A gram of prevention is worth a kilogram of cure

We’re a funny bunch in Canada. We pump our gas in litres, measure distance in kilometres and use Celsius for temperatures yet we continue to measure height and weight in feet and pounds – even though Canada officially switched to the metric system back when bellbottoms and platform shoes were the fashion rage and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Trouble Water” ruled the airwaves. In other words, a long time ago… as in 1970.

Organizers behind an inaugural event at Lions Gate Hospital called Metric Madness have a challenge. They want everyone to Think Metric for better patient care. So if you think you’re a metric master, head over to the hospital lobby for a challenge and you could win a bag of java. You can also pick up a handy wallet-sized conversion chart. You may have already seen the Metric Madness booth next to the cafeteria. They set up Sept. 1 and will be returning to the lobby Sept. 3, 8 and 10 from 11 am to 2 pm.

“We wanted to be able to talk with staff directly and thought this would be a fun way to share information,” says Nadine Jones, Practice Initiative Lead. “We’d like to create awareness of some of the problems that using two systems can cause and promote the use of metric only when communicating weight and height. The contest is to pledge to measure and record in kilograms with a skill testing question: how many kilograms in a standard bag of coffee?”

Nadine and her team have another challenge. They’re looking for a slogan to help staff remember to always think metric. Best slogan gets a $25 coffee card.

Wile you’re pondering slogan ideas, perhaps it will help to know a little history about the magical metric system, which according to Wikipedia, was originally based on the mètre des Archives and the kilogramme des Archives introduced by the First French Republic in 1799. The definitions of the metre and kilometre and the kilogram have since been refined, and the metric system has been extended to incorporate many more units. But the focus on LGH’s Metric Madness is to ensure heights and weights are measured in kilograms (or g for infants).

Here’s an interesting factoid: The United States officially sanctioned the use of the metric system in 1866.

So check out the Metric Madness table in the lobby and don’t forget to leave your idea for a slogan in the comments section below.