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This past week has been dominated by renewed attention to the healthcare crisis in our province. My heart goes out to the families of Alison Holthoff and Charlene Snow who both died recently after long ER waits and inadequate medical attention. These families have generously shared their painful stories in order to call for improvement and change.
As home to the third busiest hospital in the province, residents of Dartmouth are subject to the same systemic issues that are plaguing the healthcare system as a whole: lack of staff, lack of attachment to primary care, population health issues, lack of long term care beds, and extreme pressure on paramedics and ambulance services. My office has been sounding the alarm on these issues for years and we will continue to do so.
I am pressing for a public investigation of the situation in our ERs, including at DGH, to take politics out of the conversation and to better understand the current situation, how we got here, and how we can ensure that emergency medical care is available to the people who need it.
In the meantime, there are various options available for people who are not attached to primary care. They can be hard to access, but I am listing them here in hopes that they can be a helpful resource if needed.
- VirtualCareNS: provides Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry with free, online visits with a primary care provider (doctor or nurse practitioner) until they are placed with a permanent family practice. If you cannot secure an appointment first thing in the morning, check throughout the day as appointments do become available.
- Pharmacy Services: Nova Scotians with a valid health card can visit any pharmacist for certain medical services. There’s no cost for seeing a pharmacist for an assessment, though you may need to pay for prescriptions. Services include:
- prescription renewals for most medications
- urinary tract infection (UTI) assessment and treatment in women 16 and older
- contraception management
- herpes zoster (shingles) assessment and treatment
- Lyme disease prevention
- Need a Family Practice Registry: the provincial list for people without a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Once you have registered here, you will be added to the list. When a primary care provider in your area is accepting new patients, Nova Scotia Health Authority will contact you by phone and/or email. This is also where you can confirm your registration on the list.
If you are having trouble, please don't hesitate to reach out, and if you are in medical distress please don't hesitate to call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Warm regards,
Claudia
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Vaccines for children aged 5 to 11
Starting earlier in January, parents and guardians can book Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for children aged five to 11. It is the only bivalent vaccine currently authorized in Canada as a booster dose for this age group and offers strong protection against both the Omicron and original strains. Full details about this rollout can be found here.
Appointments can be booked online at https://novascotia.ca/vaccination or by calling 1-833-797-7772. Vaccine scheduling by phone is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. People who have not completed their primary series can also book the same way. Most COVID-19 vaccines are administered at pharmacies.
Heating Assistance Rebate Program Change
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A one-time change to this rebate opens on 30 January 2023. If you pay for your own home (residential) heat and have a household income of $85,000 or less, you can receive $1,000. Applications are open from 30 January to 31 March 2023. On January 30th, apply here.
Applications are already open for lower-income Nova Scotians. You don’t need to apply for the rebate again if you have already applied.
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Some other financial assistance programs are the Home Energy Assistance Top-up (HEAT) Fund, which supports Nova Scotians in need with home heating costs during the winter months. Paper forms are available at MLA offices and we expect the online applications to open soon. As well, the Help 2 Others (H2O) Fund assists low-income households in Halifax with the cost of residential water and wastewater in an emergency situation if eligible guidelines are met.
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Pre-Budget Consultation
Nova Scotians can share their thoughts and ideas for the next provincial budget and future budgets by taking part in annual pre-budget consultations.
You can submit your suggestions by:
- emailing budget@novascotia.ca
- tweeting @NSFinance
- mailing a submission to the Department of Finance and Treasury Board
Department of Finance and Treasury Board
ATTN: Budget Consultation
P.O. Box 187
Halifax N.S., B3J 2N3
- or speaking with their MLA
The deadline for submissions is February 3, 2023.
Nova Scotia budget primer: https://novascotia.ca/budget/budget-primer
Past provincial budgets: https://beta.novascotia.ca/programs-and-services/publications-budget-documents
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Funding
Community ACCESS-Ability Program
This program offers cost-shared grants to community groups for accessibility related capital improvements. The grants may cover up to two-thirds of the direct and indirect costs of renovations, installations, and/or equipment. The sponsoring organization must raise at least one-third of the funding from other sources. Organizations can receive funding for one project per year under the program.
Details here!
Community Facilities Improvement Program
Supports community-led projects which enhance the public use of existing facilities. This includes repairs and improvements to building exteriors, and interior features that are integral to the long-term sustainability of the facility.
Details here!
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FIONA Insurance Dispute?
The Insurance Bureau of Canada has put together a helpful resource for those in a dispute:
- Speak with your insurance representative or escalate the issue to a supervisor/manager. You could also call the IBC Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-227-5422 for more information.
- Insurers have their own internal dispute resolution process (customer ombudsman). Ask your insurance representative for the ombudsman’s contact information.
- Inquiries can also be directed to the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) at 1-877-225-0446 or www.giocanada.org
- Contact your provincial financial regulatory body for further information for dispute resolution in your area.
Nova Scotian Superintendent: David McCarron, Superintendent of Insurance
Email: fininst@novascotia.ca
Phone: (902) 424-5613
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2023 Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
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The Partnership for Access Awareness Nova Scotia (PAANS), a committee of the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities, is now accepting applications for the academic year beginning September 2023. Twelve scholarships are available: four scholarships in the amount of $1,500.00 and eight in the amount of $2,000.00 to assist Nova Scotians with disabilities in their pursuit of post-secondary education and training,
To be considered, scholarship applicants must:
 Be a person with a permanent disability. 'Permanent Disability' means a limitation that restricts the ability of a person to perform the activities necessary to participate in educational activities or in the labour force within the range considered normal. This limitation is expected to remain with the person for life;
Be a permanent resident of Nova Scotia;
Be entering or continuing studies, at the undergraduate level, in a Canadian post-secondary institution recognized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; and
Not be involved in the selection process or be a close family member of any scholarship selection committee member.
To apply, all parts of the scholarship application form must be completed in full and all supporting documentation must be included and received via MAIL or EMAIL by the Partnership for Access Awareness NS no later than 4:30 pm on Friday, April 28th, 2023.
The is available through the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities website at www.nsleo.com, the Access Awareness Nova Scotia site at www.aawns.ca as well as through school guidance counsellors.
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 Ice Festival Street Party
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Join us for a winter celebration of local love! Enjoy live ice carving, on street entertainment, and so much more.
 The Downtown Dartmouth Ice Festival presented by East Coast Credit Union is only a few weeks away!
 Join us for the Ice Festival Street Party on Saturday, January 28th from noon-5pm.
 Portland Street will be 𝗖𝗔𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 from Alderney Drive to Victoria Road for folks to take over and enjoy the fun!
 There will be lots of live ice carving, street games, winter activities and more!
 Be sure to stick around into the evening for Ice Festival Stages! There will be lot of live music and entertainment at various venues downtown - check out our previous post for the schedule.
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Trans Health 101 for Parents & Guardians
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Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers of MacPhee Youth– Join us on February 2nd for a virtual education session around supporting Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender-Non-Conforming youth with MacPhee Staff and IWK Shared-Care Clinican, Robert Bartlett.
For more details and to register contact Courtney@macpheecentre.ca.
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Survey for People Who Work With Family/Friend Caregivers
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The Nova Scotia Caregiving Project (Collaboration with MSVU and Caregivers Nova Scotia) has a survey for people who work with family/friend caregivers. This project is about identifying and understanding the current needs of family/friend caregivers in Nova Scotia and what may be needed (services, programs, policies) to better support them in their role. This survey will close on January 27th. 2023. If you have not participated within the survey, and you are someone who works with caregivers, would you please take some time to fill out this survey? Your participation would be greatly appreciated. Find the survey here.
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COVE Ocean Technology Internship Program
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This is an exciting opportunity for post-secondary students from all disciplines to gain experience in the marine technology sector. From engineering to finance, computer science, business management, marketing and communications, companies in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are seeking students for exciting and lucrative career opportunities in the marine technology sector. More details here.
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Community Champion – Clean Energy and Equity Initiatives
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Reporting to the Manager of Energy and Equity Initiatives, the Community Champion will be comfortable and familiar with:
- General principles of clean energy, including policy pertaining to clean energy in Nova Scotia.
- Delivery of educational materials pertaining to the clean energy industry and clean energy training.
- History and dynamic of given community (social, economic).
- Principles of effective and equitable community engagement.
This position will work within a larger team established as the Clean Energy and Equity Network (CEEN). CEEN will work to increase the diversity and inclusionary policies in the energy and efficiency and renewable energy sector in Nova Scotia, as well as increase the knowledge of, and practical experience in, clean energy among underserved and underrepresented communities in Nova Scotia.
More details here.
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