British Columbians living with mental health and substance use (MHSU) disorders are experiencing a “quality chasm”[1] and are dying at unprecedented rates, in part due to structural stigma. Structural stigma refers to the inequitable deprioritization, devaluation, and othering of MHSU—as compared with physical health—within health care delivery, governance, knowledge building, and training systems, creating and perpetuating health and social inequalities and poorer standards of care for people with MHSU disorders.
Physicians and nurse practitioners can refer patients with a WorkSafeBC claim to a specialist and have it billed to WorkSafeBC. No prior WorkSafeBC authorization is required by the referring clinician or the receiving specialist as long as the referral is for the injury, mental health condition, or occupational disease accepted on the claim (even if the decision on whether the claim can be accepted is still pending). Check the status of a claim at https://pvc.online.worksafebc.com.
When we live with tension, we must stretch.
When we hold opposing views, we have the chance to stretch.
When we learn new things, we are given the opportunity to stretch.
When we decide to stretch, we grow.
On 6 April 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada announced its decision to not hear an appeal of the landmark Cambie Surgeries Corporation case, effectively closing the door on private care for all but a privileged few, including out-of-province patients, RCMP, injured workers, and certain others.
In January 2023, the Elsevier journal Nurse Education in Practice ignited a firestorm when it recognized ChatGPT as a coauthor alongside Siobhan O’Connor [Figure].[1] The piece quickly sparked debate among publishers, editors, and researchers about whether a bot can qualify as an author.[2-4]
