News & Updates

Notice to HSA members of the Health Science Professional Bargaining Association: From February 2008 to date, the HSPBA Bill 29 Education Fund has provided bursaries to more than 600 HSA members, supporting education ranging from one-day professional development courses to Masters and PhD programs. This funding arose out of the unions negotiated settlement flowing from the Supreme Court of Canada...

The World Health Organization has declared a world H1N1 flu pandemic. It is uncertain how serious this pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will be severely affected. However, because H1N1 is a new virus, many people may have little or no immunity against it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In...

British Columbia's Ambulance Paramedics - members of CUPE Local 873 - are still fighting for a fair contract.Please join them tomorrow - Friday, September 18 - for a march and rally in Richmond, BC and show your support for their struggle with the Campbell government.Marchers will assemble on the Elmbridge Way sidewalk at the north side of the Sheraton Airport...

Citing budget cuts, the Interior Health Authority has eliminated crucial services for vulnerable residents in the Kootenays. Golden Hospitals speech language pathologist will leave at the end of September, leaving neurological patients, speech-delayed children and stroke and surgery patients without the critical support they need. Meanwhile, the recreation therapist at Talarico Place in Castlegar has been laid off and recreation...

Kimball Finigan (radiation therapist, representing Region 5 on HSA's board of directors) chats with representatives from the Centre for Ability in Vancouver.Representatives to this year's regional meetings will also elect delegates to HSA's health science professionals' bargaining proposal conference, to be held November 8-10. Click here for more information and a full schedule of regional meetings around the province.

UPCOMING FREE PUBLIC EVENTS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The BC Health Coalition is hosting TWO free public events with special guests from the US-based Physicians for a National Health Program, Canadian Doctors for Medicare, and the Canadian Health Coalition. Learn what the current lawsuit launched by private clinics in B.C. means for public health care, US health insurance companies, and Canadas...

As BC leaders in the fight to end breast cancer, the Health Sciences Association of BC is an active participant in the annual Run for the Cure, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's most important fundraising event of the year. As health sciences professionals, HSA members are the key health professionals breast cancer patients count on for the diagnosis and treatment...

British Columbia families will bear the brunt of the provincial governments failure to adequately fund health care, Health Sciences Association of BC president Reid Johnson said in response to the provincial governments budget introduced today.-This budget means that British Columbians, who rely on our health care system, will pay more for less." Johnson said.The government will introduce additional costs to...

PHAC should follow the 'precautionary principle' for everyone who comes in direct contact with the pandemic influenza virus and make a 'fit-tested NIOSH approved N95 respirator' available to each employee. Ottawa (1 Sept. 2009) - The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) says all health care workers exposed to a pandemic flu virus like H1N1 should be given...

Monday, September 7 - celebrate Labour Day around the Province! Click here for a list of events in your community.