City council has proclaimed March as Kidney Month.
Edna Humphreys, volunteer regional director with the Kidney Foundation of B.C., told council Tuesday her group’s goal is to raise awareness of chronic diseases and help people catch them early.
Kidney disease is one of those. It’s difficult to detect in the early stages and it’s incurable.
On Thursday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sahali Mall, the foundation is holding a World Kidney Day event. It includes a large health forum with free cholesterol checks from a pharmacist, free glucose testing, and blood pressure tests. Some TRU nursing students will be on hand to help with the tests.
In Kamloops, there are 80 people who have had kidney transplants and 70 more waiting.
City recognized for use of lifesaving devices
It seems only fitting that the Lifesaving Society would recognize the City’s efforts to save lives in Kamloops.
City aquatics staff Glen Cheetham and Heidi Ogilvie told council the award from the society came from the program to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in municipal facilities.
Ogilvie said two lives have been saved through the use of the AEDs three times in the past three years.
Anyone can use them and the devices boost the odds of saving someone experiencing cardiac problems from 10 to 15 per cent up to 70 per cent, she said.
Now they’re working on making Kamloops a Cardiac Safe City, promoting AEDs in every public building that has 50 or more people, Cheetham said.
New North Shore promoter starts in big year
Lyn Hellyar took over the helm of the North Shore Business Improvement Association in January. This fall, she’ll be working to celebrate the group’s 25th year.
Hellyar appeared before City council Tuesday to introduce herself and to get her budget approved for the year. She said she’d be back in late summer to seek the association’s renewal.
That’s also the time when she expects to be planning the big anniversary bash, she said.
Milobar, Bepple, expect to go over budget
For Mayor Peter Milobar, having extra meetings with government representatives this year will mean going over the usual $5,000 council travel budget.
Coun. Nancy Bepple, who sits on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said travel related to being on that organization will put her over, too.
Council’s policy is for members to seek permission when they need to exceed their annual allocations.
However, Milobar noted, council as a whole won’t be going over its $50,000 annual travel amount, as others will be under budget.
