GHCS News

Due to your generous donations in 2011; we have been able to replace the carpet for quality linoleum. We have also painted the whole clinic which gives the space a fresh new look. These renovations were really necessary as the carpet was a carrier of germs and made it difficult to clean to the current health standard.

This year we are raising money to complete the building renovations and we will focus on the waterworks as well as making sure our equipment is up to date and able to handle any major community emergency such as an earthquake or forest fire.

• $1000 – hot water tank replacement
• $1650 – outside siding cleanup and minor painting
• $9000 – plumbing fixtures, vanities and sinks (to meet contagion prevention standard)
• $1000 – low-flush toilets
• $2000 – electronic office equipment (per year for several years, after that a lower amount)
• $1000 – larger diesel generator fuel tank
• $1000 – wiring up the emergency [Read More…]
  

Finding a Doctor For Galiano…Time to Throw in the Towel?

In her article, “Health on Galiano”, Jean Krebs has offered some interesting thoughts on our need to “think outside the box” in finding a way to meet the health care needs of Galiano residents.  I first want to thank Jean for taking the time to write this thought-provoking article.  I certainly don’t think that the GHCS board as a group or I as an individual “have all the answers” and welcome others to join the conversation on where we can go from here.

Jean’s main point is that our attempts to find a full-time physician for Galiano may be futile, given the shortages that exist and the limitations of island life for a physician, of which she lists eight.  She raises concerns about what will happen if we lose our locum coverage, and offers five suggestions as to alternative methods [Read More…]

NEWS FLASH…NEW YEAR’S DAY EVENT

GANNER DRIVE POLAR BURRR SWIM

At Azure Beach access 27, Ganner Drive

Fundraising for Galiano Health Care Society

Please come out on JANUARY 1^ST, 2012  at 12 NOON SHARP and support the swimmers, or take a New Years Day dip, or better yet, sign a pledge form for the brave folks who will be tasking a dip for Health Care on Galiano.  Pledge forms can be picked up at the Galiano Health Care Centre front desk if you want  to  participate, and for more information please contact swim organizer Ken Kucille at 250-539-3404 or board member Sylvie Beauregard 250-539-3077 for details

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING HEALTH CARE ON GALIANO ISLAND

The Society wish to thank Gary Coward and Ursula Deshield for donating $1600 worth of firewood to benefit the Health Care Society. Many residents were happy to buy their much needed firewood and thus contributing to the fundraising efforts toward our new flooring. Thank you Gary and Ursula for your generosity and hard work!

On Sunday, August 21, members of the GHCS board and other concerned citizens met with Doug Blackie and Brenda Warren of VIHA, the individuals responsible for recruiting a doctor onGalianoIsland.  The steps that have been taken to date were reviewed, and future steps were discussed.  In particular, a lot of discussion focused on how the position can be promoted more through the web and similar media.  The critical importance of word of mouth and “somebody knowing somebody whose uncle is a physician” was also mentioned repeatedly.

 On a positive note, there is a new potential candidate for the position.  There are still a lot of hoops to be jumped through before we know whether this person is “the one” but so far things look encouraging.  We’ll keep you posted as things progress.  In the meantime, we need to keep up the search.

 Several new [Read More…]

Letter to VIHA by President James Schmidt:

As many of you who attended the recent public meeting with VIHA representatives will recall, a major problem we face is how to provide medical coverage until such time as we recruit a full-time physician.  At that meeting VIHA proposed to put a full-time nurse practitioner on Galiano until a full-time doctor could be found.  The “bad news” part of the story was that this would mean that we would no longer have locum physicians.  Following the presentation of this proposal, there were a number of discussions, both within the board and with islanders more generally, about this plan.  The board recognized that a strong advantage of this proposal was that it would provide regular and consistent care from a single provider over time at the clinic.  However, after considerable discussion, the board decided to reject this proposal.  The concerns leading to [Read More…]

A Big Hoedown, Galiano Style by Jim Schmidt

 On Saturday night, the 17^th of July, the South End Community Centre rocked to the sound of Galiano’s own country-western band, Good Company as community members gathered for an old fashioned cowboy (and cowgirl) hoedown to raise money for the Health Care Centre’s new floor.

The cause was a good one.  The current flooring in the clinic is mostly carpet that is now many years old, and impossible to keep clean and sanitary at a level needed in health care facilities.  The board made its replacement one of its top objectives for this year, and Sylvie Beauregard and her committee of volunteers stepped up to the plate to raise the money to make it happen.  And as usual, the residents of Galiano were more than happy to come out and support the Country Dance that Sylvie and her group made the primary fundraising event for this [Read More…]