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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011
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Christmas with the King
Steve Elliott will be Elvis Presley for a holiday concert arts 20
Rio Tinto pushes smelter upgrade
B.C. 7
Green leader aids South Pacific
CANADA 13
KNEE’S MUST
UNBC's Kady Dandeneau comes back from surgery sports 9
Dix, Clark exchange body blows
PALMER 6
Europe
attempts
to rally
more
financial
firepower
WORLD 25
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CITIZEN PHOTOS BY BRENT BRAATEN
WAKING UP TO ST. NICK —
Ahrianna Steele, 3, left, enjoys a bite at the Santa breakfast at the Salvation Army organized by Prince George Child Care Association. The association, a group of daycares operating in the city, brought nonperishable food products to the Salvation Army in exchange for the charity hosting the daycare's clients at the breakfast. Also sampling the food was Lucy Brown,
2, bottom left, and a gentleman who, when he laughes, shakes like a bowful of jelly, bottom right.
HEALTH CARE
Hospital forced to put ER patients in hallways, meeting rooms
Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca
Patients are stacking up in Prince George’s hospital emergency room because there is a shortage of seniors’ care and other social infrastructure.
According to doctors in the ER, patients have been stacking up
into hallways and meeting rooms and the annual flu season hasn’t even hit yet. They trace the issue up the health-care ladder to a lack of beds for seniors with health issues.
“When Gateway [seniors’ care facility at 20th Avenue and Victoria Street] we saw a very small improvement, but the need is so
huge it didn’t fix the issue. We need more places like Jubilee Lodge and Alward Place,” said Dr. Zoe Redenbach, an ER doctor and representative of the Prince George Division of Family Practice, a physician’s coalition working on northern medical innovations.
— see OVERCROWDING, page 4
CORRECTIONS
Prison guards endure mix of violence, bodily fluids
Arthur WILLIAMS Citizen staff awilliams@pgcitizen.ca
A survey of 205 B.C. corrections officers has revealed more than one in four were physically assaulted by an inmate in the past year, and
nearly 40 per cent were hit with feces, blood or other bodily fluids.
Last month, Simon Fraser University researcher Neil Boyd unveiled the results of his study examining the working conditions for correctional officers. Approximately 19
per cent of the officers who responded worked at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.
“We ran a test to see if there was anything which stood out at any of the facilities,” Boyd said.
— see P.G., page 3
Today's Weather
Hi +0° Low -5°
See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts
ANNIE'S MAILBOX 23 CROSSWORD 24 MONEY 28
BRIDGE 23 ARTS 23-24 OPINION 6
CLASSIFIEDS 29-31 HOROSCOPE 2 SPORTS 9-12
COMICS 24 LETTERS 6 WEATHER 2
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