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BC 2024 provincial election

Responses from the Electoral Candidates
Responses are arranged according to the date we received them. The first response received in each party appears at the top of that section.

BC Green Party individual candidate responses
Adam Bremner-Akins – Port Coquitlam
Nicola Spurling – Coquitlam-Maillardville

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 1:44 PM
Subject: Re: Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey for British Columbia Election
From: Port Coquitlam Candidate

Hello Cheryl,

As someone who's family has been impacted by arthritis, I do understand some of the difficulties and challenges people living with arthritis experience. Here are my answers to your survey.
  1. Arthritis Prevention, Treatment, and Care: Our government will prioritize timely, accessible, and high quality care for individuals living with arthritis. We will focus on expanding team based and virtual care models that are evidence based, ensuring that British Columbians receive the coordinated, multi disciplinary support they need. By investing in nonprofit and community healthcare models, we aim to ease pressure on primary care and improve access to specialists, including those focused on inflammatory arthritis. Additionally, we will ensure that arthritis patients benefit from preventive health measures and equitable access to treatment options.
  2. Culturally Appropriate Indigenous Care: We recognize the higher rates of arthritis in Indigenous communities and the need for culturally relevant healthcare. Our government will introduce patient centered policies that include Indigenous patient care facilitators to ensure community based, culturally respectful care. By closing these healthcare gaps, we will address the unique barriers that Indigenous Peoples face in managing arthritis and comorbidities.
  3. Improving Drug Reimbursement Access: We are committed to reinvesting biosimilars savings back into the healthcare system and ensure we have a health care system that is fiscally and responsibly managed. Our government will work to improve BC’s ranking in arthritis care by ensuring equitable access to effective medications, including newer biologic treatments. We will also support a sustainable prescription drug plan that keeps these life-changing treatments affordable.
  4. Addressing Joint Replacement Wait Times: We will take immediate action to reduce surgery wait times for knee and hip replacements. By investing in specialized surgical resources, our goal is to meet medically recommended wait times, improving quality of life for those living with osteoarthritis.
  5. Innovating Care Models: We will support arthritis care by working to make high quality, accessible models such as team based care and expanded virtual care are accessible to all. Through investment in healthcare infrastructure and patient support services, we aim to provide timely and comprehensive care that enhances the well-being of arthritis patients across BC.
Adam Bremner-Akins (He/Him)
MLA Candidate for Port Coquitlam
BC Green Party Secretary & EDI Committee Chair

The main office of the BC Green Party is located on the territory of the Lekwungen-speaking people. I work and live on the territory of the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ, Kwikwetlem, and S’ólh Téméxw nations.
Date: September 26, 2024 at 7:36:41 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Arthritis Consumer Experts Survey for British Columbia Election
From: Coquitlam-Maillardville Candidate

Hi Anita,
Please find my responses attached.
Thank you,

Nicola Spurling
BC Green Candidate, Coquitlam-Maillardville
nicolaspurling.me/coquitlam-maillardville
https://www.nicolaspurling.me/coquitlam-maillardville
I am grateful to live, work, and play on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, q̓ic̓əy̓, and qiqéyt peoples.