Advocacy alert 📣 Right now, BC is deciding what to spend money on in 2026 - and we need YOUR help getting key health priorities into the #BCBudget !

The province is asking British Columbians for our ideas for Budget 2026. We think they should include things like:
💨 #CleanAir measures
💉 Vaccine access including #Novavax
😷 N95s and tests
🩺 Better care for #LongCovid (and other complex chronic illnesses)

Join us to help make it happen! You can submit your budget ideas til Friday, June 20 at 2 pm - and we even have some template answers to make it easier: https://donoharmbc.ca/bc-government-2026-budget-consultation/

We’ve seen before that advocacy makes a difference. In 2024, DoNoHarm BC’s budget campaign resulted in a commitment of over $3 billion in continued pandemic funding!

Let’s call on B.C. gov to put their money where their mouth is, when it comes to supporting the health of all British Columbians.

#CovidIsNotOver #BCHealthCare #Covid19BC #CleanAir

Advocacy opportunity 📣 Want to speak directly to leadership at some of BC's health authorities? Some of the HAs have (virtual or telephone) public board meetings or town halls coming soon!

- Vancouver Coastal Health, June 11 (focused on Richmond healthcare topics) - by telephone:
https://www.vch.ca/en/about-us/get-involved/open-board-forums
- Interior Health, June 18 - held virtually via livestream: https://www.interiorhealth.ca/about-ih/leadership/board-of-directors#addressing-the-board
- Northern Health, July 16 - held virtually: https://www.northernhealth.ca/about-us/leadership/upcoming-board-meetings

Want sample wording about why we need mask requirements year round? Nab some from our ongoing campaign: https://donoharmbc.ca/masks-in-healthcare/

#Covid19BC #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne #Measles #AvianFlu #BCHealthCare

Today’s Very Stupid Idea™️:

“A Conservative MLA is calling for a new police force that would work specifically in health care settings.”

#BCConservatives #BCHealthCare

https://globalnews.ca/video/11171655/conservative-mla-calls-for-health-care-setting-police/

Join our allies Millions Missing BC this Saturday, May 10 to demand safe & adequate medical care for people with #MECFS & #LongCovid! Raise your voice in-person (& in N95s) at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, catch the livestream, or submit a message for them to send to policy-makers. RSVP or send your message: https://forms.gle/uWWfUx34VNNXhhAW9

You can also find more access info & invite others through the FB event: https://facebook.com/events/s/millions-missing-vancouver-202/1370629570640827/

#MillionsMissing #MillionsMissing2025 #pwME #LongHaulers #PostViralIllness #BCHealthcare

Breaking news: @protect_bc and @cancovsoc are joining @DoNoHarmBC in our calls to keep and strengthen mask protections in BC healthcare 😷 Patients, healthcare workers, and health advocates are sharing stark accounts of healthcare hazards in some settings right now, which would only be compounded if mask rules were discarded. Read the joint press release now at DoNoHarmBC.ca/press, alongside accounts from people across the province.

Is there a reporter or outlet you think should be covering this story, and spotlighting the reality in BC healthcare? Be sure to let them know! Our press kit is available at https://bit.ly/press-kit-masks-25Mar25

#KeepMasksInHealthcare #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal #BCHealthcare #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne #h5n1 #measles

Security, criminal charges, accountability: #BChealthcare workers demand response to violence https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/security-criminal-charges-accountability-bc-healthcare-workers-demand-response-to-violence/ “the unions for B.C. nurses and paramedics describe increasing assault reports in recent years, while the #DoctorsofBC say their members are facing more and more patients enraged at long waits for care: threats, shoving, and dangerous weapons have all been reported to supervisors and police.”

Did you know? Phone calls can be one of the most impactful ways to reach policy-makers 📞 If you’ve already sent some emails demanding consistent mask coverage in healthcare year-round, why not join us to flood the lines with calls as well?

It just takes a few minutes, and has a big impact! For those who don’t have capacity to have phone convos, you can also call after business hours and leave a message.

Let’s make our voices heard 📣

BC Health Minister: 250-953-3547
PHO Office: 250-952-1330
BC CDC: 604-707-2400
BC Premier: 250-387-1715
Find your MLA and other key contacts: https://donoharmbc.ca/contact-list/

#KeepMasksInHealthcare #N95 #BCHealthCare #CovidIsNotOver #H5N1 #measles

https://globalnews.ca/news/11085766/offers-help-ukrainian-doctor-certified-bc/ #BCHealthcare

Join us to demand that BC keep & strengthen mask protections in healthcare! Vulnerable patients and frontline workers need consistent, evidence-based safety measures year round - not policies that change with the weather.

Take action at https://donoharmbc.ca/masks-in-healthcare/ to call for year-round mask requirements, proper implementation, N95s, and closing key loopholes:

📧 Send emails to dozens of policy-makers at once
📞 Flood the lines with calls
📠 Send faxes online (no fax machine needed)
📫 Send #Postcards4PublicHealth (mail to MLAs and Ministers is free)
💬 Share your story at https://bit.ly/have-your-say-masks2025 by Mar 15
📣 Reshare and spread the word

Let's GET LOUD! Take action ASAP, by April 1st.

#KeepMasksInHealthcare #BCHealthcare
#CovidIsNotOver #H5N1 #BirdFlu #Measles
#VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal #COVIDisAirborne

Have thoughts on how BC can improve healthcare mask protections? (We certainly do.)

Share your statement today for our next campaign: https://bit.ly/have-your-say-masks2025

Submit by March 15 if possible, for the best media coverage potential (latecomers welcome). And stay tuned for more ways to take action!

[Image: blue and yellow graphic with a simplified version of post text, and the DoNoHarm BC logo in the corner with a QR code]

#BCHealthcare #KeepMasksInHealthcare #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal #CovidIsAirborne

New B.C. PET/CT scanner saves lives through public-private health care partnership
The Omni Legend PET/CT system, the first of its kind in Western Canada, is already making an impact by reducing wait times and allowing patients to start treatment sooner.
#health #technology #partnership #BC #WesternCanada #BChealthcare
https://globalnews.ca/news/11005937/new-bc-pet-ct-scanner-public-private-health-care/

New B.C. PET/CT scanner saves lives through public-private health care partnership
The Omni Legend PET/CT system, the first of its kind in Western Canada, is already making an impact by reducing wait times and allowing patients to start treatment sooner.
#health #technology #partnership #BC #WesternCanada #BChealthcare
https://globalnews.ca/news/11005937/new-bc-pet-ct-scanner-public-private-health-care/

New B.C. PET/CT scanner saves lives through public-private health care partnership
The Omni Legend PET/CT system, the first of its kind in Western Canada, is already making an impact by reducing wait times and allowing patients to start treatment sooner.
#health #technology #partnership #BC #WesternCanada #BChealthcare
https://globalnews.ca/news/11005937/new-bc-pet-ct-scanner-public-private-health-care/

I remember a while back, a month? that a zeroes i follow posted they had a positive experience with a Victoria optometrist re:covid, and they would follow up later with details. If they did, I either missed it or I can't find it. I have an odd idea it was @douglaspynn but that could be my fevered imagination. Douglas, sorry if I'm wrong.
#covid #BCHealthCare #VictoriaBC
#optometry

This is cool.
At the Hospital (NRGH) as support person/driver.
They gave me this little note with a number to follow the patient’s progress. In the waiting room there is a screen where you can see the progress. Very cool.

Information is good. It helps people deal with stress. (I am not stressed, thankfully). And this is a good use of relatively simple technology to give people information.

#healthcare #canada #bchealthcare #bcpoli #nanaimo #nrgh

B.C. nurse gets sick after someone smoked toxic substance in a bathroom
A member of the public, who Global News is not naming due to security concerns, said they saw someone go into a bathroom and come out, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
#health #crime #publicsafety #BChealthcare #Hospital #Illicitdrugs
https://globalnews.ca/news/10982726/bc-nurse-sick-toxic-substance-bathroom-smoking/

B.C. nurse gets sick after someone smoked toxic substance in a bathroom
A member of the public, who Global News is not naming due to security concerns, said they saw someone go into a bathroom and come out, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
#health #crime #publicsafety #BChealthcare #Hospital #Illicitdrugs
https://globalnews.ca/news/10982726/bc-nurse-sick-toxic-substance-bathroom-smoking/

B.C. nurse gets sick after someone smoked toxic substance in a bathroom
A member of the public, who Global News is not naming due to security concerns, said they saw someone go into a bathroom and come out, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
#health #crime #publicsafety #BChealthcare #Hospital #Illicitdrugs
https://globalnews.ca/news/10982726/bc-nurse-sick-toxic-substance-bathroom-smoking/

B.C. orders masks for hospitals, care facilities as flu, respiratory illness increase

The Canadian Press
January 8, 2025

https://stillcoviding.ca/en/news/bc-orders-masks-for-hospitals-care-facilities/

#CovidIsntOver #BC #BCHealthcare #BCPoli #DoNoHarmBC #KeepMasksInHealthcare

@chris
That’s good (we’ll, not the you being in the ER part).

Inevitably there’s gonna be some numpty who ain’t gonna let the big ol’ gubmint tell them what to do. I’m curious how staff are supposed to deal with it.

#BCHealthCare