Dr. Iris Gorfinkel is pushing for legislation that will require doctors to know drug prices.

A National Post survey reveals that public hospitals across the country are routinely providing operating-room space for cosmetic, privately paid operations. The article mentions that VCH does not have cosmetic surgeries done in its operating rooms.

VCH’s RADAR is set to be an illegal drug alert warning system to help prevent overdoses.

VCH’s pilot project RADAR will communicate information about clusters of drug overdoses and drug contamination alerts in a timely way. People can also report overdoses via an online web form or a texting service.

Medical health officers in the Vancouver area are aiming to quickly warn drug users about clusters of overdoses and batches of contaminated drugs based on reports from people who use illegal substances.

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and its Health Technology Expert Review Panel (HTERP) have published new evidence-informed recommendations for obstructive sleep apnea. Article quotes Stirling Bryan, chair of HTERP and director of the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation at the VCH Research Institute.

The City of Vancouver is teaming up with VCH in a plan to allow retailers and restaurants to fill orders in customer-brought containers. VCH will work to ensure food safety and health for the program.

Most of North Vancouver’s storefront marijuana shops have opened in the past year and a half, buoyed by the federal government’s promise of legalized marijuana. Dr. Patricia Daly states her concern that stores make claims for their products for which they have no evidence.

Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons says the NDP are ready to move to the government benches in the legislature. The article mentions the group Protect Public Health Care Sunshine Coast and its letter to VCH to cancel its contract with Trellis Seniors Services.

Vancouver Coastal Health is bolstering its staffing levels in the Sea to Sky with the recent hiring of five specialized nurse positions.