We wanted to recognize that a child CVS provides services for won 2nd place in a National Indigenous Day writing contest. He was provided with a reward for his efforts and we were excited to hear of this accomplishment.

Congrats!

We thought we would share this e-book with you as we head into the weekend. We know these times are not easy right now. Taking time for ourselves can make all the difference in the world.

To access and download the E-book click on the image below –

Labour Minister Harry Bains announced on Thursday to the scheduled minimum wage rise will go forward on June 1st. Minimum wage will rise to $14.60 an hour from $13.85 an hour.

British Columbia businesses devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic will still have to pay a scheduled increase in the minimum wage next month just as many are struggling to get back in operation.

Labour Minister Harry Bains says the province will push ahead with the planned minimum wage increase on June 1 to $14.60 an hour from $13.85 an hour. His rationale is that the lowest paid workers need money in their pockets to help them support their livelihoods and contribute more dollars to local businesses.

Bains says B.C.\’s economic restart plan launched this week after steady declines in COVID-19 cases aims to restore business confidence for employees, employers and customers during the ongoing pandemic.

For more details, please check out the original article on the CBC website.

This past week, the BC government announced changes to its policy for essential visitors to hospitals and long-term care homes to make it clear that people with disabilities still need access to vital supports.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix acknowledged that many disabled people have been afraid to access health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, when only essential visitors have been allowed in hospitals and long-term care.

He said the province has now amended the visitor policy to make sure health-care providers give special consideration to designated representatives who help people with disabilities eat, communicate, get around and make decisions.

The changes come after outcry from disabled people and advocates about the death of 40-year-old Ariis Knight at Peace Arch Hospital. Knight, who had cerebral palsy, died of a respiratory illness on April 18, a few days after she was transferred to the hospital from the group home in South Surrey where she had lived for a decade.

Knight could not speak and depended on caregivers and family members to communicate. Because of visitor restrictions, none of Knight\’s caregivers or family members were allowed to be with her in the hospital, and she died alone.

People with disabilities have said they\’re afraid to go to the hospital because they worry about whether their support people will be allowed inside with them.

Hopefully, this change in policy will help enable greater awareness over illnesses that require medical attention.

Inclusion BC provided some further guidance on the policy change. See below –

How you can help  

With any large system, new policies can take time to reach the front lines, but you can help ensure it is applied fairly in your community.

1. Use the link \”Essential Visits – Template Letter to Hospitals\” to ensure local Medical Health Officers and hospitals that serve people with intellectual disabilities in your community know about the new policy and to offer your expertise as a community service agency with implementation, communication and troubleshooting.
   • Template Letter: Essential Visits – Template Letter to Hospitals
   • Contacts: Local BC Medical Health Officers
   • Contacts: BC Hospitals by community
2. Share some helpful tips we’ve compiled with the individuals and families you support so they can take proactive steps to avoid problems. See: Inclusion BC: #NotJustAVisitor Policy & Tips
3. Read and share Public Health Canada’s new national guide on protecting rights and safety of people with disabilities in #COVID19, developed with input from Minister Carla Qualtrough’s new federal COVID Disability Advisory Committee. See: COVID-19 and people with disabilities in Canada 

If further help is needed, individuals and families can contact our advocacy line for support.

• Inclusion BC Advocacy line: toll-free 1-844-488-4321
• Email: [email protected]

If there are difficulties with interpretation and implementation of the revised policy, you can also consider asking the Provincial Health Officer to advise the hospital:

Office of the Provincial Health Officer 
Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer
Dr. Danièle Behn Smith, Aboriginal Health Physician Advisor
Telephone: 250-952-1330

A pop-up clinic has started at SHARE’s Clarke street location in Port Moody.

All appropriate cleaning,  distancing  and patient assessment protocols are being followed in order to keep both the medical team and visiting clients safe.   The service is available both for people who are feeling unwell and may have COVID-like symptoms as well as people who have other medical concerns and do not have access to a family physician.

See the flyer below. If you require further information, please phone SHARE at 604.540.9161.

We wanted to share a great app we recently found to help with mindfulness and breathing called Mindshift. It provides free anxiety relief all through an app.

When you create an account you can read everything about anxiety and the different types you could experience but also it will track how you are doing and how you are coping. It acts like a little a journal for your mental health.

There is an area called The Chill Zone which has several types of guided breathing exercises for different types of situations. For example, they have Calm breathing, Test anxiety, and social anxiety, and a few more. It also has tools for the person who needs help with Healthy thinking and facing fears.

It\’s totally free so a great app to try out.

CVS wants to thank the generosity it has received from the community. We have received kind words across our community as well as offerings for support from a number of individuals as well as businesses. This means a lot to us as a non-profit and we greatly appreciate it. Most recently, we wanted to acknowledge the following donations provided to CVS during this challenging time –

1. Thank you to Stellava Ventures Inc. (owners of Purp City in Port Moody) who kindly donated a substantial supply of hand sanitizer to CVS.
2. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Port Moody who has donated cloth masks to CVS.
3. Thank you to Pat McNinch, one of CVS\’ staff, who went above and beyond to sew and donate approximately 50 masks to CVS.

While the COVID-19 situation has been challenging for all of us, it really has brought together so many of us across the community. This is something we, at CVS, are truly grateful for.

Thank you again to everyone who has offered support and thanks so much to the individuals and companies mentioned above! Your help means the world to us, our staff, the individuals we serve & their families.