Health issues continue to gain attention on North coast

From a call for participation in cancer screening to new equipment at PRRH and additional beds for mental health, health issues have dominated some of the Daily News over the last few days.

Here's a sample of the developments on the health front locally.

Women urged to take part in cancer screening
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Pages one and five

While there's never a bad time for women to book a screening mammogram, the timing couldn't be better than it is now for local women to take advantage of the service at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

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Currently, wait times for screening mammograms at our local hospital are shorter than almost anywhere else in British Columbia, meaning a woman calling to book an appointment today could be seen before the end of this week.

"The average wait time is about four weeks, and right now in Prince Rupert it's about a half week," said Ann MacDonald, promotion specialist with the Screening Mammography Program of B.C.

"But wait times for screening mammography can be as long as 14 weeks, so now's a great time to take advantage of the service."

Although screening mammograms have a reputation for saving lives, not many women have warm or fuzzy feelings about having one.

MacDonald says that women often jokingly say 'I bet a man invented this machine,' or 'They should call it a screaming mammogram,' but she said that understanding why the breast is compressed for several seconds during the procedure might take some of the sting out.

"Nobody can walk away thinking 'This was a fun experience!' but it's necessary to know why compression is so important," said MacDonald.

"The better the compression, the better and clearer the image of the breast tissue, and the less amount of radiation needed."

Keeping that in mind, MacDonald says the next time a woman is asked to hold her breath and relax while her breast is being compressed, just keep in mind that the brief discomfort could be saving many years of pain and possibly an early death.

Screening mammograms can find lumps long before they can be felt, and they generally find breast cancer at the early stages when survival is most likely.

"The best way to detect breast cancer early is by having regular screening mammograms, and women between the ages of 40 and 79 should have them at least once every two years," said Dr. Andy Coldman, vice president of Population Oncology with the BC Cancer Agency.

"Early detection means women will have more treatment options and a better chance to recover," said Dr. Coldman.

Women in Prince Rupert between the ages of 40 and 79 are encouraged to book their screening mammography as soon as possible.

They can do so by calling 1-800-663-9203.

Even if women do not have a family physician, all they need is a Care Card and arrangements can be made to have the results of their screening mammography viewed by a doctor.

Hospital takes delivery of state-of-the art tool
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Page three

The organizers of the Cancer Talent auction have helped bring comfort and a higher quality service to patients at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital. This year, funds from the auction were used to purchase a $12,000 CO2 (carbon dioxide) Insufflator.

Dr. Giles Stevenson explained that the equipment is cutting-edge, and only in use in seven or eight places in B.C. No other community in the Northern Health region currently has access to the service.

"It was invented back in 1994 but computers weren't fast enough to handle it," said Dr. Stevenson. "Now it is becoming a really good technique for looking at the large bowel."

For those undergoing bowel imaging, it increases the safety of the procedure by computerizing the amount of pressure used during inflation.

Previously, the procedure was done with a hand pump. In addition, it provides a higher quality exam and is more comfortable for the patient because it uses CO2, as opposed to oxygen. While oxygen can cause cramping after the procedure is completed, CO2 is gone within about an hour.
"This is safer, better quality and is more comfortable," he said. "It is getting good use for cancer prevention and detection."

The Cancer Talent Auction, held during the first week of December, raised $28,000 this year. One hundred and fifty women attended the evening. The auction, which has been running for 40 years, supports local treatment and diagnostic services.

Mental health made better across north
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Page five

Northern Health is hoping to expand the number of observation units available for mental health stays for health care facilities across the North.

At the NH board meeting last week, the board indicated its support to seek approval to have the Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers designated as an observation unit under the Mental Health Act. This measure will provide the legal capability for involuntary treatment of individuals for up to five days under the legislation.

"The development of the new service in Smithers will also require additional staff education around aggressive behaviors, emergency crisis management and the legalities around providing this new service," said Dr. Charles Jago, NH board chair.

"Our plan to add observation units across the north is part of our development of a continuum of care, which will provide a range of services to help clients with mental health and addictions issues."

Northern Health is adding new observation units at small hospitals across the North, with assistance from the B.C. Government's Health Innovation Fund. Observation units can help patients with a mental illness to quickly receive care and support services, and minimize the need to transfer those patients to psychiatric facilities in larger centres.

A key recommendation from Northern Health's final report on addictions and mental health community consultation released last fall was the improved availability of urgent care for clients dealing with mental health and addictions issues closer to their home communities.

During the consultations in Prince Rupert, local medical personnel noted that although they do handle patients dealing with mental health issues at Prince Rupert hospital, they do not actually have the facilities to do so.

People who come into the emergency ward with a mental health problem in a life-or-death state receive treatment at the hospital, but if they can make it through the night on their own, they are sent home. In addition, participants noted police and the hospital often use each other's beds (even in the cells) to house those who need someplace to 'sleep it off'. Police often become the health care system for those struggling with severe mental health and addictions problems after 5 p.m.

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At the board meeting in Prince George, the board also announced a very small surplus in the 2007/2008 fiscal year up to the start of February. The $1 million surplus is equal to a fifth of a per cent of the region's annual $567 million operating budget.

The surplus is due to a number of factors. These include higher revenues from patients from outside of British Columbia who used NH services along with higher external recoveries for compensation and services. Higher acute care costs due to increased usage of hospital services have put pressure on the budget, with NH staff predicting the organization will end the fiscal year in a break-even position.

"While we expect to achieve a balanced budget for the 2007/2008 fiscal year, it has taken a great deal of work to do so. We have reduced travel, overtime, and discretionary spending to compensate for increased costs in our care services and used our budget contingency as well," said Dr. Jago.

"We are building our 2008/2009 budget plan with the intent to continue to provide high quality, integrated health services that are responsive to community needs; address the quality of worklife for our staff; and run our health services in a sustainable manner.

"We will need to keep managing our costs to ensure care services continue in a sustainable manner."