The BCMA Congratulates Three Outstanding Award Recipients for Their Extraordinary Efforts Promoting Health and Safety in British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia – June 14, 2010 – Providing the means to ensure British Columbians have the tools to take care of their own health and achieve a better quality of life is the feature that the BCMA’s three award recipients have in common. Being lauded for their leadership through advocacy and project work in heath promotion and prevention are Dr. Edith Blondel-Hill, the BC Public Service Agency, and the Seabird Island Health Center.A microbiologist at Kelowna General Hospital, Dr Edith Blondel-Hill has been recognized for her support of antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and standardization of microbiology policies and protocols. She was the driving force behind the Do Bugs Need Drugs campaign, which helped educate millions of Canadians about regular hand washing and the inappropriate use of antibiotics. She was also instrumental in producing the Bugs and Drugs antimicrobial reference guide for Canadian clinicians and helped create the 4th edition of the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Manual in 2009, which is utilized across Canada.

The BC Public Service Agency introduced the Quittin’ Time Smoking Cessation Program in 2007 for all BC public service employees and their family members. The initiative was designed to reduce illness, absenteeism and presenteeism, promote employee health, and deliver an overall return on investment. Over one thousand, nine hundred and fifty (1,950) employees and family members enrolled in the program, working out to 24% of all public service employees who smoked. After three years of running the program, the smoking prevalence rate for public service employees dropped from 11.8% to 9.9%.

For 12 years the Seabird Island Health Centre has improved the health, wellness and safety of 11 First Nation communities in the eastern Fraser Valley and southern BC. The center has an integrated approach to health care and has developed a mobile diabetes initiative, dental centre, doctor’s clinic with two aboriginal doctors, nurse’s clinic, healthy baby clinic, mental health services and an optometry clinic. It aims to promote a healthier, self-sufficient, self governing, unified and educated community that believes a healthy community is one that has achieved a physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and cultural balance.

The BCMA’s Excellence in Health Promotion Awards recognizes the exceptional efforts of individuals, non-profit and for-profit organizations that have demonstrated a concern for the health and safety of British Columbians through specific initiatives that show ingenuity and creativity, with the goal of positive, long-term improvement.

The awards will be presented at 6:00pm, Saturday, June 12th at the BCMA’s Annual General Meeting being held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.

For more information, please contact

BC Medical Association
Sharon Shore
604-306-1866 (pager)