VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

VON CLARIFICATION

Re: the recent letter from Karen R. Clarke of Dartmouth (“VON are essential,” March 28).

I would like to thank Karen for her kind words in support of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) and the services we provide. We appreciate her words of thanks and are proud of the care we provide.

I do need to clarify that VON is considered an essential service. We continue to provide visiting nursing and home support while taking all precautions necessary to ensure the safety of our clients and employees. We are following public health directions for personal protective equipment and screening our clients and employees every visit and every day.

Together, these practices maximize safety while allowing our critically important services to continue. We have been obliged to alter, reduce or in some cases cancel community programs to ensure the safety of our employees, volunteers, clients and their families, but are working hard to remain in contact with the people who rely on these important services too.

Our website is updated daily with information on program changes — consult https://www.von.ca/en/covid-19. VON is here to help, and we thank Karen and others like her for their support during these challenging times.

Jeff Densmore, regional executive director, central and western zones VON Canada — Nova Scotia

DAILY PAPER INVALUABLE

A sincere thank you to The Chronicle Herald and Saltwire for continuing to publish the paper.

This source of news, information and entertainment is invaluable for many stuck at home during this health crisis. Living in rural Nova Scotia is an advantage in these days of isolation and it is a real joy to find my paper at the end of my driveway every morning. Thank you to all who make this possible, including the local delivery person, David; this service is outstanding.

On another matter — Bill Black on how governments are doing.

Mr. Black must feel that he is betraying some deep, immutable, personal belief if he offers any kind of compliment to the federal Liberal Party and Justin Trudeau. I think most Canadians are satisfied with the government’s handling of the crisis and the measures that are being taken.

Mr. Black’s grudging admission of this just has to come with snide remarks about Mr. Trudeau — attributing his credibility, in part, to his wife having COVID-19. Really?

And “verbal tics,” really?

It is unfortunate that petty politics must taint what should be a fair and unbiased assessment of governments’ responses to COVID-19. Dianne Powell, Wentworth Station

GOUGED ON PRESCRIPTIONS

Re: changes in prescription-filling.

It seems to me that the College of Pharmacists are lining their own pockets with this policy. If you take a normal 90-day prescription for any drug, and break it down into three 30-day prescriptions, the cost will almost double, and maybe more that double, for all prescriptions, because the pharmacy adds their fee onto each prescription.

This appears to me like a cash grab when most people are having problems paying their own rents and bills. Perhaps a better way would be to not issue prescriptions in advance of due dates, and limit 30-day refills to people who cannot get in to see their doctors. Or, better yet, in this time of crisis, perhaps pharmacies should dispense with their refill fees altogether, and just take the profit they are making off of the prescription markups that they apply on top of their purchasing cost.

I am amazed that the government would allow this to take place when they are restricting costs on other kinds of regular bills.

Stan Gray, Halifax