Media Releases

Lower Mainland Health Authorities Aim to Improve Medically Stable Patient Transfers

Vancouver, February 2, 2009 — Fraser Health (FH), Providence Health Care (PHC) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) have awarded two-year contracts to Medi-Van Canada Inc. (Medi-Van) and SN Transport Canada Limited (SN Transport) to provide transfers for medically stable patients between health facilities, residential care facilities and community locations. The contracts are part of a province-wide initiative to address the growing demand for this patient transfer service.

Fundraising Success Says "Bon Appetit" for Long-term Care Residents at Providence Health Care

Vancouver, December 11, 2008 — Christmas has come early to St. Vincent’s Hospital Langara with the arrival of new dishes, thanks to recent donations to Tapestry Foundation for Health Care.
The purchase of dishes is the first step towards a larger initiative of improving the dining experience for more than 700 seniors living in Providence Health Care’s five long-term care facilities.

Santa Claus Visits St. Paul’s Hospital’s Maternity Centre

Vancouver, December 9, 2008 — In what has become a well-known Vancouver Christmas tradition, Santa Claus (Dal Richards) will pay a visit to the Maternity Centre at St. Paul's Hospital on Wednesday, December 10 at 11:30 a.m.
Santa makes the visit each year on behalf of Variety – The Children's Charity, major donors to the Maternity Centre's Variety Club Special Care Nursery. Santa will be singing and giving away stuffed animals and blankets to children and parents in the Centre, along with his friends from Variety.

BC Heart Recipient Alive, Kicking and Running 20 Years Post Transplant

Vancouver, December 2, 2008 — BC Transplant, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, and the Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul’s Hospital are pleased to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the heart transplant program in British Columbia. Through continued innovation, and collaboration, over 325 lifeosaving heart transplants have been performed in British Columbia.

BC Centre for Excellence Establishes the First Nationwide HIV/AIDS Antiretroviral Research Network

Vancouver, November 27, 2008 — Dr. Robert Hogg, director of the Drug Treatment Program at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, at Simon Fraser University, announced today the establishment of the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC): a nation-wide HIV/AIDS antiretroviral research network. CANOC will study the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS treatment.

New Assisted Living for Seniors Opens in Vancouver

Vancouver, October 27, 2008 — The Province is providing $30.2 million to Providence Health Care’s Honoria Conway, providing seniors and adults with disabilities with access to 68 new assisted living units that officially opened today.
“The provincial government is implementing housing solutions that make sense for seniors and people with disabilities,” said Rich Coleman, Minister of Housing and Social Development. “At Honoria Conway, residents will receive the care they need while keeping their independence and privacy.”

Lower Mainland Partnership Improves Patient Access

Vancouver, October 20, 2008 — Improved access to services and faster care is the goal behind a series of innovative pilot projects announced today by Health Services Minister George Abbott that are now underway in British Columbia’s two largest health authorities.

Three Major Health Care Organizations Make BC's Top 50 Employers List

Vancouver, October 20, 2008 — Providence Health Care (PHC), Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) have all been recognized as three of the province’s leading employers. The results of the fifth annual BC’s Top 50 Employers competition were announced on October 18, 2008 by Mediacorp Canada Inc. (the organizers of the Canada’s Top Employers competition).

Results Show That North America’s First Heroin Therapy Study Keeps Patients in Treatment, Improves their Health and Reduces Illegal Activity

Vancouver, October 17, 2008 — Researchers from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI Study) today released final data on the primary outcomes from the three-year randomized controlled clinical trial.

Canadians' Health and Safety Undermined by Government Interference in Science and Due Processes

Vancouver, October 9, 2008 — An open letter signed by some of Canada's most distinguished scientists asks the country's political leaders to take action to end the government's mishandling and mistreatment of science and due processes.
The letter includes 85 signatures from scientists collectively known as the Canadian Scientists Against the Politicization of Science; the group represents a range of scientific disciplines, including health, environmental science and technology. This interference is fueled by political and ideological beliefs, the group states.

Insite Averts Between 2 and 12 Overdose Deaths Among Injection Drug Users

Vancouver, October 6, 2008 — Prompt medical attention in Insite, North America’s first supervised injection facility (SIF) has saved up to 12 lives a year over the past four years, according to a new study authored by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE).

Canadian Patient Safety Week 2008 Knowledge is the Best Medicine. Ask. Talk. Listen.

Vancouver, September 25, 2008 — Medication errors are said to affect at least 1.5 million Canadians per year. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), one in ten patients receive the wrong medication, or the wrong dose while in hospital. To raise awareness of patient safety issues, and to highlight the important initiatives and innovations related to medication reconciliation happening across the country, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute today launched its fourth annual Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW).

NIH Announces Recipient of New Avant-Garde Award for Innovative Research in HIV/AIDS to Renowned Canadian Scientist Dr. Julio Montaner

Vancouver, September 5, 2008 — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced that Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), at Providence Health Care and UBC, adjunct professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, and President of the International AIDS Society (IAS), is the first Canadian recipient of its inaugural Avant-Garde Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) consisting of $500,000 per year for five years.

Lower Mainland Health Authorities Issue RFP for Inter-Facility Client Transfers

Vancouver, August 27, 2008 — Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Fraser Health Authority (FHA) and Providence Health Care (PHC) today issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking an alternate service provider for transporting low-acuity patients between health facilities, residential care facilities and community locations. The RFP is part of a province-wide initiative to address the growing demand for this service.

Food Poisoning Outbreak Due to Listeria

Vancouver, August 27, 2008 — There is a Canada-wide outbreak of an illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, a germ that has contaminated some deli meat products from one Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Inc. plant in Ontario.
Of the approximately twenty cases reported so far in Canada, four are from BC, but none among residents of the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Maple Leaf Consumer Foods are warning the public not to serve or consume meat products from Establishment 97B.

Vancouver Doctor Becomes President of International AIDS Organization

Vancouver, August 6, 2008 — Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, part of Providence Health Care, has been appointed president of the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals.

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