Dr. Henry announced updated guidelines for indoor faith services resuming safely. The new guidelines include allowance for up to 50 people at indoor faith services with detailed COVID-19 safety plans in place. The changes include small funerals and baptisms, but not large weddings, which are still subject to the same restrictions as general indoor gatherings.

 

In the coming weeks, the province will be resuming the schedule for non-urgent surgeries in Metro Vancouver area hospitals. All five hospitals in VCH will be fully operational by June 7. Patients needing surgeries most will have their surgery first. This includes urgent surgeries, patients who have had their surgeries postponed, patients who waited more than twice the recommended wait time, and surgeries that do not require an overnight stay in hospital but that can be done outside the operating room.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

 

Since the start of immunizations, 3,032,811 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C. This equates to 65.8 per cent of adults 18 years of age or older or 62 per cent of all eligible people in B.C. 12 years and older. The province is moving the interval between vaccine doses to eight weeks from a maximum of 16 weeks. Roughly 400,000 people over the age of 70 and clinically extremely vulnerable people will start receiving their invitations today. Dr. Henry says the second-dose program is based on the same principles as the first dose. Those who are greatest risk will be at the top of the list for the second dose. That includes seniors and elders, Indigenous people, and people that have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable.

 

Dr. Henry says the province is going to try to ensure everybody gets the second dose with the same product they had for their first dose. However, she cautioned that there have been some issues with the Moderna supply, and it could mean some people who received Moderna in one of the mass clinics or large community clinics, may be offered Pfizer for their second dose.

 

Updates to VCH’s Implementation of B.C.’s Immunization Plan

 

Currently, everyone aged 12 years and older (born in 2009 or earlier) is eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccine.

You are encouraged to register:

 online at: www.gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated
 by telephone at 1-833-838-2323
 or in person at any Service BC centre

 

VCH is also offering vaccinations for people aged 12 years and older (born in 2009 or earlier) by appointment- only at a new vaccination clinic at H.J. Cambie Secondary School (4151 Jacombs Road) in Richmond. The clinic will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on various dates until June 5.

 

VCH encourages family, friends, neighbours and social services agencies to help get the word out to people aged 12 and older about registering to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

 

 

Vancouver Coastal Health President and CEO Appointment

 

VCH’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Vivian Eliopoulos as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VCH, effective immediately.

 

During this unprecedented year, Vivian served as interim President and CEO. Her leadership helped to guide the organization through a global pandemic while ensuring exceptional patient care remains at the heart of everything the organization does.

 

VCH Open Board Meeting – Save the Date

 

Vancouver Coastal Health’s Board of Directors and senior leadership team invite you to its virtual Open Board
Forum. This meeting is dedicated to the residents of the Killarney neighbourhood, but open to all.

 

The virtual Open Board Forum is an opportunity to join a conversation with our board. The board chair and senior leaders will provide updates on COVID-19, the vaccine roll-out and available health services.

 

The meeting will stream online and we invite you to register and send questions in advance at
vch.ca/boardforum. We will send you a link to the Open Board Forum video stream before the meeting.

 

Testing

 

Anyone in the Vancouver Coastal Health region with cold, influenza or COVID-19-like symptoms, however mild, can now be assessed for and get a COVID-19 test. Contact your physician or nurse practitioner's office, or a local community collection centre to arrange for a test. Phone numbers and locations of collection centres can be found by visiting: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing or by calling 8-1-1.

For more information and latest updates on COVID-19, follow the BC Centre for Disease Control on Twitter
@CDCofBC or visit the website: http://www.bccdc.ca/.

 

New Home Support Resource Pamphlet

VCH has recently developed some new resource material for home support services and how to access it. This information is available in various languages.

 

Our brains are wired to notice and remember the things that are wrong. It’s a survival mechanism that helped keep our cave-dwelling ancestors safe in a world where there were many physical threats. But in today’s comparatively safe world, this biological predisposition to focus on the negative contributes to stress and unhappiness.

 

While we can’t change our nature, we can train our brains to be more positive. This doesn’t mean putting on a smiley face and whistling a happy tune no matter what’s going on. You don’t have to ignore reality or pretend things are wonderful even when they’re not. But just as dwelling on negative things fuels unhappiness (and plays a big role in depression and anxiety), choosing to notice, appreciate, and anticipate goodness is a powerful happiness booster.

 

Express gratitude

Teaching yourself to become more grateful can make a huge difference in your overall happiness. The research shows that gratitude helps you experience more positive emotions, decrease depression, feel better about yourself, improve your relationships, and strengthen your immune system. A recent study revealed that gratitude even makes you smarter about how you spend your money. There are a number of simple exercises you can practice to increase and cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

Give sincere thanks to others. When someone goes above and beyond or does something to make your day easier, be quick to verbalize your thanks and appreciation. Not only will it make the person feel good, it will give you a happiness lift, too. It’s an instant reward to see how expressing gratitude makes a positive difference in someone else’s day. It makes you realize that we’re all connected and that what you do matters.

Keep a gratitude journal. It may sound cheesy, but writing down the good things that happened to you during the day really works. Research shows that keeping a gratitude journal is a powerful technique that instantly makes you feel happier, more connected to others, and genuinely appreciative.

Count your blessings. Make it a habit to regularly reflect on the things you have to be thankful for. Bring to mind all the good people, experiences, and things in your life, both now and in the past. Focus on the blessings both big and small, from the people who love you, to the roof over your head and the food on your table. You will soon see it’s a pretty long list.

Write a letter of gratitude. Think of someone who did something that changed your life for the better who you never properly thanked. Write a thoughtful letter of gratitude expressing what the person did, how it affected you, and what it still means to you. Then deliver the letter. Positive psychology expert Martin Seligman recommends reading the letter in person for the most dramatic increase in happiness.

 

Our brains are wired to notice and remember the things that are wrong. It’s a survival mechanism that helped keep our cave-dwelling ancestors safe in a world where there were many physical threats. But in today’s comparatively safe world, this biological predisposition to focus on the negative contributes to stress and unhappiness.

 

While we can’t change our nature, we can train our brains to be more positive. This doesn’t mean putting on a smiley face and whistling a happy tune no matter what’s going on. You don’t have to ignore reality or pretend things are wonderful even when they’re not. But just as dwelling on negative things fuels unhappiness (and plays a big role in depression and anxiety), choosing to notice, appreciate, and anticipate goodness is a powerful happiness booster.

 

Except from the online Well being & happiness help guide