Tuesday COVID-19 update
Island Health continues to fare poorly in terms of recent pandemic numbers. 39 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours and one more death. There are 260 active cases currently and so far there have been 23 deaths in our region.
Health orders lay the groundwork for mass vaccination clinics
The Provincial Health officer has issued a new health order, to allow more people to help run the mass vaccination clinics that are being planned for next month. The Provincial Health Office order will allow dentists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, retired nurses and midwives to either administer vaccines or assist with duties like monitoring people for side effects or assisting elders at the clinics. Dr. Bonnie Henry says plans are underway to set up 172 clinics across the province with up to 500 staff in each health region.
"We are moving forward and doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the systems in our health authorities across the province, we have the tools and resources to take on this incredible and significant task. So we are very excited to be able to have the workforce that we are going to need over the next six months to ensure that we can get vaccine into as many people as wanted as efficiently as possible."—Chief Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry says more details about the mass vaccination clinics will be presented next Monday.
Police act needs reforms to protect children and youth
BC's Advocate for Children and Youth is urging the province to change the Police Act to help young people in crisis. Jennifer Charlesworth presented a series of recommendations to an all-party committee that is tasked with reforming BC's 50-year-old Police Act. Charlesworth says young and vulnerable children have frequent contact with police because of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, child neglect, drug addiction and mental health breakdowns, but police are not always equipped to do the best for these children.
“Currently, police are now having to do work that was never envisioned as policing, because other systems are falling short. And not only are systems falling short, but police are not trained or prepared to do the work they're now being called upon to do in a good way. So children and youth who are living with vulnerabilities are experiencing interactions with police at very young ages, and when they may be at their most vulnerable.”—BC's Advocate for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth.
Charlesworth is asking the committee to involve young people in its consultations. She is also asking that all police be trained in trauma-informed practice and that there be specialized training in child development for officers who have the most contact with children. The all-party committee is expected to present its report and recommendations to the legislature in mid-May.
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Tuesday COVID-19 update
Island Health continues to fare poorly in terms of recent pandemic numbers. 39 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours and one more death. There are 260 active cases currently and so far there have been 23 deaths in our region.
Health orders lay the groundwork for mass vaccination clinics
The Provincial Health officer has issued a new health order, to allow more people to help run the mass vaccination clinics that are being planned for next month. The Provincial Health Office order will allow dentists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, retired nurses and midwives to either administer vaccines or assist with duties like monitoring people for side effects or assisting elders at the clinics. Dr. Bonnie Henry says plans are underway to set up 172 clinics across the province with up to 500 staff in each health region.
"We are moving forward and doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the systems in our health authorities across the province, we have the tools and resources to take on this incredible and significant task. So we are very excited to be able to have the workforce that we are going to need over the next six months to ensure that we can get vaccine into as many people as wanted as efficiently as possible."—Chief Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry says more details about the mass vaccination clinics will be presented next Monday.
Police act needs reforms to protect children and youth
BC's Advocate for Children and Youth is urging the province to change the Police Act to help young people in crisis. Jennifer Charlesworth presented a series of recommendations to an all-party committee that is tasked with reforming BC's 50-year-old Police Act. Charlesworth says young and vulnerable children have frequent contact with police because of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, child neglect, drug addiction and mental health breakdowns, but police are not always equipped to do the best for these children.
“Currently, police are now having to do work that was never envisioned as policing, because other systems are falling short. And not only are systems falling short, but police are not trained or prepared to do the work they're now being called upon to do in a good way. So children and youth who are living with vulnerabilities are experiencing interactions with police at very young ages, and when they may be at their most vulnerable.”—BC's Advocate for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth.
Charlesworth is asking the committee to involve young people in its consultations. She is also asking that all police be trained in trauma-informed practice and that there be specialized training in child development for officers who have the most contact with children. The all-party committee is expected to present its report and recommendations to the legislature in mid-May.
Injunction denied by the chief justice of the BC Supreme Court
Daily News Update from CHLY 101.7FM
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Injunction denied by the chief justice of the BC Supreme Court
Fraser Valley churches to be heard by BC Supreme Court
BC's Provincial Health Officer has lost her bid for an injunction against three Fraser Valley churches that continue to defy COVID-19 rules banning in-person religious gatherings. Dr. Bonnie Henry applied for the injunction in response to the churches launching a legal challenge to her orders. But the chief justice of the BC Supreme Court has turned down the request. Justice Christopher Hinkson says the health orders already prohibit in-person religious services and Henry and the province have the power to escalate enforcement. Earlier this week, Henry said she isn't sure about that.
"My ability to under the public health act, to add additional measures to the orders, I don't think. I'm not aware that I have that authority, let's put it that way. But I think it is important that we needed to ensure that people realized that while the court challenge that the churches brought was being heard, that these rules still apply."—Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
The larger court challenge to the health orders by the Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, the Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and the Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack will be heard next month.
Social service agencies impacted by pandemic
An interim report on the effects of the pandemic on social service agencies has found some good and some bad. Researchers from the Department of Social Work at Vancouver Island University interviewed representatives from eleven social service groups in greater Nanaimo last September. They found the organizations felt they were thrown into chaos when the pandemic was declared last March. The agencies had to respond to dramatic shutdowns, public health orders, and local directives they say changed from one day to the next. In the months that followed, some organizations were able to resume some in-person services. Many said they benefited from having time to train employees in online services and to collaborate with others to share best practices. The report found the organizations were grateful that emergency funding did not come with strings attached. That allowed them to act on what was urgently needed but not predicted. However, researcher Holly Bradley says some challenges remain unresolved.
"Who is becoming invisible? Not everyone is getting the same kind of service through remote service delivery. Not everyone is able to access it. Not everyone has access to free internet, to cell plans with phone minutes, with internet data, so there is that awareness that there are gaps, that there are people falling through the cracks, that there are needs that are not being met."—Survey Researcher Holly Bradley.
Bradley and her research partner, Jeanette Schmid hope to delve into that topic in the next round of research that begins next month when they re-interview the agencies' representatives. Their final report is planned for September.
Daily News Update from CHLY 101.7FM
Tuesday COVID-19 update
Island Health continues to fare poorly in terms of recent pandemic numbers. 39 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours and one more death. There are 260 active cases currently and so far there have been 23 deaths in our region.
Health orders lay the groundwork for mass vaccination clinics
The Provincial Health officer has issued a new health order, to allow more people to help run the mass vaccination clinics that are being planned for next month. The Provincial Health Office order will allow dentists, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, retired nurses and midwives to either administer vaccines or assist with duties like monitoring people for side effects or assisting elders at the clinics. Dr. Bonnie Henry says plans are underway to set up 172 clinics across the province with up to 500 staff in each health region.
"We are moving forward and doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the systems in our health authorities across the province, we have the tools and resources to take on this incredible and significant task. So we are very excited to be able to have the workforce that we are going to need over the next six months to ensure that we can get vaccine into as many people as wanted as efficiently as possible."—Chief Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry says more details about the mass vaccination clinics will be presented next Monday.
Police act needs reforms to protect children and youth
BC's Advocate for Children and Youth is urging the province to change the Police Act to help young people in crisis. Jennifer Charlesworth presented a series of recommendations to an all-party committee that is tasked with reforming BC's 50-year-old Police Act. Charlesworth says young and vulnerable children have frequent contact with police because of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, child neglect, drug addiction and mental health breakdowns, but police are not always equipped to do the best for these children.
“Currently, police are now having to do work that was never envisioned as policing, because other systems are falling short. And not only are systems falling short, but police are not trained or prepared to do the work they're now being called upon to do in a good way. So children and youth who are living with vulnerabilities are experiencing interactions with police at very young ages, and when they may be at their most vulnerable.”—BC's Advocate for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth.
Charlesworth is asking the committee to involve young people in its consultations. She is also asking that all police be trained in trauma-informed practice and that there be specialized training in child development for officers who have the most contact with children. The all-party committee is expected to present its report and recommendations to the legislature in mid-May.
