BC Prostate Cancer Support Groups Newsletter - March 28, 2020

COVID-19 Update

Hello all, I hope you are staying safe and healthy right now. It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks, but we want you to know that we are still here for you and will continue to be throughout these unprecedented times. Our office is currently closed to the public to ensure the safety of the staff and our supporters, but we are still hard at work to ensure that you will have a continuum of support. Now more than ever, we recognize how important it is for us to be there for you, especially as the majority of you are in the demographic most vulnerable to COVID-19. As you know, in-person support group meetings have been postponed indefinitely to adhere to public health protocols and to ensure the safety of yourselves and your support group members. If you are interested in the option to hold your support group meetings online over video chat, please let me know and I would be more than happy to help you set that up. I have upgraded our Foundation Zoom account to the 'Pro' version which extends the maximum meeting duration from 40 minutes to up to 24 hours; all support groups are welcome to use this account. All online support group meetings will be updated on www.prostatecancerbcsupportgroups.ca/calendar/ as they become available. In the meantime, Dale Erikson, the Chilliwack Support Group leader, is extending an invitation to you, and all of your support group members, to his meeting over Zoom that will be taking place on Thursday, April 2nd at 7:00 pm. Their speaker will be the Pharmacy Manager from Pharmasave Health Centre, Nader Khattab, B.Sc Pharm, R.Ph, who will be speaking about cannabis for medical purposes. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions over the chat line. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP below and I will send you the link to the meeting. Please keep in mind that, in respect to our speaker, we request that no one record the meeting. I am also happy to assist you in getting started with Zoom if you wish. Click here for a short help guide that I've put together. Thinking of you all! If there's anything else we can do to provide you with support right now, please let me know. Richelle

Will you be attending the Chilliwack Prostate Cancer Support Group meeting? LOCATION Online DATE AND TIME 04/02/20 7:00pm - 04/02/20 9:00pm The Pharmacy Manager from Pharmasave Health Centre, Nader Khattab, B.Sc Pharm, R.Ph, will be speaking about Cannabis for medical purposes. I'll be there! Send me the info. Maybe I can't make it

March Issue of Prostatepedia

The March issue of ProstatePedia includes interviews with several lead clinicians discussing their management of COVID-19 with their prostate cancer patients. Hopefully some of this information will be helpful for you. Click here to download the March Issue of Prostatepedia

New Video On Support Groups Website

Many thanks to Bob Tomyk of the Surrey Prostate Cancer Support Group, videographer, Doug Lucas, for volunteering his time and equipment to film this presentation, and Dr. Arman Rahmim for taking the time to speak to the Surrey Support Group on February 29th, 2020.

Virtual Presenters

Dr. Michael Cox Dr. Michael Cox, one of Prostate Cancer BC's directors, as well as Senior Research Scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and Associate Professor at the Department of Urologic Sciences at UBC, has kindly offered to be a speaker at your virtual support group meetings. If you are interested in having Dr. Cox speak at your meeting, please let me know and I will put you in touch.

SIRvivor Exercise Classes Postponed

The following is a message from the SIRvivor program coordinator: Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the vulnerable group the SIRvivor program serves, the BC Recreation and Parks Association and the UBC Research Group will be postponing all spring and summer SIRvivor programming. We plan to offer the classes at community centres throughout BC again in Fall 2020.  We would like to thank you for your support and promotion of the program thus far and for being key in helping us reach potential participants. We will be monitoring information from our federal and provincial health officials in the coming months. I will be connecting with each PCSC Site Lead in the summer to confirm dates and information for fall classes and will send along updated posters at that time. I am also reaching out to support group leaders in the regions we offer classes, updating them on the postponement and encouraging them to reach out to me with any questions. Thank you for your support of the SIRvivor BC Exercise Program. Please feel free to contact me if we can be of assistance. All the best, Sarah Campbell  SIRvivor Research Coordinator

New Support Groups

Do you know anyone in Northern or Eastern BC who may be interested in leading or starting their own Prostate Cancer Support Group? If so, please let me know, as we would love to assist them in starting a group to ensure that men all over the province are able to benefit from the empowerment that comes from being a part of a support group. In addition to continued support from the Foundation, support groups have access to free marketing material created by us, help with advertising, assistance in finding an appropriate venue to host their meetings, and will receive our Support Group Handbook that guides its readers through the process of establishing their group. Our goal is to provide support to as many men as possible in B.C. Many communities are likely unable to access the emotional support that they may need. Communities that do not currently have support groups include Prince George, Prince Rupert, Terrace, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Castlegar, Revelstoke, and others. Please feel free to email or call myself, Richelle Green, at richelle@prostatecancerbc.ca or 604-574-5100 if there is someone you know who may be interested.