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- Oct 24 - Island Health launches 24/7 interpreter service
Oct 24 - Island Health launches 24/7 interpreter service
Victoria startup selected for funding, snow warning for the Malahat and north Island
Capital Daily Team
October 24, 2023
Good morning !
We’ve got some tech stories today, including Island Health’s new 24/7 virtual interpreter service which will offer live translations for 240 languages in Island hospitals.
Have you or a family member had difficulties accessing health care in your preferred language? |
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 4 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Island Health introduces new video interpretation services
Lisa Roe shows off Island Health’s iPads offering interpretation services. Photo: Island Health
Island Health patients and staff will now have around-the-clock access to live translation services at hospitals for 240 languages—including American Sign Language—thanks to a new on-demand remote video interpreting service.
The health authority says the most requested languages on the Island—Arabic, Cantonese, and Mandarin—will all be accessible. The interpreters, managed by the health authority’s Provincial Language Service, are medically trained to ensure all parties are able to understand the information exchanged.
And they will be available 24/7, Island Health said.
It’s hoped the service will alleviate stress for staff who often have to rely on family members or finding a multi-lingual colleague to translate information, Lisa Roe, a Vic General clinical nurse lead said in a statement.
“It could be the middle of the night that we’re trying to find someone,” said Roe. “In health care, we need the accuracy that consumer apps can’t provide.”
More than 100 iPads equipped with the service will be available at Island hospitals and staff will be able to gain access through an app on their phones.
It’s expected the service will reduce face-to-face interactions, lowering the risk of transmitting airborne diseases, such as COVID, Island Health said in a statement.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Road work on Quebec between Oswego and Menzies began yesterday, running until December.
Galloping Goose detour reopened between Luxton and Winter after two bridges were replaced.
Wet snow possible tomorrow for Malahat, Alberni area, and north Island. [CTV]
NEWS
Victoria tech startup selected for accelerator program
Planette co-founders Kalai Ramea and Hansi Singh. Photo credit: Techstars.
Local entrepreneur Hansi Singh’s latest venture, Planette, has been selected as one of 24 companies for Techstars Seattle, an accelerator program offering funding, mentorship, community support, and office space.
Planette can predict extreme climate events happening up to a year ahead of time, offering a glimpse into the future to plan and adapt to climate change.
“The importance of climate intelligence has never been more paramount,” Planette co-founder Kalai Ramea wrote on LinkedIn.
SPONSORED BY DANCE VICTORIA
Dance Victoria presents New York’s World-Class Gibney Company
From its home at the heart of Broadway, New York’s Gibney Company has been making waves around the world for both its virtuosic performances and empowering activism.
For their Victoria debut, they arrive with three diverse works:
The free-spirited Bliss, by choreographer Johan Inger, sets jazz pianist Keith Jarrett’s legendary, improvised ‘Köln Concert’ in joyful motion.
A Measurable Existence, by choreographer Yue Yin, is an intimate meditation on how our lives and journeys are so often defined only by their intersections with others.
Rounding out the mixed bill, Israel’s Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s SARA is an articulate jewel of a piece that finishes the evening on a shining high note.
Dance Victoria presents Gibney Company Nov 17 and 18 at Royal Theatre. Click here for tickets and more info.
⭐️ Capital Picks
🎃 Curated Halloween movies available with GVPL streaming.
💇 Heartwood & Co. is Victoria’s premiere hair and beauty salon, offering everything from cut and colour, to makeup, facials, lashes, and event looks. Let’s get gorgeous!*
⭐ Photo: See a cushion star found near Clover Point by a snorkeler.
*Sponsored Listing
🗞️ In Other News
Rollover sends truck driver to hospital, closes Langford roundabout
The truck, carrying tree stumps, jackknifed in the roundabout near Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School at approximately 11am, closing it until 1:30pm. The driver is expected to be OK. [CHEK]
Video: Child has face-to-face meeting with a bear. [CTV]
Christine Sinclair will play penultimate career game in Langford
Canada will take on Australia at Starlight Stadium before her final career game at BC Place. The BC native will finish her career as the world’s leading scorer for women's international soccer and a three-time Olympic medalist. [Times Colonist]
Protest at BC legislature calls for ceasefire in Gaza
Around 1,000 people attended the peaceful demonstration and march calling for humanitarian relief in the region, a ceasefire and the humanization of victims. [CHEK]
Video: Colwood Crawl
A cyclist filmed his ride home—through bumper-to-bumper traffic—from Saanich to Colwood, highlighting, they said, the need for more transit options. [Victoria News]
Capital Daily looked at solutions to the “Colwood Crawl” back in 2022.
Province opens studio homes on Meares, near Cook
The 48 studio homes, each with a private kitchenette and washroom, are for people aged 19 to 27 experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
West Shore RCMP arrest 7 on drug trafficking charges
Three separate investigations Oct. 13-15 led police to seize a “significant” quantity of drugs, cash and stolen clothing. Police pulled over a GMC Sierra pickup and a Fiat 500 in Langford, along with a Jeep Cherokee in View Royal.
SPONSORED BY UVIC CONTINUING STUDIES
Make an impact in your career.
Refresh your skills with certificate and diploma programs at Continuing Studies at UVic.
🗓️ Things to do
Tot Tuesday at Salish Sea Centre: Preschoolers and parents can join this educational hour today at 10:30am—this week’s theme is bears.
👀 In Case You Missed It
A year until scheduled BC election; new polling is out. Victoria program helps make authentic Cowichan sweaters. UVic field hockey wins western gold for 5th-straight season. [Mon. newsletter]
Swartz Bay upgrades delayed. Meet the West Coast Trail’s guardians. Pacific FC’s underdog playoff run ends. Truck hits bowling alley. [Sunday newsletter]
A black bear splashes through the water in these photos taken near Campbell River.
Nanaimo dad’s LEGO skills recognized as among world’s best. [CTV]
Courtenay man wins $1M in lottery; says he’ll now spend money on travel, his son, and travelling with his son.
That’s it!
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