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COVID-19 Updates - VCH Well Being for Deaf, HoH and DB

Scams warning for the community – December 18, 2020

August 1 – Office Update and Events

Office is now open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Visits are by appointments only.

We are still offering services virtually so people have a choice of meeting in person or online.

You can find our workshops and webinars at http://deafwellbeing.vch.ca/events/

If you or someone needs mental health services, please contact office or Kristen – go to our contact page.

May 15 – COVID-19 Grief Support Group – Starting on June 5

New Group leaded by Mental Health Clinician, Tiffany Cassner, who specialized in grief. The group will start in June. Must sign up with Tiffany if you want to join the grief support group.
Email: tiffany.cassner@vch.ca

Image Description: Signer is Tiffany. Caucasian woman with long dyed blonde hair with dark brown roots over her shoulders and bang over her forehead, touching her eyebrow. She is wearing a black t-shirt with v-neck and sitting in front of black wall.

Video Transcript:
Hi, this is Tiffany—mental health therapist at WBP. I am excited to offer grief support group related to COVID-19 for 6 weeks on Zoom. It will be limited to 6-8 people due to Zoom’s platform. For more information, it will be in the end of this video.

That discomfort you are feeling right now is grief.

You are feeling that the world has changed and the loss of normalcy has happened.

There are different types of grief, but we will focus on two.

We are experiencing collective grief— everyone in the world is grieving and anticipatory grief— knowing it will change and don’t know what it would look like.

This group will be combined of psychoeducation ABOUT GRIEF, process grief, and learn how to cope to the new norm.

Please register with me and you will get information about grief support group and zoom.

I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU JOINING THIS GROUP!

In black screen at end of video:
COVID-19 GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP
EVERY FRIDAY, JUNE 5 – JULY 10
10 AM – 11:30 AM
REGISTER/CONTACT TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
TIFFANY.CASSNER@VCH.CA
778-987-4175 (TEXT)

May 14 – Changes to Friday Provincial Info sessions – Now Bi-weekly

Image description: Signer is Felicia. Caucasian woman with reddish brown shoulder length hair and wearing black shirt with red flowers and black cardigan. Background is black.

Transcript:
Hi my name is Felicia, WBP social worker. I wanted to let you know every Friday we usually host a weekly zoom meeting to discuss the coronavirus. The government is now starting to stabilize and being consistent with slow changes in motion. We will not host the meeting every week; we’ll start a format of every two weeks, with one Friday on with a meeting one Friday off without a meeting. Next Friday we’ll go ahead with the meeting. Looking forward to seeing you next Friday may 22nd at 930am. Hope you stay safe and healthy. If you have questions or concerns contact me below. Thank you.

May 8 – Healthy Coping Webinar on Wednesday, May 20

Video Image Description: Signer is Charlie. A Caucasian woman with long mixed blonde and brown hair in a long braid over her left shoulder. She is wearing big rounded glasses with soft corners on top and black shirt with sleeves pulled up halfway on lower arms. The wall is purple.

Video Transcript:
Hi! I am Charlie. Next Wednesday, there will be a Zoom webinar at 3 pm. The topic is How Much? We will discuss about stress and different ways how people cope using different things. Things can be alcohol, marijuana, food, diet, exercise, and many other things. Some are pleasurable and others may be tools. Both have different impacts on body. We will discuss Canada’s guideline for low risk usage, warnings, and considerations. If you are curious and want to know more, contact me at my email below: sarah.coyle@vch.ca to register and get link to webinar. ASL-Voice interpreters and CART captioning will be provided. See you there!

Flyer in text:
Charlie is going to talk about various ways that we deal with stress as well as the social use of drugs alcohol and food as ways to connect with others. This chat will talk about health guidelines for various things and offer strategies and tips if you are concerned about your use or someone else. There will be options to ask confidential questions should you have any concerns. Wednesday May 20th, 3:00-4:30 p. Zoom Webinar info will be provided upon registration.

It will be accessible with ASL-Voice Interpreters and CART captioning. Email Charlie at sarah.coyle@vch.ca if you want the link to this workshop.

Registration Contact Info:

Sarah.Coyle@vch.ca
778-873-8312

May 11 – Virtual Coffee Group – New Zoom Link

Video transcript:
Hi, this is Elizabeth. I want to share that first Coffee Group Drop-In recently on Monday was successful! I really enjoyed it. We will have another Coffee Group Drop-In on this coming Monday, May 11 at noon. It will be happening every Monday at noon. This is for everyone who is Deaf and Hard of Hearing throughout the province of British Columbia. The Meeting ID is 732 972 5385. This ID number will remain the same from now on. Have a wonderful weekend. Take care and stay safe.

May 8 – How to get tested for COVID19

How to get tested for COVID-19 – Charlie will explain the process and locations.

Image Description: Caucasian woman with long mixed blonde and brown hair flowing down over her left shoulder. She is wearing big rounded glasses with soft corners on top and black t-shirt. A dark green tattoo with circle and petals on her upper right arm. Background is purple wall.

Hey, it’s Charlie.  I know over the past while there has been a lot of discussion about COVID-19!! More recently the rules about who is able to get tested to see if you have the virus has changed. Before it was only health care workers, front line workers, people with strong suspicion they have been exposed or people in hospital. Now it is more open to the public and you can get tested if you have mild symptoms: such as a cough, runny nose, or feel unwell.  I am going to list different areas in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health region where you can get tested.  Some sites have specific rules and some have restrictions so I will highlight those.  Now, WBP is a Provincial Program so if you live in the Interior, or the Okanagan, or up North and you are uncertain about where to get tested, feel free to contact us and we can guide you to your closest testing location.  I am going to be looking up and down a lot because I have the list in front of me.

  • Surrey – Urgent Primary Care Centre near Whalley. Call for Appointment.
  • Maple Ridge- Urgent Primary Care Centre . Can walk in but appointment preferred.
  • Chilliwack Public Health Unit – Walk in available but appointment preferred.
  • Langley Memorial Hospital – Walk in 7 days a week.
  • Burnaby Central Park location – GP Referral is preferred for this location.
  • New Westminster – Royal Columbian Medical Clinic.
  • Abbotsford Urgent Primary Care
  • Mission – no specific office location so the address is 33100 10th St. You need a GP referral.
  • White Rock – Peace Arch Hospital – GP Referral required.

Vancouver:

  • St Vincent’s drive up location – Preference for Health Care Workers and First Responders.  Public can access if over the age of 12.
  • Blusson Spinal Cord Centre – First Responders and Health Care Workers only.
  • North Vancouver Lion’s Gate Hospital – Health Care Worker and First Responders Only.
  • Vancouver – Urgent Primary Care at City Centre is open to the public.
  • Vancouver – REACH Urgent Primary Care is by appointment only.
  • Again, if you are curious about testing  or are unsure about locations, you can call 811 or contact WBP and we can offer some guidance about access.

Take Care,  wash your hands and stay safe.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3862560c5a41418e9d78f4f81688e9d0​

May 6 – Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4-10). A few of us came together to talk about it. Enjoy!
————————

Image description: 6 squares – 3 on top row and 3 on bottom row. Each square has a woman in it. Top three squares are Charlie, Cecilia and Felicia – left to right. Bottom three squares are Kristen, Ali, Elizabeth – left to right. All women are in their home setting – so all have different backgrounds. Charlie is a caucasian woman with a mixture of dark and light blonde hair in a top bun and wearing dark framed round glasses. She is wearing a round neck white t-shirt with flowers and leaves all over. Cecilia is an asian woman with mixture of dark and light brown long hair past the shoulders. She is wearing a pink jacket with grey shirt underneath. Felicia is a caucasian woman with brown hair in a bun and wearing a black jacket with pink flowers and a black shirt under the jacket. Kristen is a caucasian woman with dark hair in a top bun and wearing a black t-shirt. Ali is a caucasian woman with long, dark blonde wavy hair resting over both shoulders and wearing a dark green t-shirt. Elizabeth is a caucasian woman with dark hair tied in back and wearing a black t-shirt with red and gray scarf wrapped around her neck.

Transcript:

Kristen: Hello Hello Hello! I’m Kristen. I work at WBP (Well Being Program). I want to let you know that this week, May 4 to 10, is Mental Health Awareness week created by Canadian Mental Health Association. It is important that mental health is in the spotlight. With the coronavirus pandemic, there is increased attention to mental health due to stress of coping with work, living situation and social distance rule. I want to share with you that WBP is still operating and working together while practicing social distancing right now. I am going to switch to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: Hello! Now, the theme of this year’s Mental Health Week is social connection. Connecting with other people and our communities doesn’t just feel good. It’s good for our mental health. Research shows that social connection and social support work together to promote good mental health. Feeling socially connected means you feel close and connected to others. It does not mean that you both have to meet in person to feel this – you can connect through video calls, texts, write a note and other many different tools. The importance is to connect with people. Hi Felicia!

Felicia: Hi! This year’s campaign name is #GetReal. It is simple. What is it? It encourages each other to look inside themselves and help each other to express their real feelings instead of saying “I’m fine” and hiding them. It’s time to show and share real feelings. Now it’s Ali’s turn.

Ali: Hello! I’m Ali. What’s up with the hashtag #GetReal? Right now with the coronavirus, people have to physically distancing from each other so it means no social connecting? It is not necessary true. This week – instead of saying “I’m fine” to others, try to connect by having deep, real conversations with friends, family, neighbours, coworkers about how we’re all really doing. With the coronavirus, it can be lonely but it does not have to be – we all can support and work together. The important challenge here is to have real conversations and support each other. Now I am going to Charlie.

Charlie: Hi! Before the coronavirus, people feel lonely or have low moods. Now, more important than before, we all need to connect and check in with each other – helping friends, calling family more often – again, it’s important to support the Deaf community, friends and family. It can feel good, improve mood and feel socially connected. Now to Cecilia.

Cecilia: Yes. Coronavirus did bring the community together in different way. It is not same as before with close physical distance, just different. Do you know that if community remain connected with each other, the community recovers faster and have better connections. So when coronavirus is over, the community will be feel more socially connected. Now, going to Kristen.

Kristen: Do you know that it doesn’t matter if you feel good, so-so or awful, everyone still need emotional support? All. Especially important right now with the coronavirus, people have to social distance each other. However, we need to change the concept of “social distancing” to “physical distancing” – yes, we have to physically distance from each other but it does not mean we can’t socially connect by different means such as video calls, send letters, texts, drive by and wave. Be creative of connecting with your family, friends, and community. At same time, check in with each other and ask how you can support. Also, I want to remind you that WBP is still here for support if you want to check in with us, to talk with us, to ask for information or resources. Take care of yourself and your mental health too!

All: Bye!

Video changes to black then a pop-up of white font saying “Stay connected! #GetReal” with white sprinkling stars.

May 4 – Scams Prevention Workshop tomorrow (May 5)

Well Being Program and Wavefront Centre will present on current scams. We will cover scams related to coronavirus and scams otherwise, including Romance scams, CRA scams, and Cheque scams.

TUESDAY MAY 5TH 10 AM – 12 PM

Interpreters and CART provided

ZOOM ONLINE VIDEO: https://vancouvercoastalhealth.zoom.us/s/95008255266

Presenters:

Felicia D’Amato, Social Worker

Tammy Gray, Program Coordinator

April 15 – Self Care During the Time of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Webinar on Wed April 22

April 15 – Community Webinar on Friday, April 16

Image description: The signer is Felicia – a Caucasian woman with red-brown hair swept up in a bun and bang swept to right side. She is wearing a dark green shirt with black cardigan. She is sitting in front of black wall.

Hi, I’m Felicia (sign name), social worker here at WBP. I’m announcing that this upcoming Friday, April 17, WBP will host its weekly zoom meeting again. There will be a discussion of this week’s updates from the BC government, financial support, services and other things. The zoom link is as below: ​https://vancouvercoastalhealth.zoom.us/s/328991860. Meeting # 328 991 860. It will be from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. CART will be provided for captioning and sign language interpreters for audio. See you there.

April 7 – Community Webinar about CERB on Thursday, April 9

Community discussion on Thursday afternoon – topic is CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit)

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Apr 9, 2020 02:00 PM Vancouver
Topic: CERB Webinar

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://vancouvercoastalhealth.zoom.us/j/920062712

zoom.us
Meeting ID: 920062712​

Image Description: Caucasian woman with mixed of red and brown shoulder length hair. She is wearing a black t-shirt.

Transcript:
Hi, my name is Felicia (Sign name), a social worker here at the WBP. This Thursday, April 9, a zoom meeting will be hosted with specifically discussing the CERB (short term for Canada Emergency Response Benefit). What is the difference between the CERB and EI, similarities, and which should I apply for? What should I do? Clarifications will be made. If you’re interested, please join us at this meeting link: https://vancouvercoastalhealth.zoom.us/j/920062712​. Please bring your questions and concerns and we’ll discuss it during that time. It will start at 2 pm and will continue til 3:30 pm. Look forward to seeing you here. Thank you.

April 7 – Safe Supply in BC. What is it?

Safe Supply – What is it? Charlie will explain.

Image Description: Caucasian woman with long mixed blonde and brown hair in a long braid over her left shoulder. She is wearing big rounded with soft corners on top glasses and black t-shirt. Background is purple wall.

Transcript:
Hey I’m Charlie and I work with WBP.
Right now there is a lot of news and information about Covid-19 and it is a bit overwhelming. One thing that was just announced in the News specifically for BC is Dr. Henry announcement of the approval of the Safe Supply. Some of you may have seen that in news and may be curious what it means.

For some people who struggle with Substance Use/ Addiction, they are unable to stay home and stay safe, for example maybe they are homeless or for people who live in Single Room Occupancy Buildings in the Downtown East Side. So right now in BC, we have the ability to provide safe alternatives to street drugs with very specific criteria from Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, and Pharmacies.

So if you or friends, family or someone you care about is really struggling with substance use, here is a bit of information about how to support them or what information you can provide to have them access to supports.
To qualify for safe supply prescriptions, you must have been diagnosed, suspected, or at high risk of contracting COVID-19. You must also have struggled with substance use for an extended period of time. You must have a high risk of experiencing withdrawal or be at risk of an overdose.
If you meet these criteria, you can connect with your Most Responsible Provider (Dr or Nurse Practitioner) and request a prescription. The goal is to reduce the need to go out and interact with people in order to get illicit drugs from the street market.

If you have any concerns about friends or family members and you are not sure how to support them during this time, please feel free to contact us. There is no need to identify the person who is struggling – we can provide confidential and general consultations.

Hope you are staying safe, taking care of each other and washing your hands!!!

See you soon.

April 2 – New Webinar on Thursday, April 9

A new workshop for anyone who have or watch kids. It’s happening next week online! It is open for anyone- hearing and deaf. It will be in ASL and voice with assistance from visual sign language interpreters.

Direct link: https://zoom.us/s/593708352
Website: https://zoom.us

Image Description: Caucasian woman with long chest length hair from dark brown on top to blonde on bottom – ombré style – with straight bangs . Wearing a black shirt with medium sized flowers all over with some green leaves. Her name is Tiffany.

Transcript:
Hi! We hope you are doing OK during COVID-19 crisis. We want to share the good news. Elizabeth and I (Tiffany) will be providing a webinar workshop for parents. It is for all parents all over in BC. You all are welcome to participate.

Elizabeth and I will discuss how to support kids’ learning in home setting, some tips of how to include your kids in everyday learning activities, and how to support your kids holistically meaning their mental and physical health. Not only for kids, we also will include information for parents of how they can take care of themselves too and support kids at same time.

It will be through Zoom – online. The workshop will be on Thursday, April 9 at 9 am to 11 am. It will be recorded if you are unable to attend this workshop so you can watch it later. Hope to see you at the workshop on Thursday! Bye.

March 30 – Update from WBP – We are still open!

ow that WBP is still accepting referrals, intakes and requests for information of our services. With understanding that right now, most of our services are online – mainly video calls. We are still operating and still offering services and resources for you, the community, the service providers and agencies.

If unsure whether the program is still open – then yes – we are still open and still providing services. However, it will not be in-person meeting normally, it will be by video call at this time.

Until the virus is gone, we will go back to in-person meetings.

In meantime, for any questions, concerns or need more information, you can contact me anytime. How?

Email: kristen.pranzl@vch.ca
Text or Facetime: 604-306-7633

Thank you!

March 30 – News – what to do?

Image Description: Caucasian woman in front of navy blue wall. Woman has shoulder-length brown hair and wearing long sleeve black shirt.

Transcript:
Hello. I am Kristen Pranzl (name sign – KP on the right shoulder), the program manager at Well Being Program.

I want to review with you about news.

I know that right now, there is a lot of news on printed papers, vlogs, online and tv, all bombarding and talking about the coronavirus. It can be a lot of information.

At same time, it is important that I want to emphasize that make sure that your news are from reliable sources such as CTV, Global, CBC and so on.

Many people are talking about it at same time so people can feel overwhelmed, confused and more stressed. It’s important to make sure to check yourself – where the information is coming from? Is it benefical? Is the story true or false? If you are not sure what to believe, feel free to contact us here at WBP.

You can contact us anytime to ask or discuss about news.

Right now, many people are trying to make sure they are up-to-date with news. Yet at same time, it is very important to make sure that it is RIGHT information.

Take care of yourself.

Thank you.

March 27 – Support for people in recovery

Support for people in Recovery during COVID-19.

Image Description: Caucasian woman with long mixed blonde and brown hair and wearing a dark shirt. Background is light beige with a black bookcase behind her.

Transcript:
​Hey it’s Charlie here.
For those of you involved with the recovery community meaning AA, NA, SMART meetings .. various groups that focus on Substance Use/Addiction. If you are stuck or struggling because you are not able to go to meetings and you are unsure of what to do please contact me or WBP. You do not have to be a current client of WBP. We will work to coordinate Zoom meetings or individualized services if you prefer. If you have questions or concerns about connecting with your sponsor as you don’t have access to meetings or interpreters in person please contact us and will do our best to accommodate you.

Take care! Wash your hands!

Image of black screen with white fonts saying:
Email: Kristen.Pranzl@vch.ca
Text: 604-306-7633

March 26 – Food Banks and Shelters

Info on food banks and shelters during COVID-19.

LINK:
https://shelters.bc211.ca/bc211shelters

Elizabeth:
Text/FaceTime: 778-987-4179
E-mail: Elizabeth.Dagg@vch.ca

Image description: Speaker is Elizabeth. Caucasian women with long brown hair flowing down past her chest. She is wearing a black shirt with black background. A blue-green tattoo on her left arm between elbow to wrist.

Transcript:
Hello! I am Elizabeth. I want to let you know that I am committed to supporting you, your family and friends, or anyone who is in need of services from the Food Bank and/or shelter. Almost every city has a Food Bank and shelters available. Many Food Bank locations have made several operational changes and continue to make changes daily. I know this is very confusing, overwhelming, and frustrating, which is why I am here to support you. I will share a link below this video so that you have access to information about the Shelter and Street Help Line. There are locations all over, from Vancouver to Chilliwack. This shelter list is updated everyday with room availability, population, and information about different shelters with designations. There are shelters designated for specific people groups like senior citizens, Indigenous peoples, men, families, women, etc.

Before you go to the food bank, you are required to register. If you have not registered, please feel free to contact me to start registering. If you are unsure or unable to keep up with many operational adaptations, please contact me. My text, FaceTime, e-mail information will be seen below the video as well. Stay safe and take care!

March 26 – Live Presentation About Financial Assistance – Covering EI, Rent, Bills, etc

Zoom.us
meeting ID: 944 435 0794

————————
Transcript:

Hi, everyone! Felicia and I will host an online Zoom question and answer session about EI, bills, rent and other financial assistance during COVID-19. It will be tomorrow, Friday, March 27 at 9:30-11:30 AM.

You will need to download the Zoom program on your computer, iPad or iPhone and Android.

If you want to use your computer, go to the website https://zoom.us/download to download.

For iPad, iPhone, or Android, please go to the App store and search ZOOM Cloud Meetings and download.

You can just join without signing up by using the meeting ID: 944 435 0794.

See you tomorrow!

March 24 – Handwashing – when, why and how?

Image description: Speaker is Felicia. Caucasian women with shoulder length brown hair. Half of the hair is in a top bun. She is wearing dark forest green long shirt in front of dark brown background.

Transcript:

Hi

I want to discuss how to protect yourself during these coronavirus times and what you can do.

First do what? – water and soap – what can the soap look like? (point to soap).

First, turn on the water, second put some soap onto your hands and really scrub it under the water. How long? for 20 seconds or more. Consistently, keep doing it, you want a good deep clean. That will expel viruses from staying onto your body.

Second, if you don’t have any water or soap, you can use hand sanitizer. What’s that? [Shows example.] It’s important right now to avoid touching your face and touching things. You know when you go out in the public and you touch things when food shopping, different surfaces…no please try to avoid that if possible. If you MUST touch things, please go wash your hands with soap after or use hand sanitizers.

Protect yourself from obtaining germs and getting it yourself or giving it to other people.

Also, during the day I want to emphasize washing your hands frequently, as much as possible and keep clean. That will help minimize any disease from spreading. If you have questions and concerns, please contact us.

March 24 – ASL Medical Virtual Clinic (Only British Columbia Residents)

https://youtu.be/H_q1sTYJHm4

Dr. Nertomb is offering a temporary virtual medical clinic for patients who are BC residents in ASL. Book your appointment at: jessicanertomb.janeapp.com

Follow her at her YOUTUBE page.

Transcript:

ASL Medical Virtual Clinic (British Columbia Residents only)

Hi my name is Jessica Nertomb. You may know me by my maiden name “Dunkley”. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, many people do not want to go to their doctor’s office and be in close proximity to others. They may want to exercise social distancing. So I would like to help the Deaf community by offering a virtual clinic connecting with patients via video such as FaceTime or Skype, etc. I have created an appointment website where you can click on the link below to make an appointment with me via video. You can discuss any medical related issues such as COVID-19, prescriptions or health issues. This clinic is temporary and will be running during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not a permanent clinic. Please click on the link to view the schedule and make an appointment. This service is only available to BC residents who have a CareCard (MSP). I regret this service is not available to non-BC residents at this time. Thank you.

March 23 – Medical Interpreting Services during Covid-19

https://youtu.be/499HqTXAyLU

Transcript:

Hello. Medical Interpreting Services will continue to provide interpreter services during these challenging times. We understand that this is a difficult and stressful time for the ASL community trying to keep up with news and following instructions from the Canadian Government. MIS is taking extra care to ensure that patients, interpreters, and staff’s health and safety are top priority.

If your Doctor or Health Care Professional asks you to call to talk to them instead of coming to the office MIS can still book a qualified Medical interpreter.

We are still booking interpreters to go to appointments and emergencies.
Please let MIS know if you have:
1. Recently travelled internationally
2. Do you have a new cough, fever, or any other cold or flu symptoms?
3. Have you been in close contact with someone who has recently travelled internationally or has cold or flu like symptoms?

If you answered yes please let the MIS dispatcher know so we can protect the interpreters, patients, and staff.

Please contact MIS and the dispatcher will advise you of how we can help to book an interpreter for the appointment or emergency.

Additionally, you can contact Dr. Jessica Nertomb (Dunkley), who is a Deaf doctor in BC, to support you with any medical-related needs or questions that you may have about COVID-19 in ASL instead of calling 8-1-1 or 1-888-COVID19. You must be a BC resident with a BC health card. Please contact her for a Facetime or Skype appointment: jessicanertomb.janeapp.com.

March 18 – Financial Assistance from Canadian Government

ASL version about the financial assistance from Federal Canadian government as Wednesday March 18.

Transcript:

Hey It’s Charlie.

I’m working on supporting social distancing, so right now I am working from home. Right now, there is a lot of overwhelming information and it is changing every day. Today, there were some updates related to some financial assistance from the Federal Government who has now described new programs and new rules but it’s complicated. Some of it is vague and overwhelming. I just want to touch on a few points and share a brief description as well as some suggestions, should you have questions.

So today, the Federal government made an announcement about several different things.

– People right now who are employed but do not have paid sick time, if you are required to stay home for 2 weeks for self-isolation, either because you have travelled or because a Doctor has told you to stay home because of risk of the virus OR a family member is required to stay home and you need to care for them for the 14 days period; there are two changes to the EI system that will impact you. One is a doctor’s note is no longer needed to qualify for EI Sick benefits. Also, the one week waiting period has also been dropped so you can apply more quickly. Effective today.
– If you are self-employed and do not qualify for EI benefits regularly and your business is now closed, or you are unable to work, you may qualify for the Emergency Care Benefit from the Federal government.This benefit can be used for a maximum of 15 weeks and can be used for some financial support.
– If you work for a company that has temporarily closed such as coffee shops, restaurants, at a mall, and you are no longer being paid; typically you would not qualify for EI as you are still employed. You can now ask for EI benefits . EI is now supporting work sharing which means you work is continued but your hours have been reduced, meaning you are not earning as much as before – you may qualify for partial EI benefits to top up your income.
– The child tax benefit is for families with children and is based on annual income. The Federal government has announced that in May, there will be an increase for each child in the family. The increase will be a maximum of $300 per child. Again, this is based on income so you may not got the full $300 but if you qualify for Child Tax, you will see an increase. Also, if you qualify for GST, the payment in May will double. The other GST payments throughout the year will remain the same but the MAY payment will increase.
– Taxes are due typically every year soon. Right now, the government has extended the due date to June 2020. So tax information must be sent by the end of June. If you owe money on your taxes, it is not due immediately as the government has postponed the due date to August of 2020.
– If you have a Student Loan through Canada Student Loans that is in repayment, payments are not required for the next 6 months. Also interest will not be accruing during this time. The hope is that this gives you time to help budget and manage your finances.

There is a long list of information related to Federal government relief supports, and I’ve mentioned only a few things. The website is more comprehensive and have detailed information. The web address will be in the comments. If you are uncertain about what to do with the information, or your budget or if you are concerned about your income, please contact your Bank for help and remember they may provide interpreters. You can also contact CRA through email, phone, VRS, or TTY but please understand that there will be a long wait time to get through. Many other people are looking for information and asking for help. IF you are looking at the website but are having trouble understanding the English or are just unsure, you can feel free to contact WBP as we can help explain and clarify as much as possible. Remember we are not financial experts but we are here to help.

Take care, be safe, and wash your hands! Bye!

March 17 – What is COVID-19 and how to stay safe?

Transcript:

Hey, it’s Charlie. I am at the downtown community health clinic – DCHC- under VCH. Definitely not the WBP office. I wanted to chat about the Corona Virus, also known as Covid 19. There has been a lot of discussion, news stories, rumours – WOW. So I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about a few things. Symptoms, Actions, and Risks.

Symptoms: Really this time of year is cold and flu season. Symptoms of Covid 19 may look like a cough, fever, body aches and fatigue. If you present with these symptoms the best thing to do is stay home take care of yourself, rest, eat, wash your hands and avoid others. If someone you know has been diagnosed with Covid 19 you may have a higher risk of catching the virus. But if no one you know has been diagnosed your risk remains very low. If you have a cough, shortness of breath, and fever please don’t go to the doctor. The best thing to do is to call the Health Line. If you use the phone you can dial 811. If you use VRS the number to dial is below. You can chat with a nurse who will discuss you’re your symptoms, what you should do, assess your risk and if they are concerned they will explain where and how you can receive a test (swab) to check.

BC Healthy authority has recommended any travel out of Canada, to the USA will require a 14 day period of self-isolation. This is because symptoms may not appear immediately if you contract the virus, and it can take up to 14 days to develop symptoms. This time period helps reduce the spread of the virus. The risk for contracting the virus currently is low and most cases have been people who have travelled to countries and contracted the virus somewhere else. There hasn’t been cases of community transmission yet. **NOTE this has changed – A dental conference has resulted in some community transmission however risk to general public remains low** Again- most of the symptoms experienced will be mild: cough, cold, fever, fatigue. If you have other health conditions, lung/respiratory, weak immune system- you may be at higher risk. Again – please connect with Health Link for questions.

March 17 – Office Hours Update

Transcript:

Hello. I am (name sign: KP on the left shoulder – “K” then “P”) Kristen at Well Being Program.

I want to give you an update about Well Being Program during coronavirus pandemic.

Many of you may be concerned why many businesses are closing – adding stress or increasing anxiety during this time.

I want to make sure you know that WBP is still open. However, the office hours are now changed for next little while. The new hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm from Monday to Friday. I want to be clear that things are constantly changing so please be sure to check the office if we are open or not.

Groups and workshops are on hold for next little while. We will let you know when they will be back – we will communicate when they will return.

Right now, it is a stressful and anxious time for many of you. That’s why it is important that WBP remains open and operational. However, it will be mostly video calls (FaceTime, Skype, Duo) – clients do not come to the office – they are to stay home and stay safe.

We are still operational via video calls. If you are a current client, contact your staff to make an appointment for a video call. If you are not a client and want some counselling or support during this stressful and anxious time or support in general, please contact me at:

kristen.pranzl@vch.ca or text/FaceTime 604-306-7633

We will have a conversation – discuss, make a plan and connect you with a staff.

Same time, if you have questions, concerns or curious, feel free to contact me anytime.

Thank you for your support and understanding.