News & Events

HDH Events

Youth and Screen Use - Parent Group on Hornby Island

3:45 to 5:15 pm, Wednesdays - November 13th, 20th, 27th and December 4th, 2024.

Register by emailing Stacey at stacey@hornbydenmanhealth.com

Discover effective strategies to manage screen time, promote healthy habits and talk to your kids about technology.

Choices in Aging and Dying: A Workshop for the Whole Community

1-3 pm, October 23rd at the Denman Island Activity Centre and 1:30 to 3:30 pm, October 25th at Hornby Island New Horizons

This October, Hornby Denman Health hosts the first event in a quarterly series designed to help open up the conversation around aging and mortality in a compassionate, practical and lighthearted way. 

Our kickoff event includes a screening of the BBC production Myriam Margolyes’ Deathly Adventure. With humour and a surprisingly life affirming approach, Deathly Adventure looks at the complex decisions that face us as we age. How do we continue to live our best lives? How do we move through our unique experiences of grief and pain? What practical things matter, and what choices do we have at the very end of life?

We’ll follow with a panel discussion covering the supports available within our unique island communities and reviewing some of the challenges faced by rural residents. Participants are also encouraged to check out hands-on displays, take home literature to keep the conversation going, and voice thoughts on future sessions.

Whether you are looking around the corner for yourself, or seeking to help build a community of compassionate support for your friends and loved ones, we hope to see you out!

45th Annual General Meeting

This year our annual general meeting will be held on Hornby at 10:30 am on Tuesday, September 24th. Along with electing our Board of Directors, we will have updates on our programs and services. Contact us for details. We can arrange for ferry reimbursement for Denman attendees.

Elders & Isolation: The Silent Disease

1:30 to 3 pm Tuesday, June 25th at the Florence Filberg Centre (Conference Hall, Upstairs)

As we age and are no longer in the workforce, we may be at a greater risk of isolation. Perhaps our health has deteriorated and we can no longer engage in our usual social or recreation activities; our spouse, family member or dear friend has died and we become depressed; our income has dropped drastically; we’ve had to move and have lost our connection with our long-time neighbours – any of these common situations can lead to loneliness and isolation.

With multiple perspectives, from their personal and professional experience, our six panelists will discuss local health and counselling resources, medical effects of isolation, personal experience, loneliness at home and in long term care, provincial programs addressing isolation as well as local services and supports.

Please join us for this vital community conversation. Admission is by donation to cover costs.

HDH News

Alert - Changes to After Hours Urgent Care on Hornby Island

Update on Important Changes to Urgent After-Hours Care                              Sept 1, 2024

As per our original letter in the summer edition (see link below), this is an update on the latest details regarding changes to after-hours care on Hornby Island.

 With Dr. Chalfin's retirement, Island Health has a schedule of locums (temporary, fill-in physicians) to fill in when Dr. Barbara Froehner-Bulmer is not scheduled. As locums are not required to provide after-hours call (though some will do this), there are some gaps in our after-hours call coverage when a doctor or nurse are not scheduled. In September it is expected that there will be no doctor or nurse on call on the following dates: Tues Sept 3, Thurs Sept 5, Mon Sept 9, Thurs Sept 12, Mon Sept 16, and Wed Sept 25th.

 On these dates Hornby Island Fire Rescue (HIFR) responders will respond to 911 calls as usual and if a resident needs to be moved to a higher level of care, they and the 911 operators will arrange transport off island by the Denman ambulance during ferry hours, or by helicopter, water taxi, or Coast Guard when the ferry is not available. HIFR responders are also now able to access paramedic specialists to provide additional support by phone, when needed.

 As communicated in early August, BC Emergency Health Services have informed us there is no immediate plan for paramedic coverage and that establishing an ambulance station here is a long-term initiative.  We are working to better understand when these services can be expected.

 What can we do?

·         Do what you can to keep up with your regular health care, don’t let a problem ‘fester.’

·         If a new medical issue seems to be evolving, call the clinic for a same-day appointment as early in the day as possible.

·         Phone 811 for medical advice from an RN.

·         Update your own First Aid knowledge and keep a well-stocked kit at home.

·         Inform your visitors about these changes so they can understand the risks and make appropriate decisions.

Help us advocate to get more after-hours urgent call service in the community as soon as possible:

·         Write emails or letters to: 

Jennie Helmer, Chief Operations Officer, BC Emergency Health Services, jennie.helmer@bcehs.ca

MLA Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, HTLH.minister@gov.bc.ca

MLA Josie Osborne, josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca

CVRD Director Daniel Arbour, reachme@danielarbour.ca

·      Previous communications about this issue are located at https://hornbydenmanhealth.com/news-events 

Signed:           

Lori Nawrot, Hornby Denman Health

Doug Chinnery, Fire Chief, Hornby Island Fire Rescue

Reina LeBaron, HIRRA

Dr. Alsoon Brine, retired

Jim Garton

Important Changes to Urgent After-Hours Care July, 2024

For many years Hornby has benefitted from an ideal rural medical system for its residents. The lovely volunteer-built clinic, the doctors, nurse, clinic staff, and our volunteer First Responders - they have all made medical care here as close to perfect as possible. However, nothing is permanent. Everyone is aware of the media reports of ER closures, long wait times at walk-in clinics and the dearth of Family Physicians. We, on Hornby, are about to experience some version of this.

With Dr. Chalfin's retirement, Island Health is working on a schedule of locums (temporary, fill-in physicians) to fill in when Dr. Barbara Froehner-Bulmer is not scheduled. Locums are in high demand but so far all the daytime shifts at the clinic in July have been covered and confirmation about August should be available very soon. The challenge is that while some of them will do this, locums are not required to provide after-hours call. This will result in ongoing gaps in our after-hours call coverage when a doctor or nurse are not scheduled.

This means there will be some times when after-hours calls for urgent situations will be reliant on our Hornby Island Fire Rescue volunteer First Responders with no doctor or nurse available to support them. In July there is no doctor or nurse on call every Wednesday starting July 10. It is expected that from August onward there will be many more days each month where this will be the case. Our First Responders will respond to 911 calls as usual and if a resident needs to be moved to a higher level of care, they and the 911 operators will arrange transport off island by the Denman ambulance during ferry hours, or by helicopter, water taxi located in Comox, or Coast Guard when the ferry is not available. With no physician available to perform high-level interventions, more patients will have to be taken to the Emergency Room in the Comox Valley. It also means islanders may not have access to the higher level of treatment we are used to while waiting for this transportation.

What is being done?

• A formal request for an ambulance station to be located on Hornby Island has been made by the CVRD and our various government representatives have been notified.

• Our local health providers and organizations are working together to urge this request be expedited and that effective immediately, an advanced care Paramedic be stationed and working with our First Responders on Hornby Island whenever a physician or RN is not available to provide call, supported by a properly equipped ambulance.

• Ongoing coordination and collaboration with Island Health Primary Care Manager, Evan Humphreys.

What can we do?

• Do what you can to keep up with your regular health care, don’t let a problem ‘fester.’

• If a new medical issue seems to be evolving, call the clinic for a same-day appointment as early in the day as possible.

• Phone 811 for medical advice from an RN.

• Update your own First Aid knowledge and keep a well-stocked kit at home.

• Inform your visitors about these changes so they can understand the risks and make appropriate decisions.

Help us advocate to get more after-hours urgent call service in the community as soon as possible:

• Write emails or letters to:

Jennie Helmer, Chief Operations Officer, BC Emergency Health Services, jennie.helmer@bcehs.ca

MLA Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, HLTH.minister@gov.bc.ca

MLA Josie Osborne, josie.osborne.MLA@leg.bc.ca

CVRD Director Daniel Arbour, reachme@danielarbour.ca

• We will keep you updated with new developments in the Tribune and Hornby Community Connections Facebook group.

Signed:

Lori Nawrot, Hornby Denman Health

Doug Chinnery, Fire Chief, Hornby Island Fire Rescue

Reina LeBaron, HIRRA

Dr. Alsoon Brine, retired

Jim Garton

Hornby Denman Health was Selected to Join the Enabling Aging in Place Collaborative.

Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) has invited 26 organizations across Canada to participate in its Enabling Aging in Place Collaborative from January 2024 to September 2025. Hornby Denman Health is one of them!

The support provided by Enabling Aging in Place is aimed at facilitating the adaptation,

adoption or expansion of promising practices that leverage the unique strengths of each community and address the specific needs of older adults and their care partners.

Invited teams will receive guidance in designing implementation and evaluation plans specific to their aging-in-place program. HEC is committed to supporting these teams, ensuring they are well-equipped for successful and impactful program implementation.

If you are interested in getting involved or learning more, please get in touch with Jane, our Senior Services Manager at email Jane.