Gateway June 2017 by Prince George Citizen

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Your community voice for the north! WEDNESDAY June 21, 2017

NEWS AND EVENTS FOR PRINCE GEORGE AND CENTRAL INTERIOR

Downtown Summerfest coming to P.G. in July Downtown Prince George

owntown Prince George is pleased to announce Downtown Summerfest 2017. In collaboration with the Prince George Citizen, Celebrate Prince George and a host of dedicated sponsors and partners, we bring you another exciting downtown summer festival. Join thousands of fun seekers on July 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sixth Avenue in front of city hall for this summer tradition. Downtown Summerfest draws on the business people and the community to embrace our culture and create a positive image for our downtown community. Come together in the heart of our city for fun, festivities, fabulous food and fantastic entertainment for the whole family. So… ‘take to the streets’ with us in Downtown Prince George! There really is something for everyone! — see FOOD PAVILION, page 3 Citizen file photo

Thousands took to the streets of downtown Prince George to participate in Downtown Summerfest on July 17, 2016.

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Food pavilion, stage, exhibitors, Kidz Zone and more — from page 1

Canadian Western Bank taste pavilion The spirit of the Taste Pavilion is to highlight local restaurants and food providers while tantalizing the taste buds of festival goers. This is a great opportunity for a fantastic food experience with sample sized portions. Tickets can be purchased at select locations in advance or on the day of the event. Here’s your chance to get the best of Prince George’s food scene all in one place. Foodies beware... with so many delectable choices, you must be sure to bring your biggest appetite!

TD Mainstage Summer is the season for openair music and at Downtown Summerfest’s TD Mainstage, you will not be disappointed. Experience a wide range of acts from near and far. We know there will be something to get you clapping and even dancing in the streets. There really is no better way to spend a summer day in downtown than with great music and great people.

Exhibitor alley Here is your chance to stroll amongst a huge array of exhibitors. With over 50 exhibitor

booths, you will discover a myriad of products on display, items for sale and information for your enjoyment. It is an amazing opportunity to celebrate the talents of artists and entrepreneurs all in one place.

Kidz Zone It would not be a family fun festival without something for the young ones. Kids can participate in plenty of hands-on activities, many of which are completely free, thanks to our energetic community partners. Make sure to bring a couple of dollars so the kids can ride on the mini rail, grab some snacks for

Citizen file photo

Matt Stevenson prepares barbecued ribs at the Chartwell Foodservices UNBC booth in the Taste Pavillion as part of last year’s Downtown Summerfest. the petting zoo or get their faces painted. There will be special live

entertainment that will delight the kid in everyone.

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Local couple joins crew of Africa Mercy Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

S Handout photo

Larry and Sandy Hewitt left their medical professional careers in Prince George to work for charity aboard the Africa Mercy, the largest civilian hospital ship in the world.

ome believe charity should be reserved for close to home. A Prince George couple is living the opposite philosophy, that all people who can help should offer themselves to all people in need. Sandy and Larry Hewitt are medical professionals who saw a segment on the program 60 Minutes about the Mercy Ships organization. The segment showed how impoverished communities along the coastlines of Africa would get visits from medical vessels that would pull into port loaded with doctors, nurses, dentists, specialists and practitioners of all sorts. For months at a time, these ships are the base of operations to service the medical needs of that community, often dealing with lineups of more than 1,000 hopeful sufferers. The largest and most famous of these boats, since the service began in the 1970s, is the Africa Mercy. It is 500 feet long, eight decks tall, and houses 450 people. There are 82 medical beds and six operating rooms on board the Africa Mercy. Many of the staff cycle through on short stints, but many are on board for years at a time.

There is a school for those raising children as they sail the benevolent seas. “Neither of us had ever seen a volunteer organization where we work as a biomed tech and a pharmacist together,” said the Hewitts in a dispatch to The Citizen from aboard the Africa Mercy. The ship’s concept only stays afloat thanks to corporate donations and other sponsorship support that pays for the surgical theatres, drug stores, medical equipment of all description and the fuel and other incidental costs to run a ship. The personnel are there not just as an act of volunteering, but fully committed to their quest to help. Each person on board actually pays their own fare to be there. “We raise our own fees for accommodation and food,” said the Hewitts. “It is unique, but each of us feels called by God to be here and feel that He will provide through the donations of friends, family and churches. We feel privileged to serve here, where our needs are so well provided for. We have good meals and Mercy Ships tries hard to make life as easy as possible when we are living so far from home.” They miss certain elements of Canada, but mostly the loved ones still at home while they are away. — see ‘SEEING LITTLE KIDS, page 5

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‘Seeing little kids... walk again... is wonderful’ ture, simply because they are caught early — from page 4 or prevented altogether but in the absence But they relish the snow shoveling they of medical infrastructure they can take hold don’t have to do, though. And to some of lives and local societies. people in the world, coming from the land “It is amazing to see the difference of evergreen forests and snowy mountains and log houses is the height of exotic, so the between when a patient first arrives until Hewitts have enjoyed having their everyday they are discharged from our care,” said the P.G. lives seen through that lens by some on Hewitts. “But when those patients are young the ship. children, somehow that magnifies the The Hewitts sold their house and resigned from their jobs to free themselves up impact of the healing that happens. Seeing little kids with indefinitely for the bowed legs and club Africa Mercy. These successful feet learning to walk Their first deploysurgeries are again after surgery ment in November life-changing and and behaving just 2015 was Madagascar, the island on often bring tears to my eyes as young children should behave, full of the southeast side of when we get to celebrate joy and mischief, is the giant land mass, them. wonderful. and their second was “We celebrate a lot Benin on the north— Larry and Sandy Hewitt aboard the ship as west side. well,” they added. The ship is about to “The African people love to sing and set sail again, this time for Cameroon. dance and give testimonies of what has “We are not feeling like our work here is happened in their lives, and we love to give done yet,” they said. them the opportunity to shine. “We are part of a vibrant community that “In the past few months, I have been to wants to serve the people of Africa with the model of Jesus, bringing hope and healing.” a Celebration of Sight (for our cataract patients who were blind), a Ponseti Dance The medical personnel and ship’s crew Party (for club foot babies that have been are like a large extended family and they corrected using the non-surgical Ponseti form close bonds with the people of the method), and a Ladies’ Dress Ceremony tidewater communities in which they drop (for ladies who have had obstetric fistula anchor. repair and no longer leak urine/feces). Many of these patients require ongoing These successful surgeries are life-changing care or multiple appointments. and often bring tears to my eyes when we The transformative work done on board get to celebrate them.” includes cataract surgeries that give eyeLarry was 26 years into his biomed techsight to the vision impaired, dental surgery nologist career and Sandy was a 28-year that allows for new levels of oral health and nutrition in desperate lives, cleft palate veteran of pharmacy when they jumped ship a bit less than two years ago. repairs that put distorted mouths back to Larry’s specialty was diagnostic imaging functionality and one of their specialties until he was tossed into the versatile improis the extensive transformation – in health visation of the Africa Mercy. Now he is well and social acceptance – for the sufferers of experienced in the use of patient monitors, enormous facial tumors. anaesthesia units and lasers for the ship’s In a great many cases, according to the eye program. Mercy Ships organization, the conditions — see AFRICA MERCY, page 6 they are treating are alien to western cul-

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Pain levels at area care facilities twice the Canadian average Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

esidents in long-term care facilities within Northern Health are experiencing moderate to excruciating pain at more than twice the national average, according to a Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

report. The number rises to more than three times the national average at Gateway Lodge in Prince George and more than five times the Canadian average at Kitimat Hospital and Health Centre. The national average is 8.5 per cent,

while the B.C. average is 14.1. Northern Health sits at 21.2 per cent. Gateway Lodge reports resident experiencing pain at 31.6 per cent and Kitimat Hospital and Health Centre is at 44.7 per cent in 2015-16. Residents in long term care facilities throughout Canada are assessed on a quarterly basis using a comprehensive standardized guide called the RAI or resident assessment instrument, from which 100 elements are used to create a comprehensive profile. A coding manual is provided to all institutions to use through the assessment process. — see ‘THERE IS, page 8

Africa Mercy offers training to local hospitals — from page 5 Sandy, meanwhile, has expanded beyond community pharmacy into marshaling drugs in the hospital and active surgery settings, as well as continuing with a community practice looking after the needs of the outpatients and ship’s crew complement. They have also gained valuable leadership skills, since all on the ship must take turns making departmental decisions. They also must teach. Part of the ship’s mandate is to bolster the training and human resources in the local areas where they anchor, so more people get the healthcare help they need after the ships sails on. “By providing training in the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist at local hospitals all over the countries that we visit, mortality is decreased by nearly 50 per cent,” they said. The experience has also brought the couple closer together in their personal lives. They explained that Larry used to travel a week or two each month, in his landlubber career. “Now, we eat three meals a day together and our work is literally two metres apart as the biomed shop is next door to the pharmacy. “After a 30-second commute to work (we live on Deck 4 and the hospital is on Deck 3), we begin work at 8 a.m. “Our lunch break is an hour and we finish work around 5 p.m. But like any job, that depends on the work that needs to be done and we sometimes work overtime, if that is possible when you are a volunteer. “We each carry a pager for one week out of every three weeks on a rotation so that we are available for emergencies. Larry works with two other biomeds who are easy to work with and they make a good team.” He fixes and maintains equipment from all over the hospital, including a lot of time spent on the OR sterilizers. He sometimes works off ship at the dental clinic or eye

By providing training in the World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist at local hospitals all over the countries that we visit, mortality is decreased by nearly 50 per cent. — Sandy Hewitt clinic fixing their equipment as necessary. Sandy works with two other pharmacists. One from Calgary has been on board since they arrived and another position rotates every two months, bringing in new nationalities and cultures in a cycle. “I sometimes spend time on the wards with patients but I also spend a lot of my day ensuring that we have an adequate supply of medications for the surgeries and patients that are upcoming,” Sandy said. “It takes three, four months from beginning to end to place and receive an order of medications as they are shipped by container from either the U.S.A. or the Netherlands.” They often get chances to spend personal time with local families, go see the geographic and historic points of interest in their deployment areas, and spend time on their solitary hobbies like watercolour painting and wood carving. They keep up on the news of the world via the online connections the ship is equipped with. It is very much a home as well as a workplace and a vehicle. More than anything, it is a vehicle for change in the world. That vehicle will soon be churning the Gulf of Guinea destined for a new mission anchored in the shelter of Man-O-War Bay at the city of Douala where more Africa Mercy can be shared.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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‘There is quite a bit of variation’ CIHI graphic

This graph provided by the CIHI shows the percentage of long-term care residents suffering pain on a daily basis.

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” — Mark Twain

Call 250-562-2441 to go large

— from page 6 Coding for pain is as follows: • 0, No pain. • 1, Pain less than daily. • 2, Pain daily. To determine intensity of pain as described or manifested by the resident, the codes include: • 1, Mild pain, although resident experiences some (“a little”) pain he or she is usually able to carry on with daily routines, socialization or sleep. • 2, Moderate pain – resident experiences “a medium” amount of pain. • 3, Times when pain is horrible or excruciating – worst possible pain. Pain of this type usually interferes with daily routines, socialization and sleep. The report includes reports from 2011-12 to 2015-16 and offers health authorities a perspective on what their numbers are and also offers a comparative view as well. “There is a lot more information that homes have access to in a private reporting environment,” Connie Paris, manager of home and continuing care data management at CIHI, said. The CIHI report provides only a few key indicators, she added. “Then you can look at it from more of a system perspective,” Paris said. “And it does give us the capability of being able to drill down to even the facility level for the experience indicators.” Calculations for those experiencing pain in long term care facilities is reported as a percentage. If there are 100 residents in the facility and 10 experience moderate pain daily or any episode of excruciating pain then the unadjusted raw rate is 10 per cent, Paris explained. What is presented in the report is a riskadjusted version, factoring in cognitive impairments and the number of residents in a facility with those issues. She said each facility needs to look at the residents that are experiencing pain and ask

Calculations for those experiencing pain in long term care facilities is reported as a percentage. If there are 100 residents in the facility and 10 experience moderate pain daily or any episode of excruciating pain then the unadjusted raw rate is 10 per cent, Paris explained.

what’s going on. “When you are looking inwardly, you need to look at unadjusted numbers,” Paris said. When looking at the report with the riskadjusted numbers. That’s something else. “That’s really only to say ‘Hey, there’s a flag going up here,’ something doesn’t look quite right when I see how I compare to others,” Paris said. Several Northern Health facilities were on par with the national average, but most were well above the average with Gateway and Kitimat at the high end. “The other thing I see here with Northern Health is that there is quite a bit of variation,” Paris said. “So that’s another thing to look at is such a variation within a region and to say OK, why does it look so good over here and not as good over at this end. What’s that difference there that we’re not risk-adjusting for – so what’s happening outside that risk adjustment piece that’s causing that difference in what we’re seeing.’” Paris said if facilities numbers don’t make sense to them, the health authority needs to make sure the coding is being done correctly because it’s important that everyone is being judged by the same yard stick. — see ‘THE INFORMATION, page 10

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‘The information is put out Foreigner playing there with the best of intention’ Prince George in October — from page 8 “So one of the first things that we say is go back and look at the coding guidelines and make sure front-line staff who are capturing this information are clear on how that’s collected because you have to understand and trust a number before you can say, ‘Is this a practice problem or a data quality issue,’” Paris said. The numbers seen in the report are indicators but don’t tell the whole story at Gateway Lodge. Gateway Lodge has a special care unit housing 14 residents who are extremely cognitively impaired. It’s the only special care unit of its kind in Northern

Health. “What the risk-adjusted number is saying is that even though we’ve taken into account the fact that you have a certain percentage of the population with advanced cognitive impairment, you’re still looking high,” Paris said about Gateway Lodge. “The idea of CIHI putting this information out into the public domain is certainly not to point fingers or to single out the poor performers.” It is an opportunity for organizations to look at information that quickly identifies where there is an issue which can be compared to others, she added.

“The information is put out there with the best of intentions, that the majority of people working in this sector are earnestly and honestly working for the betterment of their residents, and sometimes they just don’t know or sometimes they just need a little extra help to figure out where the issues are,” Paris said. “A lot of homes have jumped on that bandwagon and have worked to try to improve a lot of these quality indicators. That’s the general trend that this sector is going towards. They are in a lot better shape than they were 10 years ago in terms of comfort and understanding the use of performance measures.”

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

band as cold as ice is jumping the Prince George border, and they are willing to sacrifice our love. This band is hot blooded. Check it and see. They are juke box heroes who urgently fired up the airwaves of the ’80s and ’90s. But when they come to CN Centre on Oct. 20 it’ll feel like the first time. They can’t stop now, they’ve travelled so far to know

what love is, and the answer all along was classic rock. If you still want to know who this band is, if you want me to show you, look no further than the Mick Jones power-band Foreigner. You’ll find them on every rock retrospective worth its salt, after they sold more than 80 million records and rocketed 16 singles into the Billboard Top 30 over their illustrious career. They have an entire greatest hits album’s worth of singalong favourites. — see BAND HITS, page 14

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Mom still has hope for missing son Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff It’s been a decade since Lucas Degerness went missing but his mother still holds out hope the mystery of his disappearance will be solved – and better yet, they will be reunited. At age 14, Lucas disappeared from Prince George Secondary School on June 7, 2007. His mother, Gina Degerness, later discovered he had spent that summer night at a friend’s house and left sometime in the morning. He has not been seen since. Through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Gina sent out the following message: “Yet again, son, I haven’t heard your voice or seen your handsome face in so many years. This horrible limbo of a life Degerness is wearing me out. My heart breaks a little more each day. “I am super sad and hope that you have the heart to contact us. If you are unable to do so, perhaps someone who does know what has happened will contact us. There are many ways to do so and remain anonymous. I love you son, no matter what.” Her hopes were buoyed in March 2014 when the centre’s tipline received a call from a male stating he was Lucas Degerness. There were details about the short call that gave Gina hope that this could truly be him, including the name the caller used for her and the way he said his last name, which is usually mispronounced. But it’s been silence since then. “Heartbreak is all too familiar for families of missing children, but calls like this bring new hope,” said MissingKids.ca director Christy Dzikowicz. “We have so much hope that Lucas is out there and that the public can help. Look at the age progression photo – really look. “Does he look familiar to you? He could be anywhere in Canada, but we believe he is out there somewhere.” Anyone who has “even the smallest piece of information” on Lucas is asked to send tips to MissingKids.ca online, by calling 1-866-KID-TIPS (543-8477) or by calling Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Band hits 40 this year — from page 10 But there’s no escaping the significance of the single I Want To Know What Love Is which has been frequently cited as one of the most beloved and influential rock songs in history. It is a vocalist’s showstopper. This power ballad was on their fifth album, Agent Provocateur, and was ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 500 songs ever. Famous covers have been done by Tina Arena, Wynonna Judd, Mariah Carey, and last year they even redid the song themselves with Fun frontman Nate Ruess handling the vocals. The band turns 40 years old this year, and to mark the occasion, a 40-song retrospective package has been built into a featured memento for their current international tour. That tour includes Prince George. Also coming next year: a live-stage rock musical called Juke Box Hero that uses the ubiquitous music of Foreigner as the soundtrack to the drama. “I never could have imagined when I set out to create Foreigner 40 years ago, that we’d still be touring around the world and performing the music we love all these years later,” said Jones. “I am so proud that these songs will now be reinterpreted for stage, and am honored by the team that is helping bring this music to life. I can’t express the gratitude I feel when fans share stories of how our songs have been woven into their milestones and memories over

AP file photo

Foreigner will be playing CN Centre in Prince George on Oct. 20. the years. I had so many great times with Foreigner in Canada and I look forward to bringing the band back here for our 40th anniversary tour.” The October tour also brings another classic rock favourite to Prince George, a band that has been here several times, including a 2011 fundraiser rock show for

Spirit Of The North Healthcare Foundation and last summer’s Pacific Western Brewing tailgate party. Honeymoon Suite will bring their crunchy hit-list to open the Foreigner show – songs like Lethal Weapon, New Girl Now, Feel It Again, Bad Attitude, What Does It Take, Still Lovin’ You and many others that rocked the radio and vamped the

video circuits alongside Foreigner in their mutual heydays. Tickets to this double-bill power show are now on sale at the CN Centre box office and all Ticketmaster platforms. Prices range from about $70-90 depending on taxes/sales charges at point of purchase.

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Former football player falls for figure skating Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

he first time she saw him skate, Andrea Ludditt was worried about Lincoln Dodyk. Having just made the switch from the football field to the figure skating rink, the stocky 11-year-old was a bit of a bull in a china shop, not knowing how to put on the brakes. When he fell, the earth shuddered just a bit. “When he first came onto the ice in September he actually was scary to me because I could just see this kid coming to me fullcrank and I knew he couldn’t stop,” said Ludditt, who coaches

figure skating at the Northern B.C. Centre for Skating. “He took some bad falls, things that I thought were session-ending, and he just got right back up. “It’s a cool story. He worked hard, he was very enthusiastic and improved a ton. He picked it up really quickly, making the transition from old hockey skates to figure skates. He has a lot of energy and a lot of personality and he’s so proud of what he’s doing.” And he should be proud. In April, Dodyk was selected by Skate BC as the CanSkate skater of the year for the B.C/Yukon section. He received his award at a ceremony May 6 in Burnaby and 2014 Olympic silver medalist Kevin Reynolds was on hand to

He picked it up really quickly, making the transition from old hockey skates to figure skates. He has a lot of energy and a lot of personality and he’s so proud of what he’s doing. — Andrea Ludditt, coach give him his trophy. “It was amazing, it was like a dream – it’s the coolest thing

ever,” said Dodyk, a Grade 6 student at Lac des Bois elementary school. “I could barely stand on my skates my first day and I had to teach myself. They started doing laps around and then they started going backwards, but it was still fun.” After Dodyk spent three months in the Northern B.C. Centre for Skating’s CanSkate learn-to-skate program, Ludditt saw improvement in his skating and couldn’t help but notice how enthused he was about sticking with figure skating. So in December she suggested he join the club’s junior academy program. Still carving the ice in hockey skates, Dodyk continued to progress and by March his parents Tammy and

Ted decided it was time to invest in figure skates, with toe picks and more ankle support to help him learn his jumps and spins. Dodyk started football when he was seven, and twice won the coach’s choice award because he showed no fear and a willingness to follow instructions. By his mom’s admission, he played the game with abandon to the point where she and her husband were worried about him getting hurt. “He played football for four years and was on the centre line in a grunt position and he’s always been the guy who pushes people around, and the next thing you know he’s doing Salchows,” laughed Tammy. — see ‘WE’RE TOTALLY, page 16

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‘We’re totally proud of him’

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Lincoln Dodyk, centre, accepts his award as CanSkate skater of the year for the B.C./Yukon section from Kevin Reynolds, the 2014 Olympic silver medalist and 2017 Canadian silver medalist, and Larkyn Austman, who finished fourth at the 2017 Canadian championships.

— from page 15 “We’re totally proud of him. I thought it was spam when we got the email (to inform them about his award). It seemed kind of unreal because he just started,” Tammy added. “He couldn’t skate for his life when he started and he ended up doing well and now he’s figure skating. He’s so light on his feet in comparison to how he was before.” The four-foot-eight, 100-pound Dodyk has three years of martial arts behind him as a member of Family Tae Kwon-do and now has his blue stripe belt, halfway to achieving his black belt. He also took up tap dancing, to become more limber. His initial plan was to take CanSkate lessons, then join hockey, but Ludditt suggested he pursue figure skating. “I tried it out and I ended up loving it,” said Dodyk. “I didn’t even know I could spin on ice and that’s pretty easy now. I want to thank my coaches, Andrea and Rory (Allen), they basically taught me everything.” Lincoln’s dad, Ted, played hockey for 20 years and wanted his son to learn how to power skate, just like he did when he was a kid. “Power skating was a big influence in my career playing hockey so we put him into the CanSkate program specifically for power skating and it was a surprise to everybody when they moved him up to junior academy in figure skating,” said Ted. “It turned out to be pretty fantastic. He really likes it. “He’s always been a kid who gets knocked down and just gets back up. That’s what made him a pretty good football player and I think that’s what makes him a good skater. It takes a lot of heart.” Dodyk says he misses football and would go back to it, if his parents allow it. He won’t get back on the ice until August but until then he’ll be fully immersed in the club’s off-season dryland training program,

He’s very smart and has a knack for picking up instructions and technique. He’s strong and sturdy on his feet with good control of his body and his edges. — Andrea Ludditt, coach working out twice a week at the Northern Sport Centre. “We have a lot of work to do but that’s OK,” said Ludditt. “He’s very smart and has a knack for picking up instructions and technique. He’s strong and sturdy on his feet with good control of his body and his edges. “He definitely doesn’t have the natural build for skating. Who knows, he might be a pairs skater someday. “Sometimes personality and character and grit and hard work trumps a lot of things. He’s fearless and he’s tough and it’s as exciting for me as it is for everybody because I’ve never seen this before. I’m really proud of him and I’m glad our paths crossed. He’s such a great example to the other kids.” Like many of the older club athletes, junior national skater Justin Hampole, a bronze medalist at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, helps teach the CanSkate program and demonstrates his tougher elements to the younger kids. He impressed Dodyk when he landed a triple jump on the practice ice. They’re part of a group of nine male skaters in the club. “I loved that, it was really cool,” said Dodyk. “He’s always around the rink. “It makes me feel better to have other boys around. If I was the only boy around all those girls it would be weird.”

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Restraint reporting flawed, Northern Health says Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

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Gateway Lodge Seniors home at Victoria Street and 20th Avenue in Prince George.

orthern Health has been incorrectly reporting the extent of daily physical restraint use in long term care facilities for years, the Prince George manager of long term care facilities

said. A Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) report says Northern Health had 24 per cent of long-term care residents in daily physical restraints during 2014-15, the most recent year numbers are available, compared to the provincial rate of 9.6 per cent and the national rate of 7.4 per cent. “So last year, when I became aware of the discrepancy, I was like ‘That’s huge, what’s going on?’” said Gregory Marr, Northern Health’s manager of long term care, assisted living and short stay programs for Prince George. “We implemented a new model last year. Basically, most staff had it in their minds a seat belt is a restraint. “Walking through Gateway today you see about half the people who live here are in wheelchairs and all wheelchairs have a seat belt.” According to the CIHI report, 32.4 per cent of Gateway residents were placed in

We implemented a new model last year. Basically, most staff had it in their minds a seat belt is a restraint. — Gregory Marr, Northern Health physical restraints daily in 2014-15, the second highest rate in Northern Health only to Fort. St. John’s Peace Villa that reported 40.1 per cent of residents in daily restraints. The focus on the new training and education model is to make sure staff understand the definition of restraint. “Is it preventing someone from doing something they otherwise could?” said Marr. “Does that person have the ability to be mobile? So there’s a bit more to it that determines if a seat belt is actually a restraint. “So we did a lot of work with staff and when I looked over the last three months of our data for Gateway we’re at 4.8 per cent so we’re right in line now with where we’d expect to be and honestly the main contributing factor was a misunderstanding – and it’s a historical misunderstanding – as to seat belt equals restraint.” — see ‘IT’S REALLY, page 19

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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‘It’s really important to report data correctly’ — from page 18 While Marr points to the incorrect reporting of restraint use as the main cause of Northern Health’s high numbers, one outside specialist is questioning that explanation. Dr. Samir Sinha, the director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network Hospitals in Toronto as well as the expert lead of Ontario’s Seniors Strategy, said incorrect reporting could be only part of the cause. “Obviously the northern authority as well as the B.C. government and the patients and providers in those local communities want to be giving the best care they can,

but right now the data that they’re producing is not reflecting that they are doing so,” Sinha said. The information that is being reported by Northern Health is data being shared with the world, he added. “It’s really important to report data correctly because right now there is a perception that there’s inappropriately high utilization,” Sinha said. “But if staff are indeed reporting correctly then maybe a different response is needed to make sure staff and families there are feeling supported so that we can try and see if we can actually meet a better rate of restraint use in those homes.”

The main thing I focus on day-to-day is that we’re delivering personcentred care and person-centred care is evidenced by having individual care plans and that’s done regularly... — Gregory Marr, Northern Health Marr said the reason he didn’t notice the reported restraint use

numbers going out to CIHI was that his focus has been elsewhere in the three years he’s been manager for Prince George’s long term care facilities. “The main thing I focus on day-to-day is that we’re delivering person-centred care and person-centred care is evidenced by having individual care plans and that’s done regularly and it’s updated and having staff delivering unique person-centred care to every single person who lives here and not just generic care,” Marr said. Data like the numbers seen in the CIHI report for restraint use is powerful, since it provides an overview beyond focusing on

individual cases, Sinha said. “Because it behooves all of us to say what’s happening in these homes,” he added. “If it’s simply a reporting issue then let’s fix that, but if it’s not a reporting issue and it’s an actual care issue, then let’s make sure that the staff in those homes have the resources and tools they need so they can provide the best possible care for the residents.” Each person who is in a long term care facility goes through a process called the resident assessment instrument or RAI, according to Andrea Palmer, regional manager, public affairs and media relations for Northern Health. — see ‘WE HOPE, page 20

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GATEWAYnews

Man given two-year wait for MRI Christine HINZMANN Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

Prince George man with an injured shoulder that causes him bouts of excruciating pain was told he had to wait nearly 800 days for a diagnostic MRI. Roy Smith, 77, couldn’t believe it when he got the call May 30 that told him the magnetic resonance imaging procedure was scheduled at UHNBC for Aug. 8, 2019. “So I get a phone call,” Smith said. “They’ve got me a date. They said Aug. 8, I said ‘oh, that’s good.’ She said ‘no it’s not, it’s 2019.’ I said ‘you’re kidding me’ and she said ‘I don’t

kid about things like this.’” Not wanting to wait 793 days, Smith made another appointment to see his doctor Monday morning, hoping to see if he could be moved up. “I told him I was in excruciating pain and I couldn’t stand it any longer,” Smith said. That very afternoon, he got another call from the MRI scheduling office. “I got another appointment,” Smith said. “It’s on Nov. 15, 2017. That’s not too bad. I can wait ’til then.” Smith injured his left shoulder by simply using his arms to help him get out of a chair one day last September. — see NORTHERN HEALTH, page 21

Canadian Institute for Health Information graph

This graph shows the average daily restraint use in Northern Health, Gateway Lodge, British Columbia and the country.

‘We hope to see an improvement in reporting numbers’ — from page 19 One hundred elements are used to create a comprehensive profile of a client. Staff whom conduct the assessments do two-days of mandatory training that provides education. “Those education sessions focus on the coding conventions of all the different items within the RAI assessment, including use of restraints,” Palmer said. “So restraint definition and coding conventions involving restraints are just examples of many areas of focus in the RAI assessment. Because it tends to be a problematic section in ensuring consistent interpretation, extra time is spent on these items in particular.” Sinha said he’s sure the B.C. Ministry of Health would probably love to see all of its homes performing equally well. “There’s no reason why if we’re providing inequitable care in one part of the province I’m sure everybody would be motivated to say what is it exactly that we need to do – it could be a staffing issue, could be a knowledge and skills gap,” Sinha said.

“It could be a reporting issue so let’s use this opportunity to figure it out because we owe it to the residents in those communities to make sure we can provide them with the best possible care. And that’s the power of data.” Education for all Northern Health staff is continually available and updated often, Palmer said. “In addition to targeted training we have very recently implemented a Community of Practice for RAI,” Palmer said. The team consists of representatives from all long-term care facilities who lead and share best practices regarding restraint use and other residential health care practices, she added. There will now be a quarterly review across Northern Health to monitor restraint use and address concerns and issues. “Part of that review will include targeted data cleanup,” Palmer said. “We hope to see an improvement in reporting numbers in the next reporting period.” CIHI compiles and reports health region data on an annual basis, she added.

GATEWAYnews

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Northern Health installing additional MRIs — from page 20 “I heard a cracking and tearing sound,” Smith recalled. He thought he pulled a muscle and the pain kind of went away so he didn’t bother with it. “A couple of weeks ago it came up really bad.” His arm from the shoulder right to halfway down his knuckles was black. “It left me in really bad pain,” Smith said, who spent the night in hospital as a result May 10. Then on Friday, May 12, I called 911 again.” This time not only is his arm black but along the side of his body, too. “The doctor suggested that I get an MRI,” Smith said. “I didn’t get one.” He was sent home again. His arm went back to its normal colour by May 20 but he was still having lots of pain, he added. He uses a sling to keep his arm immobile and he needs to lift his arm with his other hand to move it. “The pain is like a nagging toothache and then a couple of times a day it flares up for about an hour or so and then it feels like someone’s sticking pins into the joint,” Smith said. He went back to his family doctor who ordered the MRI. The University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George just got a brand new MRI in February worth $2.86 million. An MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to see detailed images of muscles, ligaments, cartilage and other joint structures, which is better than an X-ray, ultrasound, or CT scan, explained a Northern Health press release dated Feb. 9, 2017. When the news of his appointment date sank in for Smith, he was upset to hear how long he had to wait. “I’m 77 now and I’ll be 80 by the time I get it done,” Smith said. “And that’s just the MRI. Just to see what the surgeon has to do.” Before finding out his date had been moved up, Smith had looked at other

The pain is like a nagging toothache and then a couple of times a day it flares up for about an hour or so and then it feels like someone’s sticking pins into the joint. — Roy Smith alternatives to have it done privately, which means at his own cost. After making some calls of inquiry, he learned if he went to Vancouver the MRI would have cost him more than $2,000 and in Dawson Creek the cost quoted to him was $1,500. He considered it. Northern Health recognizes that wait lists for MRI are long, Eryn Collins, communications officer said. “That is why we are quite excited to have three new MRI machines coming online this year, one of which is already operational at UHNBC,” Collins said. “The other two are going into Terrace and Fort St. John. Both of those construction projects are underway.” Terrace’s MRI will see patients being diagnosed in the summer, while in Fort St. John the date is late summer, early fall, she added. “That will see some MRI procedures scheduled for here repatriated back to those regions and that will add capacity in UHNBC and should significantly bring those wait lists down,” Collins said. “We will now have three MRI referral points in the north as opposed to just one.” Currently there are 6,000 MRI procedures done at UHNBC each year and the forecast is an increase to 7,000 annually. Both the Terrace and Fort St. John MRIs are slated to see 2,000 procedures each in their first year of operation, with room for growth if required, Collins said.

Citizen file photo

Roy Smith has damage to his left arm which has resulted in his inability to use it. His doctor prescribed an MRI, which was scheduled for Aug. 8, 2019.

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GATEWAYnews

PJ Masks live show coming to CN Centre Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

hey are little, they are mysterious, they are heroes. The three cartoon stars of PJ Masks are coming together for a real-life appearance at CN Centre. PJ Masks is the new hit show from the Entertainment One studios.

In the movie sphere, they produced critically acclaimed films like Trumbo and Spotlight, in television they are behind Mary Kills People, Saving Hope and many more titles, and their shows for kids include The Magic Hockey Skates, Peppa Pig and these powerful children’s characters who have quickly become favourites among adventure-loving tots. “PJ Masks, the hit series, follows the thrilling nighttime adven-

tures of three young friends who transform into their dynamic alter egos – Catboy, Owlette and Gekko – when they put on their pajamas at night and activate their (wrist bands),” said a statement from CN Centre staff. These heroes and their nemeses The Baddies will all come to life for a musical stage show that tells an entertaining story and also inspires children to imagine what fun can happen behind the shad-

ows of night and within themselves. The show happens Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. at CN Centre. Tickets range in price starting at $25, with $35 and $45 options as well and special VIP passes for $79, plus applicable local service charges. This unique performance is “powered by Northern FanCon” with a special ticketing partnership that gets you two entertainment events for the one price.

According to organizers from CN Centre, where the annual Northern FanCon entertainment and culture convention happens each year, “everyone who comes to PJ Masks will be given a free three day children’s pass to the Northern FanCon 2018. Northern FanCon 2018 pass is valid for children 12 years and younger.” Tickets to see PJ Masks in Prince George are on sale at all Ticketmaster sales platforms.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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