I recently watched on the news, footage of large, angry crowds aggressively protesting in front of BC hospitals against the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. At Vancouver General Hospital protesters were heard verbally assaulting people trying to access their healthcare appointments and treatments, as well as harassing various healthcare workers and support staff, just trying to get where they needed to be, to deliver that care and to ensure health services for all.

For the past six years, I have worked with various healthcare groups as a volunteer patient partner/advisor to ensure that the patient’s point of view is always considered. Our goals are the same: to improve healthcare delivery for patients and ensure a healthy environment for healthcare professionals delivering that healthcare.

Our goals are the same: to improve healthcare delivery for patients and ensure a healthy environment for healthcare professionals delivering that healthcare.

Currently, I am part of a group trying to ensure better emergency care throughout our BC ER’s, the BC EM Network. I’ve been part of the team for almost five years. It is made up of ER physicians, researchers and other key support staff.

So when I saw a few too many of these protesters behaving in a mob-like manner at times, I immediately thought of this group of hardworking professionals. They help run, staff and support our BC ER’s and could have been trying to access their workplaces at the time of this melee. In these situations, if one thinks of individuals, as opposed to some large, amorphous group of people, one realizes that this disrespectful protest is completely inappropriate – especially given the extra stress and pressure placed upon these workers, due to a grinding year and a half of a pandemic (so far).

I felt frustrated that the voices of these protesters are only expressing one point of view, to the exclusion of the majority of British Columbians. I thought: how can I get my voice, and many, many others out there, in support of our healthcare workers? “ So I started writing this post.

I want to thank all BC healthcare workers that continue to do their best to help us in such an unusually distressing time. A huge shout-out to you all: thank you, thank you, thank you! We support you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We support you.