May

Are you a physician practising medicine in British Columbia? Are you or your spouse having or adopting a baby or planning a pregnancy in the period of 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012?

If you are, then it is important to take advantage of the Parental Leave Program, one of the negotiated benefits administered by the BCMA. The program has been improved to include benefits for male physicians and adoptive parents in addition to pregnancy benefits. Funding has also been in­creased, allowing a maximum benefit of $1000 per week.

The Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS (ASIA) closed on 31 March. Their injection drug user outreach program, primarily serving Asian in­jection drug users (IDUs) in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Chinatown, will now be housed at AIDS Vancouver. This street-level outreach program provides clients with support to access social and health care services, HIV/AIDS information, referral, education, and interventions. 

The program’s outreach worker will also provide information and referrals regarding immigration, legal, and housing services, and lead a weekly support group.

I am pleased to see the Journal publish an article concerning the use of medications following traumatic brain injury ["Pharmacological interventions for traumatic brain injury," BCMJ 2011;53:26-31], as it is my experience that individuals with brain injury are at many times not appropriately treated with medications in British Columbia—medications that can mak

As consultation-liaison psy­chiatrists who work at the major trauma centre in BC, Vancouver General Hospital, we have some concerns regarding the information provided in the recent article by Talsky and colleagues ["Pharmacological interventions for traumatic brain injury," BCMJ 2011;53:26-31]. Their article outlined a number of pharmacological approaches for managing sequelae of traumatic brain injury. 

It was with great interest and agreement that I read your editorial “Choosing the right resident” (BCMJ 2011;53:63-64). The old way had many advantages not present with the newer, shortsighted one.

My husband and I practised several years in Saskatchewan when num­erous small towns each had their own 12-bed hospitals. There we met and treated the local people and saw life first-hand.