FRIDAY OCT. 19, 2012 VOL. 39, NO. 24
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Are you prepared?
Tips and advice about how to get ready for an emergency
Building green
Landscape designer’s new home in harmony with surroundings
Beautiful things
Get a treasure fix at this Saturday’s auction for Snug Cove House
Pharmacy extends opening hours
As simple as having a plan
SUSANNE MARTIN
SUSANNE MARTIN
EDITOR
EDITOR
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s of November 1, Cates Pharmacy will extended the opening hours on weekdays until 7 p.m. Pharmacist Bud Massender explained that the changes are made because islanders have asked for the option to pick up prescriptions after work, or after getting off the ferry from the mainland. “It’s always been a bit of a problem but a few things have changed,” Massender explained. “We can now accept prescriptions online or by fax from any doctor in Canada and certainly from doctors in town. And staying open until 7 enables us to have the prescription ready when people come off the ferry. We also have a drop box where people can leave their prescriptions forms on their way to work. We are hoping to make it more convenient for people to use our services. Our staff, always considerate and conscientious, has agreed to juggle their shifts to do that. Plus, we now have three pharmacists and can make that happen.” Massender also wants to remind islanders that Cates Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy. “Besides filling prescriptions, all three [pharmacists] are trained to give injections,” he said. “We are going to have a flu clinic and have set aside November 2 and 5 specifically to administer flu shots that will be available throughout the season.” The face of pharmacy has changed in the last couple of years, according to Massender, and now more emphasis is placed on medication management. “We offer free medication reviews for people who are taking at least five different medications, including over the counter stuff,” he said, adding that this is funded by the government and islanders can just call to set up an appointment. “We sit down with them and see if we can make sure they are taking their medicines in the safest and most effective way.” continued PAGE 3
On Wednesday night, the Bowen Island Community School held a Learn, Connect and Engage Community event. After a keynote presentation by West Vancouver School District superintendent Chris Kennedy, students and teachers shared their work with parents and Ella held up her Angry Birds pig. More photos on page 12. Debra Stringfellow photo
hen it comes to emergency preparedness, Amanda Ockeloen is one of the most knowledgable people on Bowen Island. She teaches first aid to adults and children and has also taken on the role of the director for the island’s Emergency Social Services (ESS). And she was part of the ambulance team for seven years before she decided to concentrate more on teaching. She comes to the Undercurrent office with the props she uses for her first aid classes as well as a defibrillator, a piece of life-saving equipment that she wants to make available more widely. Defibrillators cost $1,200 and Ockeloen believes that, in addition to the community recreation office and the municipal hall, they should be available at strategic locations on Bowen Island. “They save lives,” she says. “And I am hoping to have them in the different neighbourhoods. If you live in Hood Point, for example, your chances of surviving a medical emergency reduce of you don’t do CPR or have a defibrillator.” Ockeloen’s goal is to bring various agencies and community groups who contribute to emergency preparedness to the table and start a discussion on how to create awareness on Bowen Island. “We have many different groups in the community that make a contribution,” Ockeloen says. “But sometimes there is a lack of communication. It would be great to build the connections and identify the resources that are available.” Another community resource can be found in the Neighbourhood Emergency Response Persons (NERPs) who put their names forward as contact points in different parts of Bowen Island. Ideally, they are trained in first aid and will point islanders in the right direction, according to Ockeloen. She sees her role as a local advocate but also feels that it is important to be connected to ESS organizations on a regional level. “I want to keep us linked in and have good contacts,” she said. continued PAGE 6