Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
People helping people ... to get vaccinated
Published Wednesday December 30th, 2009
Many New Brunswickers will remember 2009 as the year of the flu.
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The Daily Gleaner/Ray Bourgeois
Hundreds of people lined up outside the school in New Maryland to get an H1N1 vaccination in this file photo from Oct. 30. The Daily Gleaner has voted health-care workers, who helped get New Brunswickers vaccinated, and those who organized the program and kept the public informed, as Newsmakers of the Year.
Concerns about the swine flu, or what eventually became known as the H1N1 virus, reached the province in the spring as health officials identified the first few laboratory-confirmed cases.
The story continued through the end of the year and sparked many lively debates among those who wondered whether they should roll up their sleeve.
More than 2,000 New Brunswickers would contract the pandemic flu in 2009 - including eight people who died in connection to the illness, and at least 169 residents who required treatment in hospitals.
The Daily Gleaner has named the health-care workers and other professionals who responded to the H1N1 virus as Newsmakers of the Year for their efforts to protect the public with the biggest vaccination program in the history of New Brunswick.
Several factors contributed to the newspaper's decision, including the campaign's $17-million budget, the thousands of hours of planning and preparation, the strong public demand for the vaccine, and the patience and dedication of the province's health-care workers.
"Officials in New Brunswick recognized the importance of acting quickly to get a large segment of the population vaccinated," said Catherine Metcalfe, managing editor of The Daily Gleaner.
"While the system had some glitches, the result is that the majority of our population is protected against this serious illness.
"We are naming those who responded to the H1N1 campaign our Newsmakers of the Year in tribute to their efforts."
The pandemic flu dominated media headlines for much of the year and was the subject of almost 100 stories published in this newspaper.
New Brunswick's early planning likely played a factor in the low number of confirmed cases reported by the province, and won recognition from national news outlets such as the Globe and Mail.
That paper cited New Brunswick's early decision to give children between the ages of six months and 18 years priority status as an example of something other provinces should have done from the start of their vaccination programs.
Dr. Eilish Cleary, chief medical officer of health, said she's proud of the provincial response and she wants to thank the many health-care workers who rearranged their schedules, worked long hours of overtime, and dealt with a number of difficult situations during the administration of the vaccination program.
"We had retired nurses step up, students who gained practical experience for their training, paramedics from Ambulance NB - many people helped out when they were needed," she said.
"It was actually a very powerful community response. People from all walks of life joined together to make this work."
The Daily Gleaner also recognizes the Department of Health for its efforts to keep the public informed about the spread of H1N1.
Regular media briefings gave the public information and helped stifle many rumours that were circulating in the province and likely played a role in the larger numbers of residents who showed up at mass public clinics.
About 65 per cent of the provincial population has received the vaccine - a number that the Department of Health said ranks among the highest rates in the world.
Cleary said that's also a testament to the work put in by the regional health authorities and senior Department of Health officials.
"The amount of work and the thousands of hours they've put in is phenomenal," she said.
"Health-care workers usually work hard, and the front-line workers who work in emergency rooms, surgical units and so on are seen doing their jobs with pride, but there are many others who work in the background and the entire team pulled together to deal with this effort."
When shipments of the vaccine arrived in the province in greater numbers in early December, the number of H1N1 cases being reported slowed.
Health officials wrapped up the public vaccination clinics Dec. 19, partly to give medical professionals a much-needed break.
The vaccine will still be available in the new year, although it will be offered through specialized clinics or by some family physicians.
Geri Geldart, vice-president of nursing affairs for the Horizon Health Network, said giving those front-line workers a break was the right thing to do.
"This was a massive effort on the part of many, many people around the province and they did a phenomenal job," she said.
"Even though they are tired, they're excited about what they've done."
Geldart said the size of the pandemic response forced many health-care professionals to work with new people.
"There was a lot of cross-departmental participation and we think the relationships that were established as a part of that multi-department, multi-disciplined effort will pay off in spades going forward," she said.
The Daily Gleaner will announce its pick for Story of the Year in Thursday's edition.
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/904266
Published Wednesday December 30th, 2009
Many New Brunswickers will remember 2009 as the year of the flu.
<!-- BEGIN Article Image(s) -->
The Daily Gleaner/Ray Bourgeois
Hundreds of people lined up outside the school in New Maryland to get an H1N1 vaccination in this file photo from Oct. 30. The Daily Gleaner has voted health-care workers, who helped get New Brunswickers vaccinated, and those who organized the program and kept the public informed, as Newsmakers of the Year.
Concerns about the swine flu, or what eventually became known as the H1N1 virus, reached the province in the spring as health officials identified the first few laboratory-confirmed cases.
The story continued through the end of the year and sparked many lively debates among those who wondered whether they should roll up their sleeve.
More than 2,000 New Brunswickers would contract the pandemic flu in 2009 - including eight people who died in connection to the illness, and at least 169 residents who required treatment in hospitals.
The Daily Gleaner has named the health-care workers and other professionals who responded to the H1N1 virus as Newsmakers of the Year for their efforts to protect the public with the biggest vaccination program in the history of New Brunswick.
Several factors contributed to the newspaper's decision, including the campaign's $17-million budget, the thousands of hours of planning and preparation, the strong public demand for the vaccine, and the patience and dedication of the province's health-care workers.
"Officials in New Brunswick recognized the importance of acting quickly to get a large segment of the population vaccinated," said Catherine Metcalfe, managing editor of The Daily Gleaner.
"While the system had some glitches, the result is that the majority of our population is protected against this serious illness.
"We are naming those who responded to the H1N1 campaign our Newsmakers of the Year in tribute to their efforts."
The pandemic flu dominated media headlines for much of the year and was the subject of almost 100 stories published in this newspaper.
New Brunswick's early planning likely played a factor in the low number of confirmed cases reported by the province, and won recognition from national news outlets such as the Globe and Mail.
That paper cited New Brunswick's early decision to give children between the ages of six months and 18 years priority status as an example of something other provinces should have done from the start of their vaccination programs.
Dr. Eilish Cleary, chief medical officer of health, said she's proud of the provincial response and she wants to thank the many health-care workers who rearranged their schedules, worked long hours of overtime, and dealt with a number of difficult situations during the administration of the vaccination program.
"We had retired nurses step up, students who gained practical experience for their training, paramedics from Ambulance NB - many people helped out when they were needed," she said.
"It was actually a very powerful community response. People from all walks of life joined together to make this work."
The Daily Gleaner also recognizes the Department of Health for its efforts to keep the public informed about the spread of H1N1.
Regular media briefings gave the public information and helped stifle many rumours that were circulating in the province and likely played a role in the larger numbers of residents who showed up at mass public clinics.
About 65 per cent of the provincial population has received the vaccine - a number that the Department of Health said ranks among the highest rates in the world.
Cleary said that's also a testament to the work put in by the regional health authorities and senior Department of Health officials.
"The amount of work and the thousands of hours they've put in is phenomenal," she said.
"Health-care workers usually work hard, and the front-line workers who work in emergency rooms, surgical units and so on are seen doing their jobs with pride, but there are many others who work in the background and the entire team pulled together to deal with this effort."
When shipments of the vaccine arrived in the province in greater numbers in early December, the number of H1N1 cases being reported slowed.
Health officials wrapped up the public vaccination clinics Dec. 19, partly to give medical professionals a much-needed break.
The vaccine will still be available in the new year, although it will be offered through specialized clinics or by some family physicians.
Geri Geldart, vice-president of nursing affairs for the Horizon Health Network, said giving those front-line workers a break was the right thing to do.
"This was a massive effort on the part of many, many people around the province and they did a phenomenal job," she said.
"Even though they are tired, they're excited about what they've done."
Geldart said the size of the pandemic response forced many health-care professionals to work with new people.
"There was a lot of cross-departmental participation and we think the relationships that were established as a part of that multi-department, multi-disciplined effort will pay off in spades going forward," she said.
The Daily Gleaner will announce its pick for Story of the Year in Thursday's edition.
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/904266