The Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation is launching a Chase the Ace fundraiser to support the Pumps for Life campaign. Pumps for life is gearing up to raise $900,000 to purchase new infusion pumps for the Brandon Regional Health Centre. An infusion pump allows health care staff to safely administer intravenous fluids required in patient care. These fluids can be medications, blood products, chemotherapy drugs, fluid replacement and nutrients, also known as tube feeding. Infusion pumps are used in all sectors of care – from laboring mothers to newborn babies in the NICU, from the surgical suite to the post-operative stage of care, from chemotherapy and hemodialysis treatments, to end of life care. This replacement project is necessary as the existing pumps are nearing the end of life. Replacing the pumps will also allow standardization of pumps across the Province of Manitoba. This allows for enhanced patient safety when moving between healthcare settings, as well, it allows for bulk buying and cost savings. A total of 360 infusion pumps are needed and we need your help to replace these lifesaving pieces of equipment. Patients across the entire healthcare spectrum will benefit from these new pumps. The success of a campaign like this is totally dependent on community support. The BRHC Foundation Chase the Ace fundraiser is open to all residents of Manitoba and is played securely and safely online. Visit www.chasetheacebrandon.ca to try your luck and support a great cause. Additional donations will be accepted through the BRHC Foundation office. Donations of excess of $1,000 will receive permanent recognition on the campaign wall. Donations of over $15 are tax deductible and cumulative with any donations you may have made in the past or make in the future, with recognition at the $1,000 level being made on our permanent donor board. For further information contact the BRHC Foundation at (204) 578-4226 or at info@brhcfoundation.ca Donations to this project may be made to: Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation – Pumps for Life150 McTavish Avenue EastBrandon, MB R7B 2E3 Or by visiting the Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation website at www.brhcfoundation.ca

Brandon School Division buses will not be operating outside the city of Brandon for Friday February 12th all day due to extreme cold; all Brandon School Division schools will be open; buses will be running within the city of Brandon; attendance at schools is at parental discretion where travel is required. Please call your school if you are not going to be attending. All Brandon School Division Staff are to report to work. (submitted)

On Tuesday afternoon, Brandon's emergency services responded to a crash between an SUV and a taxi near the Brandon Police Station.The crash at 11th Street and McTavish Ave sent an SUV plowing through a snowbank and up onto a sidewalk. The impact caused airbags to deploy in both vehicles, and fluids were leaking from the taxi. Firefighters used sand to help soak up the spill.  It is unknown if anyone was injured during the collision. Photo by: Liam Pattison Photo by: Liam Pattison Photo by: Liam Pattison

In order to build capacity and prepare for an unprecedented immunization campaign, the province has once again expanded the professions that will be able to protect Manitobans by administering the COVID-19 vaccine, Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson announced today.  “The number of vaccine doses delivered to Manitoba by the federal government so far is only a tiny fraction of what we will need in the coming months to protect Manitobans,” said Stefanson. “Today we are expanding the number of people permitted to administer vaccines, so that when those vaccines are delivered to our province, I have been assured that we will be ready to mobilize our plan to vaccinate up to 20,000 Manitobans a day.” Earlier today, the minister signed an order under the Regulated Health Professions Act (vaccination administration) to add new professions able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine under certain conditions. Additional immunizers are not needed at this time due to low vaccine supply, but the order is part of the province’s contingency planning to mobilize a broader workforce if needed in the future. The order applies to:• athletic therapists,;• chiropractors,• dental hygienists,• massage therapists, and• optometrists. “I want to thank all of the Manitobans who have stepped forward to play a part in the largest immunization rollout in the history of our province,” said Stefanson. “Manitoba is ready to start putting vaccines in arms as soon as we start receiving more supply from the federal government.” In the coming weeks, the province will work with these professions and other stakeholders to discuss what types of training, recruitment and retention initiatives might be appropriate. More details will be shared with these professions as soon as it is available including when recruitment may be expanded to include their members. The order is available at https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/index_orders.php. With the most recent expansion, a total of 17 professions can provide a COVID-19 immunization. Today’s announcement builds on previously announced initiatives to build Manitoba’s vaccination capacity in anticipation of additional vaccines becoming available in the coming weeks and months including:• deploying Focused Immunization Teams (FIT) to vaccinate Manitoba’s most vulnerable residents in congregate care settings;• partnering with the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to open a vaccination site to immunize members of priority populations identified by First Nation medical leadership;• opening of super sites in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson, with plans to open more in Southern Health–Santé Sud and Interlake–Eastern health regions; and• partnering with doctors and pharmacists to provide immunizations when additional vaccines become available. Earlier today, representatives from the Vaccine Implementation Task Force provided an update on recruitment and retention initiatives. The province currently has 1,457 COVID-19 immunizers ready to support the vaccine rollout across the province, in addition to hundreds of other related positions. Manitoba is preparing to deliver 20,000 doses of vaccine a day in the coming months, and a robust immunization workforce is needed to achieve that goal. The presentation is available at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/reports.html under Reports. For more information about Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccine campaign, visit www.manitoba.ca/vaccine.(Province of MB News Release)

(Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release)While responding to a disturbance call in the 000 block of 22nd Street an intoxicated male assaulted two police officers.  The 36-year-old Brandon male has been charged with Resist Arrest and Assault Police.  He has been released from custody to appear in court April 6th