FRIDAY
< On the road in Montana
JULY 12, 2013
Bandits play five-game tournament in Polson | Page 8
STORIES OR IDEAS TO SHARE?
The Sounds of Silence >
Drop us an email, a Tweet, a Facebook message, or give us a call if you have any story ideas you would like to share.
Kimberley without KIOTAC| Page 7
www.dailytownsman.com
1
$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
Vol. 61, Issue 135
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
Cuts to nursing program impact special needs kids
Union says one part-time nurse now provides assessments for 30 special-needs children throughout the East Kootenay S A L LY M AC D O N A L D Townsman Staff
East Kootenay children with special needs may not be getting the attention they need after cuts to a nursing program based in Cranbrook.
According to Patt Shuttleworth, chair of the B.C. Nurses Union, East Kootenay region, a full-time nurse retired in May as the lone coordinator of the Nursing Support Services program
for the region, overseen by Interior Health Authority. She was replaced by a parttime nurse working half of those hours. “The senior experienced nurse with 17 years of on-
the-job and specialty paediatric training retired from the position and the position was then reduced to a 0.5 position which was accepted by a new grad,” explained Shuttleworth.
The Nursing Support Services program covers about 30 children throughout the East Kootenay, from Golden to Cranbrook and Creston to Sparwood. “We really are concerned
BRANDY ADAMS PHOTO
It’s Summer Camp Season, and there is no better place for kids and counsellors alike than the beautiful environs of Blue Lake Camp. Blue Lake Summer Camps are now up and running, but registrations are still being accepted for Summer Camp and for the Blue Lake Eco-Fun Summer Day Camp in Cranbrook. For more information or to register contact 250-426-3676 or visit www.bluelakecentre.com. Pictured above: Counsellor “Brasco” and some camp attendees take a moment to relax outside the cabins.
CUPE education workers prepare for job action Local 4165 has issued a strike mandate, but hope bargaining can make headway before September SA LLY MAC DON AL D Townsman Staff
Local education workers are gearing up for job action in September as CUPE workers remain without a collective agreement. CUPE Local 4165 for Southeast Kootenay School
District 5 took a strike vote in April, and had one day of job action on June 13, explained president Sue Krause. “We chose not to allow any of our employers to work any overtime that day. We did that so we wouldn’t
disrupt anything,” said Krause. “It didn’t affect the students, but it did solidify our strike vote so that come September if the ministry does not wish to sit down and come to the bargaining table, we will probably have
to look at further action down the road.” There are more than 400 workers in the Local 4165, employees of School District 5 such as education assistants, clerical staff, trades, aboriginal workers, youth and family workers, custodi-
ans and bus drivers. They are joining the 27,000 CUPE education workers in 53 school districts across B.C. to set a strike mandate.
See CUPE , Page 5
that those children will not get their assessments in time for school in the fall, and their caregivers won’t get timely education for treatments and thus timely interventions will not happen,” said Shuttleworth. According to Interior Health, children from birth to age 18 with special needs can access the program for nursing care. Nurses provide information and consultation about health issues relating to the special need, create a plan for community care, train alternate caregivers, and can provide an athome assessment of medical and respite benefits. “The nurse must assess the children’s needs, develop care plans and assist families and care providers to learn how to implement the required care. Following this the school teachers need to be assisted with the same learning,” explained Shuttleworth. “Where the children are infants, assistance with special needs breastfeeding is often required and due to the cut of the only lactation consultant in the East Kootenay there is no longer a resource for this much-needed and very important skill.” Now, the part-time nurse works alone, with her manager based in Kelowna.
See CUTS , Page 3
Five rescuers
The names of the five Cranbrook campers who participated in the rescue of three stranded recreationalists up the Gray Creek Pass were Mike Krahn, Randy Sluz, Kris Peltzer, Ken Kiever and Shaun Beier. Sluz, Peltzer, Kiever and Beier were not mentioned by name in the Townsman story “Camping Trip Turns Into River Rescue” (Thursday, July 11). The Townsman regrets the omission.