The important work, this workshop for men of ages proposes to facilitate is at the root of what needs to happen to create a regenerative culture. Boys in our society lost the opportunity to be initiated by wild earth under the tending care of the elders for at least the last 3000 years.

This fact, I believe, is at the core of why our society has been so destructive toward wild nature and indigenous cultures all through history and is reaching today a point of unprecedented global crises. There are no new places and people to colonize and consequently there is to transfer the grief of our loss to somebody or somewhere else.

To be able to recover the important cultural container that will nurture young boys into mature adult developing a self who deeply care for the well being of people and nature, men today, need to experience themselves the level of connection to the wild, their community and self that only initiatory events are able to provide.

The genetic imperative to go through these experiences is so strong that, without it, people seem to manifest for themselves dramatic experiences in the form of disease, accidents, asocial behaviour and other traumas. Here we have the chance to prepare ourselves gently and deeply into finding our true gift and place in life, connecting safely with our soul and vision in the context of a supportive community.

For more info check out the wisdom of the earth website.

You can also read about the workshop and Wisdom of the Earth in the Driftwood article.

Or listen to a podcast of the Saltspring radio show. Interview begins at 25 minute mark.

Lady Minto Hospital Foundation has made a new investment, a sort of “heart monitor”, if you will. It doesn’t rely on fancy bells and whistles but it is everything to do with our inner core. And it requires your participation.

Helping Hearts is a new program and it is an investment in our staff, nurses and doctors. It is our sincere effort to recognize the work that they do on a daily basis to provide the best patient care possible with the resources that they have available.

Here’s how the program works. If there is someone who made a difference in the quality of your care or the care of a family member during your recent hospital visit at Lady Minto Hospital, tell us your story and show your gratitude by making a donation in their name. It could be one of our doctors or nurses. Maybe it’s our Facilities Department that maintains the grounds and the building to make the hospital a physically comfortable environment. Did our admitting staff work to efficiently process your in-patient information, knowing how horrible you might have been feeling? What about our Extended Care Unit staff who provide activities, entertainment and care to enhance the living experience of our extended care residents? And then there’s our diligent pharmacy and lab staff. We have an amazingly hardworking and caring team!

Download a Helping Hearts brochure form here, or you can find them located throughout the hospital. Fill it out and return it, with your donation to the hospital. On receipt of your gift, the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation will send a card to the health care professional(s) or staff members you wish to honour. Your honoree will receive a Helping Hearts lapel pin and recognition by supervisors and co-workers.

Antonio Porchia wrote, “A large heart can be filled with very little”. Recognizing caregivers is a wonderful way to support our local hospital – your gratitude for excellent care touches the hearts of the people you thank. More importantly, your gift also helps to create an environment in which medical professionals and staff experience greater satisfaction and are encouraged to excel.

Live with an attitude of gratitude and express appreciation. Be aware of those little ways that make life easier and those people who know what you truly need. Download a Helping Hearts form here – http://bit.ly/dVPSQ4

Visit http://www.ladymintofoundation.com/ for more information.

Janine Fernandes-Hayden is a member of the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation Board. She has been an islander for 6 years. She and her husband Richard enjoy island living with their 3 young children.

Walk into the Endoscopy Room at Lady Minto, on a Tuesday, and you’ll find yourself in the midst of bright lights. The procedure is an endoscopy, which includes colonoscopies and gastroscopies. The cast includes the great OR teams of Lady Minto Hospital nurses and doctors. The leading man…Dr. John Morse, the specialist behind all this activity.

How did Salt Spring Island end up so lucky to have access to his services? John Morse and his family had been living up in Yellowknife for the past 18 years. During this time, Dr. Shane Barclay was working part time in Fort Simpson and they became friends. Apparently the conversation went something like, “if you ever get tired of working in the north and want to work in BC, let me know.” Eventually a move south became very appealing and the Morse’s moved to Maple Bay. Thus began the talks about Endoscopy at Lady Minto Hospital.

Salt Spring Island has kept him very busy. A year ago, Dr. Morse began commuting from Maple Bay every Tuesday. However, two clinic days and two procedure days per month still could not meet the demand. There was a growing wait list as previously, people had to put off the procedure if it required off-island travel off-island. The great news is now they don’t have to cross the sea. So full are Dr. Morse’s days on Salt Spring Island that, as of this January, VIHA added two additional endoscopy days to Lady Minto’s OR Schedule. This has increased the monthly statistics for endoscopy from approximately 20 procedures per month, 3 years ago, to 44 per month in 2011– more than double the number.

Dr. Morse comes from a family of doctors, following in his Father’s footsteps as an internist. He was always interested in physiology and research, but found he gained more pleasure in helping people. Dr. Morse has been an Internist for 31 years and has a special interest in gastroenterology. He started his schooling at Dalhousie and finishing up at University of Alberta.

As a Gastroenterology Fellow at U. of A., colonoscopies were new, still reserved for abnormalities, so he did not do them until 3 years later after working with a Halifax Endoscopist to learn the procedures. Since then, diagnostic tools have changed a lot. The fiberscopic telescope was replaced about 15 years ago with video scopes and T.V. screens. The new scopes are slimmer and flexible which enables more adaptability according to each unique situation. Another development in the area is Narrow Band Imaging, an optical filter technology that radically improves the visibility of capillaries, veins and other subtle tissue structures such as polyps. All of this new technology is at the fingertips of the Operating Room Team at Lady Minto.

According to this very amicable specialist, endoscopy is very much about intervention and reacting to findings. Patients are always made aware of the risks as well as the benefits of endoscopies at their clinic visit with Dr. Morse. After a recent visit, an impressed patient remarked, “I walked into the room, he shook my hand, called me by my name, asked if I knew why I was there. He sat beside me and we talked through the possibilities we might find. He was thorough. I found him so personable.”

There are national guidelines on the use of colonoscopy screenings. Dr. Morse sees people daily who ask to be screened because of their age, genetic predisposition to disease and family history, particularly with cancer. According to Dr. Morse, screening without symptoms is almost always the best time to do an examination.

When asked how he feels about his team, Dr. Morse describes them as “exceptional people, very experienced and they care about their patients.” He also commented that the OR space is “amazing and equipped with first class equipment.” He is particularly pleased with the cleaning process as that gives him confidence that the scopes are safe. He points out that his opinion is echoed by external evaluations that have also shown that our endoscopy room exceeds Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) requirements. At the end of the day, all of this gives patients the confidence to know that they are being provided with an exceptional service by very capable and caring hands, right here on the island.

Speaking of inside and out, check out Lady Minto’s Hospital Foundation’s newly revamped website for more information on what we support and how you can help,

Karen Mouat, Staff
Lady Minto Hospital Foundation

Karen Mouat is a long time Salt Spring Island Resident. She has been working for the Hospital Foundation for the past two years and was fortunate to be able to spend some time meeting with Dr. Morse and the Endoscopy Team.