September

British Columbia is phasing in a new policy to expand access to prescribed safer supply. The province is directing funding up to $22.6 million to the health authorities over the next 3 years to lay the foundation for this new approach. The funding will support the planning, phased implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of prescribed safer supply services.

Research led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr Silke Appel-Cresswell is the first to examine whether a multistrain probiotic could help relieve anxiety symptoms in people with Parkinson disease. Parkinson disease often causes muscle rigidity linked to reduced dopamine levels, along with tremors or slowed movements. Dopamine replacement therapy can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and stiffness among some patients, but existing treatments take a while to kick in, and often wear off within a few hours.

Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is the leading cause of gastroenteritis-associated death in North America. While most people affected will fully recover, new research from Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute scientist Dr Theodore Steiner explores how to identify the roughly 25% to 35% of patients who will experience recurrent or severe infection.

The updated BC Seniors’ Guide provides information on health, housing, finances, community supports, and more to help seniors continue living well. Print copies of the enhanced 12th edition are available in English, Chinese, French, Punjabi, Farsi, Korean, and Vietnamese. All languages can be accessed online in PDF format. The English version is online in an e-book format.

The guide includes information on programs such as:

When working in their community offices, specialists can access free spoken language interpreting services as part of a 1-year pilot project, funded by the Specialist Services Committee (SSC)—a partnership of Doctors of BC and the BC government.

SSC is providing $50 000 for this pilot project in response to physicians’ feedback about supporting the delivery of safe and equitable patient care to diverse populations. Previously, this service was available to specialists who chose to pay privately or who work within the boundaries of health authority sites.