Advocacy Achievements
Over the past several years, our advocacy and ongoing public awareness initiatives have helped pave the way toward achievements in key areas such as stroke care, tobacco control, public access to automated external defibrillators, and a provincial trans fat ban.
Here are a few of our accomplishments in the last six years.
- 2015 – Launched a new province-wide signs of stroke public awareness campaign based on the FAST acronym which stands for: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – is it slurred or jumbled? Time – to call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number right away.
- The reach of the campaign was amplified across the province thanks to the following collaborative partnerships.
- The Government of British Columbia generously provided financial support for the campaign, as it has done in the past for the BC Stroke Strategy, Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) program,
- Rural and Remote First Nations Community Gardens, and other Heart and Stroke Foundation initiatives.
- BC Emergency Health Services, which operates ambulances and emergency services across the province, displayed the FAST message on ambulances in Victoria and the Lower Mainland.
- The BC Pharmacy Association, which represents more than 3,000 pharmacists, distributed FAST-themed magnets to the public through its 800 member pharmacies.
- BC Libraries assisted in the distribution of FAST bookmarks province-wide.
- LifeLabs BC with its 80 service centres across the province distributed FAST magnets, bookmarks and posters to their clients.
- Health Authorities and physician offices displayed FAST posters and disseminated FAST material to patients.
- 2014 – Hosted a heart-healthy breakfast for provincial Members of the Legislative Assembly and provided blood pressure stations and CPR / AED orientation sessions for members and their staff
- 2014 – An additional $1 million in funding from the provincial government to expand the BC Public Access to Defibrillation program. The Foundation will be fundraising to match the Province’s $1-million contribution for a total of $4 million
- 2013 – Launch of a provincial public access to defibrillation (PAD) program
- 2012 – $1 million in matched funding from the provincial government to help establish a provincial PAD Program
- 2011 – A provincial smoking cessation program (based on a policy paper developed by the Clean Air Coalition) to make it easier to quit smoking in BC, with subsidized cessation therapies and resources
- 2010 – Banning of smoking in cars where children 16 years and under are present
- 2010 – Creation of Stroke Services BC, an agency mandated with improving the continuum of stroke care in the province. This was made possible thanks to five years of leadership and management of the BC Stroke Strategy by the Foundation
- 2009 – A provincial ban on trans fats. Legislation was introduced to ban trans fats from BC food services establishments, including restaurants, and a program was created to help restaurants eliminate trans fats from their menus
- 2009 – Clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and management of stroke / transient ischemic attack (TIA) were developed and disseminated to all primary care physicians in the province