Health

When Kathy Meyers heard she could get money back from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) through the disability tax credit, she was excited — but the prospect of filling out forms alongside her doctor felt like another burden to her already demanding days. Meyers, a Port Coquitlam, B.C., resident, has Crohn's disease. Her condition is severe — even with an ileostomy and the removal of her colon, she frequents the hospital for months at a time, and is on permanent disability as she is unable to work.So when a friend recommended True North Disability Services to handle the disability tax credit (DTC) applications for Meyers and her 14-year-old son, it felt like a perfect fit.Her husband, who is also disabled, plans to file an application on his own, after his doctor refused to work with a DTC a...

Two nurses are speaking out about violent incidents they experienced while working in the emergency department at Eagle Ridge Hospital (ERH) in Port Moody, B.C. — saying the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) has failed to provide a safe working environment, and has sought to silence employees who speak out. Veteran nurse Arden Foley says she is not returning to work because of lingering post traumatic stress from an attack by a patient. Victoria Treacy, says she was suspended and placed under investigation by Fraser Health after she spoke out about a patient who threatened her colleagues with a machete.The health authority said Treacy, who currently works at the hospital as a casual FHA employee, wasn't suspended or put under investigation. However, the women's stories are two of many included...

The number of measles cases in British Columbia as a whole continues to grow, with the Interior Health Authority announcing the region's first confirmed case of the year.The confirmed case in Kamloops, was announced by the authority on Tuesday.Dr. Sanaz Vaseghi, a medical officer with Interior Health, said it's not clear how the person was exposed to measles, which makes it more difficult to determine who else in the Kamloops area may have it.The risk to the broader public is considered low, but Vaseghi urged anyone who is not adequately immunized to get vaccinated.So far this year, 49 measles cases have been reported in B.C., according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).Interior Health said it is following up directly with people who are known to have been exposed to the case ...