By Kelsey Andersen
Health care professionals face yet another new challenge. Bill 46, the Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, which proposes that health professionals must report patients with gun shots or stab wounds. This new bill went back for proposal on October 26, 2009.The bill is being put into legislation to make it easier for health officials and law enforcement to communicate faster and easier.
There are many arguments to this bill, for and against. There is the argument that it makes communication safer and easier but critics claim that it could be invading on civil liberties.
Liberal opposition Leader, David Swann, does not have much faith in the proposition of Bill 46. He explains that the bill does not have an appropriate balance between patient privacy and police investigation...
"It's a very delicate balance between confidentiality and trust between a doctor and a patient, which could be very seriously jeopardized if physicians are required to report cases, which may or may not have any criminal association with them...I think we need to have a very serious discussion...This this kind of a bill is going to suppress people coming to health-care attention."
The proposed bill would require health workers to provide law enforcement with the patients name, if treatment was given, location of treatment, or if the patient is not hospitalized, the location that the patient was seen by paramedics.
“Health-care professionals can report. There’s nothing that’s stopping them... (but) different hospitals have different ways to deal with it,”, said Solicitor-General and Public Security Ministry spokeswoman Sharon Lopatka. “What this does is make it mandatory and very clear when they need to disclose, and it provides police with important information on public safety by preventing further violence of injury,” claimed Lopatka.
Bill 46 excludes the reporting of self-inflicted or accidental injuries.
I believe that the article was very fact-based. It did not show any room for opinion what so ever. It was written by Tarina White. The article sums up how the Bill will affect Canadians and raises awareness about what privacy issues may be intruded.
White, T. (October 25, 2009) Wound disclosure bill comes back. Calgary Sun. Retrieved from the internet on October 26, 2009 from http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/10/25/11519061-sun.html
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By Nicolle Amyotte
...Since Bill 46, the Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, is a brand new policy, there are currently not too many opinion pieces about it out there. I still felt that it needed to be addressed in my blog however, and also felt that journalist, Gwendolyn Richards, did an excellent job in regards to her piece written about the Bill in the Calgary Herald on October 26, 2009. It is not an incredibly opinionated article, but I thought it worthy of blogging about for my purposes...
The bill being proposed would force health care workers to report any stab or gunshot wounds, rather than leaving the information at the discretion of physicians and nurses. Exceptions would be for an accidental or self-inflicted wound. John Dooks, head of Calgary’s police association, says this will serve to protect both victims as well as health-care professionals.
Furthermore, John Dooks elaborated on a strategy that some gang members employ in rivalry- to attack a family member of an opposing gang member and wait at the hospital for their intended victim. With disclosure becoming necessary, security would be heightened around gang affiliates, and the risk of an in-hospital attack would be greatly decreased.
With the evidence given, it seems the opinion of Richards, or of the Calgary Herald, is that the new legislation is a great idea. Opposing viewpoints may include the argument that more gang affiliates would choose not to report their injuries for fear of their identity giving them away.
Another aspect of Bill 46 was that an injured person receiving treatment out of a hospital would have their location disclosed and one might argue that this is something gang associates would fear as well. Another is the potential for a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality to become the norm. It is allowable in this case, so who's to say that it could not go any further?
Richards, G.(October 26, 2009). Police welcome proposed bill 46. The Calgary Herald. Retreieved October 27, 2009 from http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=71b0e8b7-8fb3-4d02-a1b2-2d25e83ee68b
...Since Bill 46, the Gunshot and Stab Wound Mandatory Disclosure Act, is a brand new policy, there are currently not too many opinion pieces about it out there. I still felt that it needed to be addressed in my blog however, and also felt that journalist, Gwendolyn Richards, did an excellent job in regards to her piece written about the Bill in the Calgary Herald on October 26, 2009. It is not an incredibly opinionated article, but I thought it worthy of blogging about for my purposes...
The bill being proposed would force health care workers to report any stab or gunshot wounds, rather than leaving the information at the discretion of physicians and nurses. Exceptions would be for an accidental or self-inflicted wound. John Dooks, head of Calgary’s police association, says this will serve to protect both victims as well as health-care professionals.
Furthermore, John Dooks elaborated on a strategy that some gang members employ in rivalry- to attack a family member of an opposing gang member and wait at the hospital for their intended victim. With disclosure becoming necessary, security would be heightened around gang affiliates, and the risk of an in-hospital attack would be greatly decreased.
With the evidence given, it seems the opinion of Richards, or of the Calgary Herald, is that the new legislation is a great idea. Opposing viewpoints may include the argument that more gang affiliates would choose not to report their injuries for fear of their identity giving them away.
Another aspect of Bill 46 was that an injured person receiving treatment out of a hospital would have their location disclosed and one might argue that this is something gang associates would fear as well. Another is the potential for a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality to become the norm. It is allowable in this case, so who's to say that it could not go any further?
Richards, G.(October 26, 2009). Police welcome proposed bill 46. The Calgary Herald. Retreieved October 27, 2009 from http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=71b0e8b7-8fb3-4d02-a1b2-2d25e83ee68b
By James Wilt
On October 24th, 2009 the Calgary Herald published an article titled, ‘Calgary gang arrests trim murder tally, say police’, which was written by Herald reporter, Stephane Massinon. The article was sparked by the recent arrest of two alleged gang members who have been charged with multiple weapons offences. However, it seemed the primary focus of the article was the presentation of the opinion of Detective Gord Eiriksson, who believes that the increased number of gang arrests this year is resulting in considerably less gang activity in Calgary.
A compelling quote that Massinon used, which basically summarized the point of the article was:
“We've had so many people arrested this year or placed in jail, and since that's happened, we haven't had a gang homicide. I think that speaks volumes.”
Asides from the four quotes from Detective Eiriksson, Massinon also included various statistics and facts that described the previously mentioned arrests, as well as city-wide gang violence.
On a whole, Massinon’s article was extremely fact-based. As mentioned, she utilized many quotes and statistics, which added considerably to the believability and credibility of the news. However, the only person that Massinon quoted was Detective Eiriksson, which led to a very one-sided report. Such bias towards the law enforcement seems to be a trend whenever the media reports on crime related news, which could easily be countered with an increased number of sources.
On another note, it seemed that Massinon jumped between two different stories, which led to confusion. The first story was that of the two recently arrested people, including their history and current legal status.
The second story seemed to be the claim that increased arrests and detainment of gang members has led to reduced gang violence, which although compelling is somewhat distinct in regards to the initial story. I can understand the utilization of the arrests as a case study of sorts to support the detectives claim, but the manner in which Massinon seemed to suggest that both stories held equal importance within the report. A simple solution (which due to deadlines is difficult) would be to separate the news into two separate stories, which would lead to a much easier read for the layman reader.
Despite such criticism, I believe that Massinon did a fairly good job of presenting the news in a fairly objective manner. Although there were essentially two stories within the article, both were written factually and accurately.
Massinon, S. (2009, October 24). Calgary gang arrests trim murder tally, say police [Electronic version]. Calgary Herald.
On October 24th, 2009 the Calgary Herald published an article titled, ‘Calgary gang arrests trim murder tally, say police’, which was written by Herald reporter, Stephane Massinon. The article was sparked by the recent arrest of two alleged gang members who have been charged with multiple weapons offences. However, it seemed the primary focus of the article was the presentation of the opinion of Detective Gord Eiriksson, who believes that the increased number of gang arrests this year is resulting in considerably less gang activity in Calgary.
A compelling quote that Massinon used, which basically summarized the point of the article was:
“We've had so many people arrested this year or placed in jail, and since that's happened, we haven't had a gang homicide. I think that speaks volumes.”
Asides from the four quotes from Detective Eiriksson, Massinon also included various statistics and facts that described the previously mentioned arrests, as well as city-wide gang violence.
On a whole, Massinon’s article was extremely fact-based. As mentioned, she utilized many quotes and statistics, which added considerably to the believability and credibility of the news. However, the only person that Massinon quoted was Detective Eiriksson, which led to a very one-sided report. Such bias towards the law enforcement seems to be a trend whenever the media reports on crime related news, which could easily be countered with an increased number of sources.
On another note, it seemed that Massinon jumped between two different stories, which led to confusion. The first story was that of the two recently arrested people, including their history and current legal status.
The second story seemed to be the claim that increased arrests and detainment of gang members has led to reduced gang violence, which although compelling is somewhat distinct in regards to the initial story. I can understand the utilization of the arrests as a case study of sorts to support the detectives claim, but the manner in which Massinon seemed to suggest that both stories held equal importance within the report. A simple solution (which due to deadlines is difficult) would be to separate the news into two separate stories, which would lead to a much easier read for the layman reader.
Despite such criticism, I believe that Massinon did a fairly good job of presenting the news in a fairly objective manner. Although there were essentially two stories within the article, both were written factually and accurately.
Massinon, S. (2009, October 24). Calgary gang arrests trim murder tally, say police [Electronic version]. Calgary Herald.
By Megan Eichhorn
On October 22, 2009 Markham Hislop of S.E. Calgary News wrote an article about the YARD (Youth At Risk Development) program that was created in August of this year. The federal government is working with Calgary police and Community and Neighbourhood Services to help kids between the ages of 10 and 17 who are in a gang or are at risk of joining one.
The government and police think that early intervention is the best way to prevent them from involvement in possible future gang activity. These kids are identified by risk factors including negative influences, poor parental supervision, substance abuse, detachment from the community, interaction with anti-social peers, low educational/employment potential and the need for recognition and belonging.
This article had no quotes or statistics, but it did have a number to call for more information about the program. It didn’t necessarily need quotes or statistics, however, because Hislop mostly just stated characteristics of the YARD program, which seemed to be the most important aspect of the piece. There was no information about the rise or effect of gangs in Calgary, but in conjunction with other current events, the reader can probably assume that the program will be helpful.
With all the other news about gang member arrests and other things the police are doing in relation to gangs, it is clear that this is still an issue. The people of Calgary are concerned with safety, so the government and police force will probably continue to work together. News of more social programs may be reported, as well as the success or failure of these programs.
Hislop, M. (2009, October 22). YARD (Youth At Risk Development) program. S.E. Calgary News. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.secalgarynews.com/politics/aldermen/yard-youth-at-risk-development-program/
On October 22, 2009 Markham Hislop of S.E. Calgary News wrote an article about the YARD (Youth At Risk Development) program that was created in August of this year. The federal government is working with Calgary police and Community and Neighbourhood Services to help kids between the ages of 10 and 17 who are in a gang or are at risk of joining one.
The government and police think that early intervention is the best way to prevent them from involvement in possible future gang activity. These kids are identified by risk factors including negative influences, poor parental supervision, substance abuse, detachment from the community, interaction with anti-social peers, low educational/employment potential and the need for recognition and belonging.
This article had no quotes or statistics, but it did have a number to call for more information about the program. It didn’t necessarily need quotes or statistics, however, because Hislop mostly just stated characteristics of the YARD program, which seemed to be the most important aspect of the piece. There was no information about the rise or effect of gangs in Calgary, but in conjunction with other current events, the reader can probably assume that the program will be helpful.
With all the other news about gang member arrests and other things the police are doing in relation to gangs, it is clear that this is still an issue. The people of Calgary are concerned with safety, so the government and police force will probably continue to work together. News of more social programs may be reported, as well as the success or failure of these programs.
Hislop, M. (2009, October 22). YARD (Youth At Risk Development) program. S.E. Calgary News. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.secalgarynews.com/politics/aldermen/yard-youth-at-risk-development-program/