News

Ongoing contact tracing for COVID-19 in the Northern Health region has confirmed a total of 13 cases at this time on Haida Gwaii. All are local residents; 12 of the cases are considered active, and one has recovered.

All of the cases are epidemiologically linked; while the initial sources of transmission are still being investigated, it is believed that all cases are either residents who had recently travelled off-island or had exposure to other residents who had recently travelled off-island.

Racism has no place in our hospitals, our workplaces, or our society.

We were recently made aware of a report of an unacceptable, racist practice that may be occurring in emergency departments in B.C.  

If true, this activity would be evidence of systemic racism and discrimination, underscoring the significant health disparities Indigenous people in our province experience.

Northern Health is urging residents using or considering using drugs to reconsider or take steps to prevent overdose, in light of a recent increase in illicit Benzodiazepines or “Benzos” contaminating street drugs in the NH region.

Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a type of medication that "depresses" or slows down your brain activity. When benzos are mixed with opioids (down) there is a higher risk of overdose. Individuals who have overdosed using drugs contaminated with benzos may be difficult to rouse and slow to respond to naloxone.

By Colleen Nyce - Northern Health Board Chair

With the resumption of non-urgent scheduled surgeries on May 18th, the surgery renewal announced by the Minister of Health on May 7th is well underway in Northern Health. Postponing surgeries in March was necessary to ensure hospitals had the capacity to respond to COVID-19, but as restrictions are being reduced we are rescheduling postponed surgeries.

To help save more lives and ensure people who use drugs alone have access to the supports they need, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), in partnership with regional health authorities and Lifeguard Digital Health, has launched a new made-in-B.C. resource called the Lifeguard App.

The app is another tool in the province’s tool box to ensure a comprehensive response to the overdose crisis in British Columbia.

Youth around British Columbia and their families will have faster, easier access to mental health and substance use services and supports with eight new Foundry centres to be developed throughout the province.

The new Foundry centres will be in Burns Lake, Comox Valley, Cranbrook, Langley, Squamish, Surrey, Port Hardy and Williams Lake.

Northern Health Connections is gradually returning to standard passenger eligibility for the medical bus travel service.

On June 1, Northern Health Connections will go back to standard eligibility with the exception of passengers travelling without a medical appointment, which includes seniors (60+).

Passengers eligible to use the bus service include:

Northern Health is reminding Northern B.C. residents of an opportunity to share their COVID-19 pandemic experiences and actions, to help inform B.C.’s response and be part of further studies.

A province-wide survey – called ‘BC COVID-19 SPEAK: Your story, our future’ – has been launched to hear about your experiences and actions in the COVID-19 pandemic so far. So far, more than 313,000 British Columbians have shared their stories, including more than 11,500 Northern B.C. residents. More feedback is being sought, particularly from men and seniors in Northern B.C.