Is public health care sick or just ailing, and what can be done to fix it?
Those are questions a group of advocates and researchers are asking as they host a panel discussion on the future of public health care in Canada next Wednesday at Coquitlam Public Library's City Centre branch.
Organizer Amy Lubik, who is a cancer researcher, said the No-Tech Health Care Hackathon was sparked by Dr. Brian Day's legal fight for private health care now in B.C. Supreme Court.
"We thought it would be interesting to get the community out and see what other ideas there are to fix our system, " Lubik said.
The event is called a hackathon because it's collaborative and problem-solving, like hackathons used to solve programming problems.
Speakers include Paola Ardilles, president of the Public Health Association of BC; Edith MacHattie, co-chair of the BC Health Coalition; and Kofi Bonnie of the Douglas College Psychiatric Nursing Program.
Lubik said these panelists were asked to participate because they have knowledge about the links between poverty and poor health care outcomes, mental health concerns and surgical wait times, a current issue and one that Day's court case is attempting to deal with.
Lubik is organizing the event with Coquitlam resident Rodney Stehr and they have put information on Facebook.
They are hoping to draw a wide variety of residents to the discussion. Among those who will be invited to come are municipal and provincial politicians but anyone in the community who is interested in the topic is welcome to attend.
• The No-Tech Healthcare Hackathon takes place Nov. 2 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Coquitlam Public Library, 1169 Pinetree Way, Room 136-137.
