CEO message: new economic realities

In this month's Speech from the Throne, the Lieutenant-Governor of BC said, "the seismic shifts we are experiencing call for long-term thinking and fundamental changes in human behaviour that create the impetus for healthier living and innovation in health delivery, new housing and job creation."

The messages outlined in the Throne and Budget speeches are loud and clear and signal to us that we have entered into a new economic reality in the province. These challenges can be overcome by putting our best feet forward and continuing to look at new ways to remain innovative for a sustainable health system.

That said, we are very happy to hear the government has made health services a priority so that British Columbians can continue to enjoy those benefits for many years to come. Funding for the Ministry of Health Services will increase by $4.8 billion over three years, and includes funding for a new B.C. Family Residence Program. The program will provide additional assistance for those British Columbians — and their family members — who have to leave their home communities to get the care they need.

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Penticton Colorectal cancer screening pilot launched

BC recently launched a three-year, $3.8-million pilot colorectal cancer screening program to test the effectiveness of a new screening test in the early detection of colorectal cancer.

The BC Cancer Agency's Colon Check program began in Penticton in January and screening will continue for 24 months. Screening test kits will be available through a Colon Check hotline to individuals in Penticton who are between the ages of 50 to 74. Once the pilot is complete and results are analyzed, the province will examine the feasibility of expanding the program across the province.

The pilot program is being led by the BC Cancer Agency, and family physicians will play a key role in encouraging eligible patients to participate. Participants will be screened using an immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT), which is able to detect blood in the stool that is not visible to the naked eye. iFOBT is easily performed at home and, unlike other colorectal cancer screening tests, does not require any dietary restrictions. After using the test kit, patients will return it to a designated drop-off point.

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Multi-organ transplant clinic helps kids

A new multi-organ transplant clinic at BC Children’s Hospital, is providing access to very specialized access for around 120 B.C. children – and their families – who have had an organ transplant.

The clinic provides a new setting and opportunity for more comprehensive care by a specialized, multi-disciplinary team of health professionals for children in British Columbia who have received a solid organ transplant and their families.

Operated on an outpatient basis, the clinic addresses the most urgent needs and ongoing management of patients who have had a kidney, heart, liver or bowel transplant. The multi-organ transplant clinic was made possible through $288,000 in annual funding from the Ministry of Health Services through PHSA and BC Transplant. In addition to being followed by their specialized transplant physician, the clinic will also provide patients with access to expanded nursing, pharmacist, social work, dietitian and psychology support.

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Patients benefit from night-time dialysis

Kidney disease patients who cannot dialyze at home can now do so overnight at Vancouver General Hospital thanks to a new and innovative nocturnal dialysis pilot project, which is Canada’s first independent in-centre nocturnal dialysis program.

The nocturnal dialysis pilot project allows patients to independently manage their own dialysis runs three times per week, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., while they sleep at the hospital. Participants in the pilot manage every aspect of their dialysis treatment, from ordering their supplies and setting up the machine to inserting needles and drawing their own bloodwork.

Nocturnal dialysis has proven health and lifestyle benefits in comparison to conventional hemodialysis. Overnight dialysis will enable patients with end-stage kidney disease to reclaim parts of their former lives, including the ability to work during the day. Although similar hospital-based programs exist in Toronto and Edmonton, patients in these programs have their dialysis administered by staff. In the VGH pilot project, however, each patient has gone through an intensive six weeks of training so they can safely administer their own treatments, as do the 145 home hemodialysis patients spread across B.C. and the Yukon.

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New audiology clinic in Prince Rupert

Families of children living with hearing loss in Prince Rupert, the coastal communities, and Haida Gwaii will receive better access to specialized services through a new audiology clinic in the region.

The new clinic, an expansion of Northern Health’s Northwest Public Health Audiology Program, was officially opened today at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

Minister of Healthy Living and Sport Mary Polak, was on hand to celebrate the opening of the new clinic which is being funded in part by Child Health BC and Overwaitea Foods.

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