Prenatal genetic testing: The choice to know more

It’s a choice that many pregnant women struggle to make. How much do you need to know about your baby before it is born?
For some women, knowing more would not be helpful. It could be a source of stress and anxiety. For others, the results from a genetic test could be reassuring; it’s a way [...]

Lack of uniform hiring rules in BC pain Filipino nurses

Ana Cagas Tabella knows first-hand being accredited as a nurse with international credentials in Canada can be a lottery for new immigrants.
Cagas, a former nurse in Philippines, came to Canada as a member of the Live-in Caregiver Program. She was surprised that she would have to wait for a couple of years before she could [...]

Rapid HIV kit tests Canada’s blood policy

A new instant HIV test may push Canadian Blood Services to change its long-standing policy of prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood.
The INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Antibody Test delivers results in one minute.
The test has been available in Vancouver at the Health Initiative For Men (HIM) Sexual Health Centre at 421-1033 Davie [...]

Vancouver AIDS non-profit reaches out to Asian community

It is well-known that British Columbia is home to many Asian Canadians. More than 27,000 people (PDF) immigrated to the province in 2007, with less than 600 settling outside Vancouver.
A much less known fact is that this community is one of the most vulnerable ethnic groups to contract HIV and AIDS, according to the BC [...]

H1N1 vaccine divides Kingsway residents

The H1N1 flu vaccine has arrived. Now what?
The dilemma is most acute for people like Lauren Arens.
“Just when I decide that I think I’m going to get [the vaccine],” she said, “I’ll read another article or some new information that makes me think twice.”
As a 34-year-old pregnant woman, with a history of pneumonia, she is [...]

West End prepares for H1N1 with hand sanitizers

People passing through Guardian Angel’s Parish in Vancouver’s West End can stop for a moment to get a squirt of gel that could, potentially, save their lives.
The gels are hand sanitizers, and they are being used in some high traffic areas of Vancouver’s West End to help stop the spread of H1N1.
The Public Health Agency [...]

Elderly ill at ease over St. Paul’s unclear future

Conversation and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air on a recent Friday afternoon at St. Paul’s Hospital’s Burrard Street entrance. In other parts of the hospital, visitors sat quietly in waiting areas while medical staff streamed past.
Yet, West End residents like Anne Gregory, an octogenarian who depends on St. Paul’s for [...]

Copyright 2010 UBC Graduate School of Journalism