History:
The Mayne Island Health Centre Association (MICHA) has been in existence for more than 30 years. Managed by a local board of directors, the association was formed with the following objectives:

• To manage the community health centre
• To participate in the formulation of objectives, priorities and programming of services
• To be active in achieving an integrated system of health, with all its related services.

MICHA assisted in establishment of the health centre which was opened in April of 1976.

What we do:
Over the years, MICHA has worked with the Vancouver Island Health Authority and local health professionals to ensure that Mayne Islanders have access to as many health and wellness services as possible.

Our work included raising funds to equip the health care centre – purchasing new items such as stretchers, examining tables, emergency room equipment, computers, etc. as required by our health care providers. Recently, in partnership with the Lions Club and CRD, we constructed a new shed for the storage of Red Cross equipment which is loaned out to Mayne Islanders.

Funding:
Funding for our work comes from donations from the community, bequests and In Memoriam contributions. We also collect some rent from community users of the lower floor at the health centre.

The Future:
In 2007, the Mayne Island Improvement District (MIID) took over management of the community health centre facility, however MICHA continues to

• promote community health in collaboration with health professionals;
• fund-raise for specialized health equipment and facilities
• manage scheduling of the rooms and spaces within the main building for short term/occasional renters.

With fewer responsibilities related to management of the Health Centre, we envision that we could now play a stronger role in advocating for services to meet the health needs of islanders, and with this in mind, we decided to attempt to do two things:

1. Find out about the overall health status of Mayne islanders – with the idea that this would help us to see which areas we should be working on.
2. Find out which health related issues YOU believe are the most important for us to work on.

A survey was circulated in the community and 435 Mayne Islanders responded. We are now in the process of compiling and analyzing the results of the survey. We plan to share these results with you and to use your input to guide our planning for the next 2 years.

Here are the results of the survey.

How you can help:
Purchase a membership
Become a volunteer
Make a tax deductible donation
Attend our Board meetings
Inform us in writing about how our health services are working for you and your family

How to contact us:
Write to MICHA at Site 1, Box 66, Mayne Island or attend a meeting (see dates in the Mayneliner)

Board of Directors for 2008-2009
Chair: Cilla Brooke
Treasurer: Neil Howard
Secretary: Sue Atha
Directors: Carol Munro, Pat Gasston, Dunella Pedersen, Carole Peacock, Katja Korinth, Jessica Easton

911 911 911 911 911 911

MAYNE ISLAND REALLY NEEDS YOU !
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND SAVE LIFES !

We are in a desperate shortage of Paramedics / and Ambulance Drivers on this island
and there are days when the Ambulance can not operate!

This Essential service is threatened more than ever by the lack of people
to join our small but fantastic team of Paramedics!

BC Ambulance will currently pay for training !
Consider it, take time from your busy life and act now !
Giving back to your community, despite any sacrifice you might have to make, will give you the most positive, fulfilling experience in your lifetime.

CALL THE HEALTH CLINIC FOR MORE INFORMATION @ 539-2312 / DR. LOSIER /

911 AMBULANCE 911 EMERGENCY 911 AMBULANCE

Doctor Losier's Family Medicine Practice
is open @ 539-2312 by appointment on

Wednesday , Thursday , Friday 9- 5 pm weekly

with after hours / weekend emergency on call care
@1-800-505-5009 "

Mondays and Tuesdays /as well Saturday and Sunday/ every 2nd week a Registered Nurse
is available at the Clinic
call @539-3645 or page @ 1-800-505-5009 with
alternating Doctors phone advice from the
Outer Gulf Islands Call Group
/ Pender Clinic @629-3233 or Galiano Clinic @539-3230 /

Please always check published schedule or call the Clinic
@ 539-2312 for availability and note the schedule is a subject of change

Health Centre Notes

July 2010

Hello Everyone,

Well it has been a busy and productive spring and we are looking forward to having a little break from meetings and planning and renovations and some time to recharge our batteries.

Hope you too are ready for summer and the expected visits of family and friends. Just to remind you, we do not have a pharmacy on the island and sometimes no on site physician, so it is always wise to advise visitors to bring sufficient quantities of prescription medications and necessary medical supplies to last for the duration of their visit.

I’d like to recognize this month John and Jeannine Dodds and their invaluable Mayne Island Courier service. John and Jeannine have spent countless hours over the years delivering our lab samples to hospitals in Victoria and searching the subterranean depths of these edifices for medical equipment and supplies, pharmaceuticals and vaccines etc. earmarked for Mayne. This has often been no easy task as procedures and personnel change without notice and it is only thanks to their experience and personal commitment to the service that we are never without what we need. We are sincerely grateful.

We are delighted to welcome to the Health Centre, Jennifer Bentham, a Registered Acupuncturist, who many of us already know. Jennifer can be contacted at 250-884-9565 for appointments.

Unfortunately our planned lecture by Alan Cassels was cancelled at the eleventh hour but we are hoping that we can rebook it for September. We’ll keep you posted.

Many, many thanks go to the Mayne Island Quilt Guild for a wonderful donation towards an AED and to Fred and Sally Sexsmith for their continued generosity to MIHCA.

Have a healthy, safe and happy, summer.

Cilla Brooke,

Chair, MIHCA.

June 2010

Hello Everyone,

A brief note this month!

The Health Centre is in the midst of renovations to the Lower Level and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused the health professionals who use that level and to TOPS, the Senior Resource Centre and AA who have had their meeting place disrupted. However we are very grateful to Brian Crumblehulme, Brian Westby and all the trades who have managed to keep the disturbance to a minimum and the project on schedule.

At our AGM on May 1st 2010, we welcomed two new members, Barbara Baker and Maxine Holmgren to the board and we look forward to their input in the coming months.

On June 30th 2010, we are planning to do two CPR/AED training sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Please call me (3553) for further details and to register. These sessions are sponsored by MIHCA to help us help each other in the event of a sudden cardiac incident.

Many thanks go to Shirley Heslip and Judy Waddell this month for generous donations to our society.

Stay well.

Cilla Brooke, Chair, Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

May 2010

Hello Everyone,

AGM month is upon us again, so it is a good time for me to say thank you to the Mayne Island Improvement District (MIID) trustees who have been so supportive of the Health Centre during their time in office.

The MIID and MIHCA are ‘partners’ in the running of the health centre, in that the MIID administers the funds collected through the Health Centre/Heliport tax levy which go towards maintenance/renovation of the building/heliport while MIHCA purchases much of the capital equipment for the centre and supports the medical professionals in the provision of health care programs on the island. In the last two years we have had a great partnership and it has been a pleasure working with the Improvement District trustees.

Our board will be saying goodbye to Susan Atha (secretary) and Pat Gasston (director), both of whom have been wonderful board members and will be greatly missed by the rest of us. Thank you, Sue and Pat for your dedication to the work of the Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

This is the second year that we shall be offering our Helen Brittain Bursary to an island resident(s) wishing to enter into a health related education program. Further details can be found in the advertisement in this issue of the Mayneliner.

Coming up this month, our Speaker Series presenter is Alan Cassels, whose presentation “Is Disease Mongering the Greatest Threat to Healthcare?” has been well received on several Gulf Islands and is scheduled for May 28th 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ag Hall.

Under the auspices of Ovarian Cancer Canada, Elizabeth Herejk, will be presenting “Listen to the Whispers” which is an information session on the signs/symptoms/diagnosis of ovarian cancer, May 10th 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ag Hall.

And the Mental Health Advisory Group will be meeting on May 31st. 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Library. If you are interested and have any ideas as to how we can further the cause of mental health care on the island, please consider attending this meeting.

Last, but never least, another sincere thank you to Alan and Jeanne Cheek, who although they have left the island remember us in their gifts.

Stay well,

Cilla Brooke, Chair

Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

April 2010

Hello Everyone,

There is a lot of news from us in the Mayneliner this month, so I shall try and make my notes as brief as possible.

My personal thanks go to the wonderful MIHCA board members who have made my ‘job’ such a joy this year. Sue Atha, Jessica Easton, Pat Gasston, Neil Howard, Katja Korinth, Pat Mauch, Carole Peacock and Fred Sexsmith, you are the best!

Included in this issue is our ‘Year in Review’ and our AGM is coming up on Saturday, May 1st 2010, 1:30 p.m. at Church House so please come, update your membership and give us your feedback on how we are doing.

Also included in this issue is the summary of our ‘Operation AED’ which has been an ongoing project for this year. We are thrilled and grateful to have had the support of so many community societies/members in this endeavour.

We shall be providing re-certification courses in CPR and the use of the Automated External Defibrillator to any of you who have taken a First Aid course in the last three years, so please get in touch with me if you are interested in polishing up your skills this spring.

Thank you Jean and Claudine Bore, and Mrs. Pat McGiveron for your generosity, as you know, we couldn’t do any of the above without your help.

Stay well,

Cilla Brooke,

Chair, Mayne Island Health Centre Association

March 2010

It is my pleasure to write this month’s article as Cilla and Dennis are away on vacation. I would like to continue recognizing individuals who are dedicated to Mayne Island’s health and wellbeing.

Cilla’s absence is my opportunity to acknowledge and thank her for all the time, effort and energy she puts into her “job” as chair of the Mayne Island Heath Centre Association. As a community we are extremely lucky to have a chairperson with her compassion, vigor and dedication.  Thank you, Cilla.

We would like to sincerely thank Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe of Coquitlam, Pilaster Holdings Vancouver, our very own Mayne Island AG Society and Tru Value for their generous donations to MIHCA. Also a big thank you to those donors who mail in their contributions with the request of having their names withheld and all of you who drop your monetary donations at the Health Centre.  It is your generosity that helps with things like, purchasing equipment and funding the speaker series and first aid courses.

Stay well

Katja Korinth, Member, Mayne Island Health Centre Association

February 2010

Happy New Year! Let us hope for a healthy 2010 for everyone.

This month we are recognizing our dedicated medical office assistants. Ever helpful, friendly and understanding they support those on both sides of the ‘desk’. Thank you, Donna, Sally and Elaine for all your caring.

Sincere thanks also go to Bill and Elma Maund, Pat Seebach, Alan and Eleanor Evans and Bruce and Loretta King whose generous donations to MIHCA help us to continue providing programs such as the Speaker Series, First Aid courses and something new coming soon…watch this space!

Stay well,

Cilla Brooke,
Chair, Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

December 2009

Hello Everyone,

Yikes! Is the flu shot issue ever going to be over?!

As you probably all know by now, our Public Health nurse was seconded to Victoria for flu immunization clinics and as a result it was the responsibility of our doctor, nurses and MIHCA to anti up the staffing for the two clinics that had been scheduled here on island. Thanks to Leanne Hale, Ann Hadaway and Judy Wolfe, the seasonal flu clinic in November went very well. Thank you also to the Mayne Island Community Centre Society who provided coffee, tea and cookies for all, and to our loyal band of volunteers who yearly ‘man’ the clinic for us.

We are in a position to provide a clinic for the H1N1 vaccination as promised on December 7th, however we will not know until closer to the date, how much vaccine we shall have and/ or who will be eligible to receive it. So we crave your patience and ask that you look for the orange fliers that we shall be posting closer to the date that will let you know the precise details of this clinic. Dr. Losier and Leanne will be continuing with their vaccinations of special groups in the interim and we think that anyone remaining will be able to receive the vaccination on December 7th should they so wish. Here’s hoping!

We were delighted with the turnout for Alan Weeks’ play ‘That’s Al Folks’ that was sponsored by the Outer Gulf Island Mental Health Group and MIHCA and we are especially grateful to those of you who stayed to participate in the café table discussions on mental health issues. Much information was shared that will help us address the ongoing challenge of providing an acceptable level of understanding and care for those on the island who are dealing with mental illness.

This month our thanks go to Martha Robertson for her generous donation to MIHCA. It is donations such as these that have made our flu clinics happen this year.

The Mayne Island Health Centre Association wishes everyone a healthy and happy Holiday Season and all the best in the coming year.

Cilla Brooke, Chair, MIHCA.

November 2009

Hello Everyone,

This month we’d like to recognize and thank our wonderful Home Care team. Headed by Colette Legace, and ably supported by her second in command Cathy Brown plus all the committed home support staff, this group of caring souls are seldom recognized for their efforts in providing nursing care and long term support in our homes. Our sincere thanks to them all.

We had a wonderful turn out to the lecture on the influenzas presented by Dr. Scott Henwick in October. It answered a host of questions that we all had about H1N1 et al. And just to remind you, our ‘flu clinics’ held at the Community Centre, 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. are as follows:

November 9th 2009, the seasonal flu vaccine for those over 65 yrs ONLY.
December 7th 2009, the H1N1 vaccine for all those wishing to receive it.

For those under 65 yrs with a concomitant illness who wish to get a seasonal flu shot there will possibly be another clinic at the end of January or the flu shot can be obtained from the physician.

Next on our speaker series is Dr. Dave Wilson, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UBC. He will be speaking on 'Osteoarthritis - An Introduction, What we Know, What we Don't Know and Where we are Heading'. on November 27th 2009 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ag. Hall. All are welcome to attend.

And to our generous donors, Mr. And Mrs. J. Charles, Ms. A. Marshall, Jean and Claudine Bore and Jim and Anne Hill, a huge thank you from all of us.

Stay well,
Cilla Brooke,
Chair, MIHCA.

October 2009

Hello Everyone,

Over the next few months I am going to use a little of my space to acknowledge and thank those of our health care team whose dedication to the well being of our population often goes unrecognized.

I shall start with Ann Hadaway our First Call nurse who has spent many grueling weekends this past summer looking after residents and visitors alike and often getting little sleep as a result. In addition to her first call duties Ann also does the work of a laboratory technician, i.e. taking blood, doing ECG’s, etc. and she is responsible for the ordering and stocking of all the medications and medical supplies in the Health Centre. Thank you Ann, for all the work you do on our behalf.

The Wellness Fair held on September 19th. was well attended, informative and fun. Our thanks go to all the numerous participants and their helpers who put on an excellent show and to the Community Centre who co-sponsored the fair with us.

In view of everyone’s concern over a possible H1N1 influenza epidemic this winter we thought it appropriate to start our Guest Speaker Series with a talk on this subject. So we have Dr. Scott Henwick, M.D. F.R.C.P. Medical Microbiologist and Infection Control Consultant for Peace Arch Hospital presenting ‘INFLUENZA 101’ on October 3rd. 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Ag. Hall. There is no charge for this lecture and all are encouraged to attend.

On the same topic, we now have two confirmed dates for our influenza immunization clinics. The first one will be on November 9th 2009 at the Community Centre 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. and will be for the regular seasonal flu and the second one will be on December 7th 2009 same time same place, for the H1N1 flu. It is not known yet whether there will be a second shot for the H1N1 flu but if there is it will not be until January 2010.

Stay well.

Cilla Brooke,
Chair, Mayne Health Centre Association.

Photos of the Wellness Fair - Thanks to Toby Snelgrove

September 2009

Hello Everyone,

The Health Centre has been a busy place during the last two months and our special thanks go to Dr. Don. Williams for doing such a stellar job of replacing Dr. Losier during some of the hottest days of the summer. We also thank N.P. Leanne Hale, who by being on site on Mondays and Tuesdays has helped many to avoid trips off island for medical attention on those days.

Now that Fall and the flu season is nearly here, a reminder to all those using the Health Centre (and that includes the groups using the Lower Level) to please get into the habit of using the hand sanitizers provided both on entering and on leaving the building. Hand washing is a proven way of limiting the spread of the influenza virus and it only takes a couple of seconds of our time.

Another reminder….the Mayne Island Health and Wellness Fair.

September 19th 2009, 10:30a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Community Centre

Hope to see you all there!

Cilla Brooke, Chair, Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

August 2009

Hello Everyone,

Hope that you are all enjoying the lovely weather while ‘playing’ safe as regards to sun screen, life jackets, bike helmets etc. There is no point in spoiling fun times with preventable disasters.

We are happy to announce that we had three very worthy applicants for the Helen Britten Scholarship and so we chose to divide the award between the three. Congratulations to Donna Williams, Meadow Dove Lang and Martha Sterling Reid. We wish them every success in their studies, all of which will benefit the community in the future.

You may have noticed that we have installed a hand wash station in the lobby of the Health Centre. This is provided by the Vancouver Island Health Authority in order to control the spread of infections especially the influenza illnesses. The idea is for all of us to wash our hands on entering and on leaving the building. Let us all make it a habit before the flu season gets here!

Very many thanks this month to Alan and Jeanne Cheek and Nancy Rainsford for generous financial donations and to Joyce Soltero, who donated three wonderful Joyce Mitchell prints to the Health Centre in memory of her mother Kay Carpenter.

Stay safe and well,

Cilla Brooke,
Chair, Mayne Island Health Centre Association.

July 2009

Hello Everyone,

A brief note before summer begins and we take a little break from meetings and new initiatives.

Our little Health Centre is bursting at the seams with busy people working for the well being of all those on the island. Hopefully we shall all stay safe and well through the holiday months and see them only at the farmer’s market or at celebrations!

We shall spend some time planning for next year’s lecture series and the Wellness Fair on September 19th at the Community Centre.

See you there!

Cilla Brooke,

Chair, MIHCA

June 2009

Hello Everyone,

The big news of the month is that Leanne Hale, our nurse practitioner is now starting her practice on Mayne Island. You can learn all about Leanne and the scope of her practice in her write up headed, Mayne Island Nurse Practitioner in this issue of the Mayneliner. We are very pleased to welcome Leanne and Chris to the island and hope that they will be very happy here.

Leanne plans to spend much of June getting to know all about Mayne Island, and she can be reached for appointments at 250-539-3615.

Our next lecture, which will be held on June 8th 2009 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ag. Hall is titled Ages and Stages and addresses the issue of development in children in the 0-5yr age group. The lecture is to be presented by Katherine Walters who is a Senior Infant Development Consultant at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health in Victoria. We hope that all parents of young children will attend, and any grandparents who are interested are more than welcome!

Our sincere thanks this month to the family of Clive Hughes who requested donations in his memory to be made to the Health Centre. Also continued thanks to Stuart McKean and TruValue for their 1% program which has been such a help to us.

And just a little reminder now that summer is upon us and we are all looking forward to hosting visitors-as we do not have a pharmacy, nor a wide variety of prescription medications on the island, please advise anyone coming to visit to bring a sufficient quantity of their own prescription medications with them.

Stay safe and well.

Cilla Brooke, Chair MIHCA

MAYNE ISLAND NURSE PRACTITIONER.

Hello Everyone! A little about me: I graduated from the University of Victoria in August 2008 with my Master of Science in Nursing degree and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) designation.

Originally from Victoria, my fiancé, Chris Rowand (a counselor), and I moved to Saltspring Island seven years ago. There, I worked as a registered nurse at Lady Minto Hospital while completing my Baccalaureate of Nursing, and eventually took the position as Nurse First-Call on Mayne and Galiano Islands while completing my first year of the FNP program.

As a graduate FNP, I had the opportunity to work in Hay River, Northwest Territories and finally, fully registered, I accepted the Vancouver Island Health Authority NP position serving both Mayne and Galiano Islands. Needless to say I was delighted (as was Chris) to have the opportunity to relocate to one of the smaller Southern Gulf Islands. A special thank you to the Mayne Island Health Society Board (especially Sue Atha, Cilla Brooke and Fred Sexsmith) for finding us a splendid residence on this beautiful island!

Now, a little about the FNP role: A FNP provides primary health care (PHC) services to patients across the lifespan. The role is considered that of an Advanced Practice Nurse with a broad knowledge base and advanced clinical skills. We are an autonomous member of the PHC Team and work collaboratively with other health care practitioners. We complete histories, physicals, order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications and manage many common health conditions. Further we consult with and refer to physicians, specialists and other health care providers as needed. Emphasizing a holistic approach to healthcare, we focus on health promotion, education and lifestyle counselling while working collaboratively with patients. A more detailed discussion of the scope of a FNP can be found here: http://www.crnbc.ca/downloads/424.pdf<http://www.crnbc.ca/downloads/424.pdf>.

As I will be working on both Mayne and Galiano Islands, my hours will be distributed as best as possible to meet the health care needs of both communities. Further, as this is a new position, these hours and days may change as I learn more about these needs over time. For most of June, as part of my introduction to you and orientation to the clinic and community, I will be scheduling appointments on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm. For appointments, please leave a message on my office phone (250-539-3615) and I will return your call as soon as possible. I look forward to working with you!

Leanne Hale, MN, NP (F).