organizations to the Steering Committee to guide the coalition's work over the next year:

BC Association of Community Health Centres
BC Crisis Line Network
BC Federation of Labour
BC Federation of Students
BC General Employees' Union
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC
Canadian Union of Public Employees - BC
Community Action Initiative
Council of Canadians - BC
Council of Senior Citizens' Organization
Health Sciences Association
Hospital Employees' Union
MoveUp
United Food and Commercial Workers 1518

Public Health News, Updates & Resources

Clinics with fees exploiting gaps in health system, Green MLA says Inaction from the government is leaving us with a two-tier system dividing people who have a regular primary care provider and people patching together services through walk-in clinics or other options. The current fee-based system is leaving behind many people who are unable to afford or even access care through a primary care provider.

Closing Gaps, Reducing Barriers: Another report for the pile while six people die each day The report obscures the issue of a poisonous drug supply and recommends nothing outside of the status quo. The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Sheila Malcolmson, stated the committee report re-affirmed the BC NDP’s current guiding frameworks – the same framework that currently leads to six deaths per day in the province, and other serious consequences of the emergency.

B.C. health minister reignites calls for more federal funding on eve of national conference In November, Canada's Health Ministers met in Vancouver to talk about federal funding for provincial health care. The results of the meeting were disappointing as the federal and provincial governments were unable to reach an agreement. The federal government needs to work with the provinces and territories to increase federal funding through the Canada Health Transfer. At the same, the provinces need to be held accountable to how that funding is used for health care, while improving health outcomes through new programs such as public dental care and universal pharmacare.

Yarrow Winter Solstice 2022 Fundraiser 冬至籌款活動 This winter solstice join Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice in raising $15,000 to continue cultivating intergenerational relationships, organizing for culturally competent healthcare services, and supporting seniors' and community demands for affordable housing in Vancouver’s Chinatown and DTES.

How To Include Residents In Solutions-Based Health Care One of the fundamental challenges in rural Canadian communities is health care. Folks in rural and remote communities are not the same as our urban counterparts and therefore health care in rural settings needs to be different. Listen to this podcast from our friends at the BC Rural Health Network.

The Undercover Detective Who Targeted Telus Health Care The corporation claims it’s not breaking the law by extra-billing for care. Now it faces a BC court filing with sleuthed evidence.

Survey BC Seniors The Office of the Seniors Advocate is looking for volunteers to listen to seniors living in long-term care. The Volunteer Surveyor is responsible for respectfully engaging with residents in a conversation about their experience living in care with the goal being improved LTC experience for seniors.

Donate now

Donations by cheque can be made out to BC Health Coalition and mailed to BC Health Coalition 302-3102 Main Street Vancouver BC V5T 3G7. Or you can give monthly by cheque.

British Columbia Health Coalition
3102 Main St, 302, Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories, BC V5T 3G7, Canada
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