Though it may feel different, as we are learning to live with SARS-CoV-2 as a circulating respiratory virus, we must understand that there remains a global health emergency of which we cannot become complacent. We must still protect those who have been made more vulnerable due to the pandemic, and we must also focus, for example, on long-term data collection for vaccine effectiveness, advancing vaccine equity, and applying lessons from the current pandemic to future threat responses.

Our work, therefore, continues.

The SPEAK Surveys data are critically important to help us understand where to focus our efforts. To date, data show negative impacts on mental health and stress and that societal impacts are inequitably distributed, with families with children, young adults, and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds most impacted. Taking this into consideration, much of the work of public health is shifting from acute, and often real-time, response, to strategic, proactive recovery and addressing the societal consequences of the pandemic and pandemic-related measures, as well as applying lessons to help us prepare for the future. These efforts will take years.

What does this mean for us?

It means we’re actively listening, learning, engaging, and convening work to advance equity, community resiliency, the social determinants of health, and a stronger, innovative public health sector. Here’s a snapshot of some of our current solutions-focused projects and priorities, as we shift towards the future.

• As BC shifts towards pandemic recovery, there is a limited window of opportunity to learn from the experiences of those engaged in the pandemic response and identify areas for improvement to prepare for emerging pathogens and future pandemics. It is critical to learn from the public health experience of the pandemic in order to prepare for the future. We’re funding a project that aims to articulate learnings to inform a provincial pandemic preparedness and response guidance framework, which will ensure BC is ready for future threats.
• Working with Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, we convened a dialogue event to distill key lessons, strengthen partnerships among public health and research stakeholders, and identify structures and mechanisms to support evidence-based practice, policy, and decision-making, as well as community-relevant public health messaging and tools.

• We continue to fund key areas of immunization research and service, with a specific focus on advancing equity for Indigenous communities. This includes vaccine monitoring, reporting, access, and stewardship in the North to strengthen these areas to ensure that Indigenous communities receive the same access to, and supports for, vaccination.
• Evidence of Indigenous-specific racism in the health system surfaced in powerful ways during the pandemic. We’re supporting a project that will systematically look at the ways in which Indigenous-specific racism, white supremacy, and settler colonialism showed up within the public health response.

• Addressing the societal, or unintended, consequences of the pandemic and pandemic-related measures is critical to rebuilding, recovery, and resiliency. Working with the Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control, we’re providing grants across the province focusing on equity in regional health authorities and local communities.
• One fundamental consequence of the pandemic is that youth mental health and wellbeing has been negatively impacted—data from the SPEAK surveys have demonstrated that this must be a core area of work for public health. We’re supporting provincial research to understand the needs and gaps, and build and strengthen interventions for youth.

We look forward to sharing outcomes of these and other projects in future stories and as we advance our new strategic plan to help shape public health over the coming years by focusing on equity, partnerships, innovation, and social justice, anti-racism, and truth and reconciliation. 

Together… a constant theme

In early 2020, our Executive Director wrote her first reflections blog, followed by a second reflections piece in early 2022—the theme of both was ‘together.’

In 2023, ‘together’ remains a core theme.

Much of what we are learning and hearing is that public health needs to do a better job of incorporating your voices. The SPEAK Surveys are a vital tool, and one example. Public engagement is important to us, as it brings us together and ensures public health is working for you.

Our work has been, and will continue to be, accomplished together through collaboration and partnerships. This also means our donor community and we’re continuing to advance efforts through Your Health, Our Commitment — a way for you to get involved and help too—gifts to Your Health, Our Commitment will advance the projects above and other critical initiatives.

National COVID-19 Awareness Day was March 11th, to commemorate the day the WHO declared a global pandemic in 2020, offering a day to both remember and to look ahead, and bring people and communities together. As we focus on learning from the pandemic, supporting recovery efforts, and addressing the societal consequences, let’s not forget we still have work to do, together. 

The post New Pandemic Recovery Projects Helping BC Advance Equity and Community Resiliency appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

We know that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been equally distributed; older and younger adults have been disproportionately impacted, as well as people who already experience health inequities, intersecting inequities, and broader systemic inequities.

The pandemic has had vast and lasting impacts on us all and it has greatly exacerbated existing inequities for those already made vulnerable due to systemic barriers. It has shown us where we need to provide better, stronger public health solutions. We have much work to do to recover and address the societal consequences of the pandemic, and protect everyone in BC as we begin to live safely and thoughtfully with the current state.

We are committed to prioritizing BC’s recovery, addressing the societal consequences of the pandemic, and supporting BC through this next phase through our newest campaign, Your Health, Our Commitment.

Since February 2020, we’re proud to be playing an important role in supporting BC’s COVID-19 public health response. Over the past few years, thanks to our donors and partners, we’re supporting: population health monitoring critical for decision-making that is grounded in experiences; vaccine research, including vaccine effectiveness and helping to build vaccine confidence; key tools such as wastewater testing; and much more.

From understanding how the virus mutates and spreads, to the rapid development of novel vaccines, we’ve learned so much about the science of COVID-19, and we’re in a much different place than we were a few years ago. At the same time, we’ve also learned quite a bit about the societal aspects of the pandemic as well.

Just as we were able to come together in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, it’s time to mobilize again to rebuild, reimagine, and recover. Together, we can design a stronger, healthier, more equitable future. This is our commitment to your health.

Through Your Health, Our Commitment, we will keep working with our partners and donors to support BC in preparing for, and responding to, threats to the health of our communities now and into the future.

You can be a part of this next phase, too. By donating to Your Health, Our Commitment, you join a community of donors, public health organizations, government, academics, health practitioners, and other funders to foster healthy communities and strengthen our responses for the future.

A gift to Your Health, Our Commitment will:

• support research and people;
• address the long-term negative societal and health impacts of the pandemic;
• provide critical public health solutions for capacities and infrastructure;
• translate knowledge to action in practice and policy;
• bolster collaboration across the public health sector;
• mobilize evidence-based information to increase public knowledge; and
• enable us to direct funding in a responsive, and nimble way as we continue to deal with the flux of our times.

We invite you to join us with a donation to Your Health, Our Commitment and help us support pandemic recovery, strengthen public health, and build resilient communities for all.

The post Your Health, Our Commitment: Our New Campaign to Support Pandemic Recovery, Strengthen Public Health, and Build Resilient Communities For All appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey and Dashboard

One of the first key projects we supported in May 2020 was the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey: Your Story, Our Future, the largest-ever population health survey at that time in Canada with nearly 400,000 respondents. The purpose of the survey was to learn about British Columbians’ experiences, knowledge, and actions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this survey provided our public health leaders with vital knowledge that helped shaped BC’s COVID-19 response.

Some of the key results of the SPEAK Survey included:

• British Columbians were following public health advice.
• People of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds were impacted differently by COVID-19.
• Those with lower income suffered more negative economic and health consequences due to COVID-19.
• Those ages 18-29 and families with children reported greater mental health and economic burden throughout COVID-19.

The data from the SPEAK Survey were made available for all British Columbians through an interactive dashboard. The data not only offers evidence of how COVID-19 is impacting people in all corners of BC, but it also provides the public with a tool to look at and understand the data themselves, in particular what is happening at their regional and community levels.

Drawing heavily on the BC SPEAK data, as well as quantitative and qualitative findings, including quotes from young adults in BC describing the impacts of the pandemic in their own voice, the BCCDC COVID-19 Young Adult Task Force Report “Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia” was released in July 2021. In total, the report contains 32 specific recommendations spread across nine key areas of action and priorities.

BC COVID-19 SPEAK 2 Survey and Dashboard

Thanks again to our donors, we funded the BC COVID-19 SPEAK 2 Survey in 2021, which invited British Columbians to share about their experience one year into the pandemic. This second iteration of the population-level survey focused on gathering evidence at a second time point in the pandemic, as well as for recovery efforts and vaccination programming. More specifically, the “SPEAK 2 Survey” addressed four key areas:

• Life during the pandemic: How British Columbians’ behaviours and experiences have changed over the course of the pandemic.
• Vaccines: What barriers exist to accessing vaccines.
• Innovation and adaptation: How things have changed and how these changes have impacted British Columbians.
• Recovery: What supports are needed to help British Columbians through recovery from the pandemic.

Some examples of how the data are being used include to:

• Inform re-opening plans for safe return to school for kindergarten to grade 12 and the return of in-person post-secondary education.
• Model the impact of the pandemic and informed restart plans.
• Target education and interventions to areas with high vaccine hesitancy levels and inform COVID-19 vaccine program decisions and equity considerations.
• Raise discussions with medical and health leaders around virtual health and healthcare access.
• Raise discussions with community stakeholders to target supports and initiatives to improve mental health.
• Inform recovery priorities in supporting the health and wellbeing of young adults aged 18-29 years and their communities across BC.

A second interactive dashboard to reflect the data from the SPEAK 2 Survey was also made available to the public, and more sub-analyses and reports are expected to come from SPEAK 2 Survey data.

It is imperative that we collaborate across sectors, and with diverse stakeholders, to support and undertake more research and to take action to address the unintended consequences and inequities perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, we continue to raise funds and undertake COVID-19 response and recovery work. If you’d like to make a donation, please go here or call 604-707-2415.

For updates on this work and other related projects, go here.

The post COVID-19 Response: Population Health Evidence to Action  appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

• The strategic plan and priorities of the BCCDC Foundation;
• Organizational and financial growth and sustainability;
• Consistent achievement of the mission, vision, and mandate of the BCCDC Foundation;
• Continued successful growth of the Foundation’s reputation, influence, and impact as a public health charity.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Donor relations: issue tax receipts, prepare donor acknowledgment letters, tribute giving materials; communicate with donors by phone and email;
• Database administration and management in the DonorPerfect database: process donations; ensure data integrity; update donor and prospective donor contact information; create reports and analyze fundraising results;
• Support stewardship initiatives: special donor mailings; digital communications and newsletters;
• Use and optimize opportunities with Grant Advance and iWave research programs;
• Direct response program support: logistics, list generation, and analytics;
• Manage and grow monthly giving and mid-level giving programs;
• Collaborate with the Communications Department on fundraising communications and plans, stewardship, and Direct Response program;
• Event support: logistical support for donor events, community events, and other donor engagement activities, including preparing invitations and follow up materials;
• Collaborate with the Operations and Finance team;
• Support Communications Department, as needed;
• Research and identify potential donors; assist with briefings;
• Scheduling and administrative support for external meetings and planning;
• Prepare regular reports for senior staff as required;
• Other duties, as required.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in donor relations, fundraising, member services, or client-facing roles;
• Demonstrated communications/marketing experience;
• Experience in public health, a health-related field and/or social justice an asset;
• Strong relationships building skills with an ability to develop a positive rapport with a diverse range of individuals;
• Sound computer skills and experience with DonorPerfect, other CRMs, Microsoft Office applications; research tools such as iWave and Grant Advance; Mailchimp, Adobe, and Canva would be highly desirable;
• Commitment to the vision, mission, values, and priorities of the BCCDC Foundation, as well as the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards;
• Ability to efficiently organize and manage diverse projects while meeting multiple deadlines, along with thorough attention to all details and consistent follow through;
• Ability to work flexible hours on occasion, based on predictable activities like early meetings and late events;
• Highly collaborative team member who enjoys working with a large variety of stakeholders.

Attributes:

• Driven and perseverant. Undaunted by challenges, and approaches opportunities with an open and positive mindset. Self-motivated and tenacious. 
• Adaptable. Smart and clever with flexible thinking and a creative outlook. Able to deal with the unexpected. Models and enables creative thinking, curiosity, and innovation to create new solutions. An excellent problem-solver.
• Collaborative. A true team player without ego or pretension, yet confident in their abilities and expertise. Cultivates strong and trusting relationships. Values good and open communication.  Fosters respect, authenticity, emotional intelligence, responsibility, and accountability.
• Mission-aligned and dedicated. Holds genuine excitement for the Foundation’s mission and is willing to immerse themselves in public health, the social determinants of health, and harm reduction. Socially and politically progressive and open minded. Passionate and caring. 
• Committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. Committed to social justice, anti-racism, and anti-Indigenous racism.

This role is based in the Lower Mainland. Our team is participating in hybrid in-office and remote work and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We value in-person collaboration opportunities and also support all employees in creating remote work schedules that work best for them and the organization. Therefore, you must be able to successfully and comfortably manage time, tasks, and work functions via remote work.

We value a diverse team. Applications are strongly encouraged from all qualified individuals regardless of disability, culture, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, or religion. The BCCDC Foundation’s work focuses on addressing health inequities; as such our fundraising practices and program areas are developed through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, anti-oppression and Reconciliation.

Application deadline: February 12, 2022

Please email cover letter and resume to info@bccdcfoundation.org

We would like to thank all applicants, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

About Us

The BCCDC Foundation for Population and Public Health (The Foundation) works in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), and other stakeholders to improve public health outcomes. The Foundation puts healthy humans at the centre of health planning and funding. The only Foundation of its kind in Canada, the Foundation and its partners are building the model for public health that can be emulated across the country, and are best positioned to do so.

The BCCDC Foundation has been in a growth phase for the last several years. By working on key health promotion, prevention, and equity initiatives, our goal is to positively shift the health of our population and reduce the burden of disease and injury. Our priorities are: reducing harms; addressing threats; and emerging areas. For instance, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to support pandemic response efforts and are positioned to continue this work to enhance our public health system in BC to prepare for and respond to future emerging threats. Another example is our work to address the overdose crisis—a public health emergency declared in 2016 and increasingly getting worse as the drug supply becomes more toxic and the pandemic has pushed more people into isolation.

We have funded more than 100 projects since our inception. For stories on our work, please visit: https://bccdcfoundation.org/whats-new/blog-posts/

As the philanthropic partner of the BCCDC, the Foundation operates as a tax-exempt charity with its own Board and administration; as such, it is an arm’s length organization that supports public health broadly. The Foundation is modelled in a way that we support public health and the BCCDC in unique ways through fundraising, grants and awards, communications, knowledge translation, as well as public education and awareness. By bringing these aspects to the excellent work of the BCCDC and the public health system, we provide a value-add for BC. This is an exciting time to be working in public health.  Join us in securing more private funding at a pivotal time for the province and beyond.

The post Now Hiring: Development Coordinator appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

The post Newsletter #27: August 2021 appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Commissioned by Dr Réka Gustafson, Vice-President, Public Health and Wellness and Deputy Provincial Health Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority, and with contributions from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, this evidence-based report is the first to summarize how the pandemic has impacted young adults across Canada.

The aim of this report is to inform recovery priorities to support the lifelong health and well-being of young adults and their communities across BC. The report provides tangible actions to do just that.

For example, actions must: address challenges to economic well-being and opportunities; improve mental health, well-being, and social connectedness; encourage health promoting behaviours; and promote young adults’ voices and engagement. These are just a few areas of action.

But, more data and research is also needed particularly to address gaps in the understanding of the impacts on, for example, those who experience systemic racism or those who are stigmatized due to their gender identity, and for Indigenous young adults.

“Ensuring there is a comprehensive monitoring system put in place will help to identify and address the long-term impacts of the pandemic on this young population, most importantly for those who were already disproportionately impacted before the pandemic. More research is needed to fully understand and take action on reducing inequities for racialized, Indigenous, and young people with disabilities that have been exacerbated during the pandemic.” ​

-Dr Hasina Samji, BC Centre for Disease Control and Simon Fraser University

We must judiciously prioritize the actions for those who were already facing inequities that have been further worsened. Societal impacts have not been distributed equitably, and for those young adults who may have already been facing difficulties with limited resources, stress, or additional barriers such as social determinants like race and disability, may exacerbate the inequities by placing extra burden on these groups. Further, the changing impact of COVID-19 due to variants of concern and potential prolonged measures to address the pandemic, may put added pressures on young people.

The report also shares the lived experience of young adults themselves who report feeling disempowered and unheard, their voices missing from pandemic dialogue and conversations about measures and impacts. Healthy policy and planning often discounts young adults because they represent a smaller proportion of voter turnout.

In total, the report contains 32 specific recommendations spread across nine key areas of action and priorities. It is imperative that we collaborate across sectors, and with diverse stakeholders, to support and undertake more research and to take action to address the unintended consequences and inequities perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We remain committed to supporting COVID-19 response and recovery in the best ways we can, through research, collaboration, awareness, investment, and addressing inequities.

“The transition to online is honestly a very lonely one, and I am sure that many students are feeling very isolated and restless with the limited amount of people they can see and things they can do. I think that moving forward society as a whole should be more mindful of everyone’s invisible struggles, and work together to build safe, understanding, and caring professional, social, and academic environments.”

-SFU student, 2020**

Bringing in more voices and lived experience of young adults will help guide the way forward.

Read the full report.
Read the summary report.

*Samji H, Dove N, Ames M, Barbic S, Sones M, Leadbeater B, for the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control COVID-19 Young Adult Task Force. 2021. Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.
**Data used in this blog are from the report, with exception of the direct quote by Dr Samji

The post Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Over 50 BC businesses supported these efforts as well, some finding innovative ways to raise money for the cause.

Meanwhile, as donations to our Emergency Response Fund began to come in, through our existing resources we were able to rapidly fund a study led by microbiology researchers at the BC Centre for Disease Control that tested for COVID-19 in BC’s wastewater to help track the spread of the virus in our communities. Stay tuned for updates on this project.

We’re also proud to have funded the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey: Your Story, Our Future which helped researchers learn about the experiences, knowledge, and actions of the people living in our province. Completed by nearly 400,000 British Columbians, the first BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey was the largest population health survey ever conducted in Canada at that time.

Following the survey, we funded the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey Dashboard, an interactive platform showcasing the results of the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey, putting the data in the hands of the public, allowing them to see what was happening in their specific communities, as well as helping them to understand the experiences of British Columbians as a whole.

One of the key findings of the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey showed that young adults were among the hardest hit by the pandemic and related response measures, resulting in “Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia,” a report that will be used to support the health and well-being of young adults and their communities across BC.

Researchers at the BC Centre for Disease Control were also interested in understanding the experiences of British Columbians one year into the pandemic, resulting in us funding the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey Round 2! (And stay tuned, because we’re currently working on knowledge translation work with the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey team that we’re excited to share with you soon!)

But raising money isn’t all we do; as a public health organization, and especially in the midst of a public health crisis, we also have a responsibility to educate and inform.

Words like “pandemic,” “cluster,” “case,” and “incubation period,” for instance, were new terms some were hearing for the first time, prompting us to create the two-part series, “Pandemics & How to Flatten the Curve” and “Pandemics: The Terminology,” in order for individuals to understand why public health leaders were urging them to take precautions like washing their hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing, for example.

We also created graphics to help illustrate how to wear a mask, how far apart two metres is, how kids could stay safe at school, and more. In particular, our role in distilling complicated information for our readers has been important.

With all the information we were creating and sharing, we wanted to ensure easy access, so we created a COVID-19 resources page.

In general, COVID-19 caused the spread of much information, and rightly so. Yet unfortunately, where there is information, there is also mis- and disinformation. As a result, we took it upon ourselves to write about mis/disinformation, more specifically, how to stop the spread of it, “Addressing the Infodemic: Everyone Must Play a Role in Stopping Mis- and Disinformation.” We also interviewed the Principal Investigators for a BCCDC study around misinformation.

With the inception of a novel COVID-19 vaccine, there also rose much misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines causing some to be hesitant in receiving it, prompting us to write “Vaccine Hesitancy: Foe of Healthy Communities.”

Understanding we can’t tackle everything alone, we knew that collaboration would be, and continues to be, key.

In June 2020, we joined forces with UBC, VGH + UBC Hospital Foundation, and BC Cancer Foundation to form the BC COVID-19 Combat Collective to support experts carrying out critical research needed to prevent, test, and treat COVID-19.

In early 2021, we then partnered with Genome BC and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research to launch the “Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Research Initiative in BC” and collectively funded 9 vaccine-related research studies to address questions around the long-term effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, equitable distribution, countering misinformation, and more.

And now, approximately 19 months into the pandemic, we’re proud to look back on all the work we’ve done, the new partnerships we’ve formed, and the education we’ve provided to help keep the people of British Columbia well-informed and researchers well-funded.

Yet, our work, and that of our COVID-19 researchers, our leaders, and the health and safety of those living in British Columbia, continues.

Whether you’ve donated to our Emergency Response Fund, are following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, subscribed to our monthly newsletter, or share our content with your community, thank you. We can’t do any of this work without the help of our donors and supporters—know that you’ve been a vital part of our provinces’ success so far.

We can’t forget to thank all of the British Columbians who have been doing, and continue to do, their part—those who have gotten both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraged others to do so, kept their distance, wore their masks, stayed home when feeling unwell, and every other protective measure in between.

“We’re proud of the work you’ve done, and continue to do, to keep yourself and your community safe. At the same time, we recognize that our work is far from over and we have both a privilege and a responsibility to the people of BC to continue to protect and promote health, prevent harm, and prepare for threats. We’re a small organization with a big mission, and while we’re tired like many, we’re also energized as more and more British Columbians get vaccinated every day.“

–Kristy Kerr, Executive Director, BCCDC Foundation for Public Health

As we continue to support COVID-19 response efforts, we must also turn our minds to recovery. You can help our communities see brighter days ahead by donating to our Emergency Response Fund, and help us shape the story of BC’s success in the coming months, and beyond.

The post Our Role in Helping to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

People in prisons across Canada have disclosed that the health care system behind bars is failing, and they fear they will not leave prison alive. Segregation is being used for medical isolation or quarantine during COVID-19 as prisons have few other options available to them, and Canadian prison advocates and watchdogs have called the overuse of segregation during the COVID-19 pandemic ‘atrocious’ and potentially a Charter rights violation.

In person educational and rehabilitative programs, as well as family visits, have been suspended in most prisons in Canada for 12 months now, casting doubts on the correctional system’s ability to function as a place of rehabilitation during pandemics. While efforts to de-carcerate were made early in the first COVID-19 wave, daily prison counts began to creep up across Canada in the second half of 2020 and researchers and advocates are calling on governments to focus on this action again.

The spread of COVID-19 behind bars is not inevitable—with appropriate actions, the cycle of Concentration, Amplification, Deterioration, then Dissemination can be broken. Prison health is an essential component of public health, and responses to COVID-19 in prisons are a vital component of effectively controlling the virus to protect all of us.

Interesting in reading Dr Bartlett’s guest post “Addressing Barriers to Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection (STTBI) Screening and Care in Prisons”? Go here to read her article.

The post Uncovering SARS-CoV-2 Behind Bars: Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Correctional Settings appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

Chef Ann informed us that she has committed to donating ALL net proceeds of the Dr Henry Whisky Sauce to both the BCCDC Foundation and the UBC/VGH Hospital Foundation!

We are grateful to Chef Ann for choosing to support our Emergency Response Fund. She was excited to share with us that she will continue to donate profits from the whisky sauce “until every British Columbian is vaccinated.”

Recently, she invited us to the Gourmet Warehouse (one of the locations where the sauce is being sold) to accept a first instalment of $5,684.00!

You, too, can get your hands on this delicious and popular sauce that’s been “flying off the shelves,” according to Chef Ann. In fact, the marketing manager at the Gourmet Warehouse told us, “We can’t restock the shelves fast enough.”

Luckily, you can purchase Dr Henry’s Whisky Sauce both online, and at over 25 stores in BC. This tasty sauce is the perfect gift for any BBQ aficionado in your life!

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank Chef Ann for this delicious creation in honour of Dr Henry, and we invite you to get some of your own to enjoy as well, knowing that your purchase also directly supports our Emergency Response Fund—a win-win!

The post Dr Henry Whisky Sauce Creator Donates Net Proceeds to Emergency Response Fund appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.

COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out

COVID-19 vaccine development has been unprecedented, with researchers working day and night to develop, test, seek approval for, manufacture, and now distribute vaccines across Canada. The timeline of this work has been incredible and has shifted the tide of the pandemic towards a brighter future.

While we all must continue to use all our layers of protection (handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing, etc.), the introduction of novel vaccines and roll-out plans, have offered us all hope in a dark time. However, this will take some time; it will be many months before everyone in BC is vaccinated.

We can, and must, learn during this time, and moving forward. It is imperative we gather evidence that will help us through the rest of this pandemic and vaccination program, and importantly to prepare for any future threats.

In other words, now is the time to invest in and learn more about this new phase of the global pandemic.

Why do we Need Vaccine Research?

The work that has been undertaken to bring vaccines to the people is not a question; however, understanding the effectiveness (how well a vaccine works in real-world conditions) and immunogenicity (the ability of an antigen (i.e., vaccine) to provoke an immune response in an individual) of the vaccines remains.

In addition, logistical challenges and vaccine hesitancy require research, and we must assure equitable distribution to priority populations, which requires new knowledge.

We have a lot to learn to keep people safe into the future, and it is critical, as we roll out the vaccine program that we undertake this work immediately and in real-time. Researchers and public health experts will gather invaluable information during this time, information that will be lost if we don’t act now.

This is not about questioning whether the COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Rigorous approvals are required before a vaccine is put into use and the available vaccines are safe and effective in phase 3 trials. However, they are of novel design and must be evaluated in real settings and populations, and this means asking key questions, such as:

1. What is the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing illness and infection?
2. What is the effectiveness of the vaccine in reducing transmission? 
3. What is the immunogenicity of the vaccine?
4. What concerns do British Columbians have about the vaccine?
5. How do we deliver equitable access to vaccination?

Our Role

As a public health foundation, it was our responsibility in early 2020 to rapidly pivot our work to support COVID-19 response, and to ensure that evidence-based information is being shared.

It is now our duty to support the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out—a critical part of our efforts to address the pandemic.

While we remain committed to BC’s public health pandemic response, our partners have informed us that we’re facing an urgent need for vaccine-related research. This requires rapid-response funding that can allow us to learn from the vaccine roll-out, in real-time. 

What does this mean for the Foundation?

It means that for the near future, we’ll be incorporating vaccine research into our Emergency Response Fund.

Plus, we’re reaching out to our partners to combine our efforts, because by collaborating, we can leverage our collective strengths to support research better, and faster. When we work together, we accomplish so much more.

In other words, bringing philanthropy together with government and other partners means we are working collectively to leverage all our efforts and strengths to achieve an even greater impact. As our government and health authority partners are implementing the vaccination roll-out, it is our responsibility to support research.

However, supporting research in an ever-changing landscape is not easy. Working in real-time, with new information constantly coming at us, is not easy. But, during this pandemic it has remained critical to stay on top of the priorities, and it’s our call-to-action to go where we’re most needed—we’re facing a new landscape that we’re ready to tackle to help keep all British Columbians safe.

How You Can Help

As British Columbians, we have a unique opportunity to learn in real-time in a way like no other, and we have a responsibility to undertake this work. However, in order to move quickly, we need your help to support our public health leaders, experts, and researchers, now.

We’re with you—we’re all ready to celebrate the end of this pandemic. And with vaccines now being administered, we’re one colossal step closer.

We’re calling on you to come alongside us in this final push—please help us to ensure we don’t lose this opportunity to gain valuable evidence that will protect us now and long into the future.

The post Why We Need to Support Vaccine Effectiveness Research, Right Now appeared first on Pacific Public Health Foundation.