Thursday, 9 January 2025

Healthcare

News brief: Prison advocates demand prioritized vaccination for prisoners, correctional staff and support workers as province considers another mass preventative release (updated)

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As infection numbers in Nova Scotia reach record highs, prisoner advocates are asking that the province vaccinate incarcerated individuals and correctional staff within the provincial prison system. This demand is even more urgent as the province is considering another mass release similar to the one early on during the pandemic.

Judy Haiven: Doctors, be the change!

Across Canada 70% of workers have no paid sick leave. Judy Haiven points to the terrible mess in Ontario to make the case that it’s time for doctors to be seen to support paid sick days.

Provincial budget fails to recognize that long-term care is in crisis

The recently tabled 2021-22 Provincial Budget seems to provide substantial and long overdue new funding for Long-Term Care, but it still fails to present a concerted plan of action on the real crisis in LTC in Nova Scotia in the short-term, and certainly, for the longer-term. An op-ed by Ian Johnson and Chris Parsons on behalf of Nova Scotians for Long-term Care Reform.

Too many barriers to vaccine access for migrants, open letter states

An open letter to Minister Zach Churchill of Health and Wellness asks that the province remove barriers that may stop migrant workers with temporary status, refugee claimants, and others with precarious legal status from accessing a COVID-19 vaccine. We speak with two of the letter’s authors. They’re not asking for much, but small changes would make a huge difference, they say.

Media release: Video evidence of need for massive overhaul of provincial justice system

Media release: On April 2, news broke of a video, apparently taken by a corrections officer and posted on the social media site snapchat. The video shows an imprisoned woman with an insulting, dehumanizing caption and refers to the woman as a person with diabetes. The video is an affront to the filmed woman’s dignity and rights to privacy and confidentiality. It also raises grave concerns about the clinical care that prisoners are receiving at CNSCF, the responsibility of NS Health, and of how their health care needs are perceived by correctional staff employed by the Department of Justice.

Big News: Minimum wage goes up 40 cents as of April 1

Judy Haiven takes a close look at Nova Scotia’s minimum wage, not only the 40 cents increase, but also who qualifies, how the minimum wage is set, where Nova Scotia fits in the grand scheme of things, and who all are affected.

Raymond Sheppard: Racism as a parallel narrative in the Lionel Desmond case

Raymond Sheppard writes about the role of racism in the Lionel Desmond case. “In the African Nova Scotian community, after facing anti-Black racism and hate trauma, individuals and the community try to move on and we have been taught to rise above it. However, the effects of this kind of trauma run deep and do not just go away.”

Raymond Sheppard: Mental health in the African Nova Scotian community

Raymond Sheppard: “Based on prolonged exposure to the effects of racism, intergenerational racism and poverty, I believe most African Canadians suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is part and parcel of the experiences of most in the African Canadian community.”