Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission

“The BC Women’s Health Foundation and eciprocal Consulting are honoured to partner to uplift the voices of Indigenous women across BC who shared their experiences about the state of their health and their shifting health priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic within the pages of this report,  In Her Circle.

Narratives of Indigenous women are rooted in nature, as is this report, which weaves in metaphors of seeds, stones and cement. In reflection of these shared experiences and those shared for the BC Women’s Health Foundation In Her Words report (2019) and the In Plain Sight report (2020), clear recommendations are articulated in a Gift Bundle of recommendations (on page 26) that represent actions we need to take to enable the cement to be broken, the stones to instead create space for seeds, and Indigenous women to flourish.

The BC Women’s Health Foundation, in partnership with Reciprocal Consulting, released their newest report, In Her Circle. Grounded in the stories and narratives of Indigenous women across BC, this report shares the experiences of Indigenous women throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It conveys their experiences of barriers accessing healthcare as well as experienced racism—facets that are already well known, yet amplified during the pandemic. The report also, however, tells of stories of resilience and community among this group of women and in their communities.”

Artist: Margaret August

The Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) will host its BC Rural Health Conference (RHC) on May 29–30, 2021. (See links to the RHC webpage, brochure, and registration page.). The event, which is being held virtually this year, is designed for rural physicians, nurse practitioners, allied health professionals, residents, and medical students. It offers a dynamic and unique “rural medicine” program with plenaries, breakout sessions, options for small-group workshops, wellness activities, and Saturday night social events.

“As B.C. health officials reported more grim COVID-19 numbers Thursday, paramedics released sobering data showing the province’s other health crisis shows no signs of slowing down. According to BC Emergency Health Services, paramedics responded to the province’s highest single-day number of overdose calls in B.C.’s history on Wednesday. Crews were tasked to 138 potential overdoses, 45 of them in Vancouver, 17 of them in Surrey, 10 in Victoria and 66 across the rest of the province.”

“Earlier this month, the B.C. government said it would seek a federal exemption from Health Canada to decriminalize the personal possession of drugs. The province has also taken steps to allow some health-care workers to prescribe pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs, but advocates say the process has been far too slow to roll out.”

More here on B.C. paramedics respond to highest-ever number of overdose calls in a single day via Global News.

“A new lab at UBC is bringing together a team of researchers, ranging from doctors and health economists to business experts, to combat the growing environmental impacts of the healthcare industry.

The Planetary Healthcare Lab—representing the first of its kind in Canada—will not only examine the environmental effects of healthcare delivery and services in B.C., but generate solutions to chart a path forward to net zero emissions.

‘The health of our communities is inextricably linked to the health of the environment, which is why every industry needs to take a critical look at its activities, including healthcare,’ says the lab’s founder and principal investigator Dr. Andrea MacNeill, a clinical associate professor in UBC faculty of medicine’s department of surgery.

In Canada, the healthcare industry is responsible for more than four and a half per cent of greenhouse gas emissions—equivalent to the aviation industry.”

Learn more here on UBC launches new lab to combat healthcare’s environmental impact via UBC Faculty of Medicine.

What is the COVID-19 vaccine? 

When will I be able to get the vaccine?

How can I register to get a vaccine? 

What do I need to know about the decision to pause the use of AstraZeneca and COVISHIELD vaccines in people under 55?

I am pregnant or breastfeeding, have an allergy or a medical condition, can I get the vaccine? 

What are the side effects?

All these questions above and more are answered via the BC Centre for Disease Control found here.

UBC’s Anti-Racism Initiatives Fund, established in 2021, supports initiatives that seek to celebrate and elevate diverse communities and advance anti-racism efforts at our UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to apply for funds in support of anti-racism initiatives, including those that celebrate, elevate, and build greater awareness and understanding of diverse cultures that make up our UBC community. Funds may be used to host speakers, showcase cultural performances, and/or celebrate cultural months (e.g., Black History Month, Lunar New Year).

Submit your proposal by 11:59 pm on May 31, 2021. Learn more here.

We are excited to share with you the details for a virtual version of Okanagan Orchards 2021. This faculty development event is open to all preceptors and faculty from across the province.

Register here!

Starting off this Monday morning with another round of Lancet Picture Quiz! 
Cue “Close thine eyes” by English composer Henry Purcell:

“What is….”

Click here to answer.

#TheLancet #PictureQuiz 

For those of you that want to brush up on ophthalmology prior to your rotation, UBC’s Medicine – Education Media created a series of videos to support your learning. They include:

Slit Lamp Overview
Slit Lamp Techniques
Direct Ophthalmoscope
Visual Acuity
Pupils
Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP)
Extra Ocular Movements
Confrontational Visual Fields
Lid Eversion
Drops & Flouroscein
Patching

In addition, here are some fantastic resources to peruse via EyeGuru.org:

Tim Root
https://timroot.com/
Strength: Beginner-level overview of ophthalmology exam techniques and common diagnoses that is fun to read and useful for establishing a solid foundation.

EyeWiki
https://eyewiki.org/Main_Page
Strength: Comprehensive articles that are useful for learning more about patient cases and for developing presentations.

University of Iowa – EyeRounds
https://eyerounds.org/
Strength: Contains ophthalmology exam and surgery tutorials, a searchable collection of images, a great glaucoma curriculum, and the most widely used gonioscopy instructional resources.

OCTcases
https://octcases.com/
Strength: A comprehensive site reviewing OCT interpretation with dozens of practice cases that let you hone your skills in real clinical scenarios.

• Health officials will provide first live update in five days at 3 p.m. PT. 
• The new online vaccine registration portal and provincial phone line will open for eligible adults as of 8 a.m. PT.
• As of Monday, 1,486 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C. out of 104,061 confirmed cases.
• There are now 318 people in hospital with the disease, including 96 in intensive care.
• The number of active cases has risen to 8,490.
• B.C. has now confirmed 3,559 cases of variants of concern, including 588 that are active.
• A total of 893,590 doses of vaccine have been administered, including 87,472 second doses.
• The province is now moving into Phase 3 of its vaccine rollout plan.
• Back-to-back case numbers on Friday and Saturday broke single-day infection records, with 1,018 and 1,072 new cases respectively.

More on What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for April 6 via CBC.