A police union in a major Ontario city made a push this fall for better mental health supports for its front-line officers. Hamilton Police Association (HPA) president Jaimi Bannon faced the city’s police board in October and called for an end to a stigma […]
Tag: Healthcare
Growing number of homeless people turning to ERs for shelter and warmth in Ontario, study says – CBC News [2023-11-28]
When Dr. Carolyn Snider arrives for her early morning emergency room shifts, she regularly sees between five and 10 people in the waiting area who don’t need medical attention— just a safe place to stay warm. “[They’re] truly there to just stay out of […]
Doctor points to gaps in London area child and youth mental health care – CBC News [2023-11-27]
A doctor in Alymer, Ont., is speaking out after facing barriers to get outpatient mental health care for a 12-year-old patient identified as being at high risk for self-harm. Dr. Michael Fernando is a general practitioner who took over as the family doctor for […]
As Earth’s temperature rises, so do deaths among people with mental health problems – CTV News [2023-11-18]
As the climate crisis gets worse, we know of farmers whose crops are drying up and people who lose their homes due to rampant wildfires. But there’s another group for whom the climate crisis is a potentially lethal threat — people with mental health […]
Patients treated for mental illness face more barriers for medication approval and access, study finds – CTV News [2023-11-14]
A new study has found that patients being treated for mental illness in Canada wait “far too long” for medication approval and face “inequitable access” across the country. The study from the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, titled “System Broken,”(opens in a new tab) […]
Red-flags raised around medically-assisted death in Canada’s prisons – Global News [2023-10-13]
Since it first became legal in Canada in June 2016, 10 federal prisoners have been granted a medically-assisted death (MAID), according to the Correctional Service of Canada. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) also says that as of Aug. 31 this year, a total […]
Could we have done more? Risk assessment and violence – Healthy Debate [2023-10-10]
Every week, we read of a violent act that could have or should have – or we like to think that it could have or should have – been prevented. The perpetrator is usually a repeat offender. He (for usually it is a male) […]
Housing first: The case for social prescribing of housing in emergency departments – Healthy Debate [2023-10-03]
The past decade in Canada has seen a material escalation in visible homelessness. With a highly financialized housing market driving housing unaffordability and escalating inflation putting pressure on mortgages, rents and food, the crisis of homelessness has continued to worsen. This has resulted in […]
5M Canadians experienced a mental health disorder in 2022: StatCan – CTV News [2023-09-23]
More than five million Canadians experienced some form of mental health disorder in 2022, a new Statistics Canada study has revealed. StatCan says those Canadians “met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder, with the prevalence of mood and anxiety […]
Trans teens and youth say gender-affirming care is ‘life-changing.’ So why is it so hard to find in Canada? – CBC News [2023-09-18]
Crow Heyden-Kaye was in Grade 8 when a worksheet handed out during class asked students to consider how they would describe their gender. It was the first time it occurred to Crow that “girl” didn’t actually fit with how he felt. Over the next […]
Disability and the prison system – Briarpatch [2023-09-07]
There’s a saying among prisoners: if you don’t have a disability going into prison, you’re probably leaving with one. Disability justice and prisoner justice advocates often call prisons the new asylums. Canada has long history of institutionalizing disabled people in asylums, institutions for the […]
Racism partly to blame for worse health outcomes of Indigenous women: study – Global News [2023-08-28]
Racism and the lack of primary care providers mean off-reserve First Nations, Metis and Inuit women and girls have poorer health overall compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts, says a study by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Compared with non-Indigenous females, those in the […]
Local hospital staff frequently deal with violent, aggressive patients, new numbers show – CBC News [2023-08-08]
She’s only been on the job for two years, but London registered nurse Lannie Seddon has already been punched in the head by a patient. She’s one of many hospital workers who face violence and aggression at work on a regular basis — something […]
How Heat Can Affect Your Mental Health – Psychology Today [2023-08-04]
As rising temperatures continue to break records this summer, it is important to remember that extreme heat affects not just our physical health but also our mental health. Elevated cortisol levels, induced by rising temperatures, can trigger stress responses, making individuals feel moody and […]
Mental health care access, electronic options, surgical backlogs: Report lays out health-care overhaul priorities – CTV News [2023-08-02]
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has released a new report, which lays out the key areas that governments need to focus on in order to improve struggling health-care systems. The report is the result of an agreement between the federal, provincial and […]
Arrest the homeless? London, Ont. councillor promotes controversial plan – Global News [2023-07-18]
A city councillor in London, Ont., is coming under fire after sharing a plan to address homelessness that suggested providing support that people need to get off the streets but arresting anyone who refuses assistance. Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson tweeted “London could be […]
London’s ‘game changer’ mental health-care model inspires revisioned plan in Windsor – CBC News [2023-07-17]
Just two hours up Highway 401 from Windsor, Ont., there’s a mental health and addictions crisis centre that is a “game changer” for the London community. Now, a Windsor hospital is eyeing the same model as it plans to re-submit a proposal to the […]
Former Ontario inmates say complaints system is broken after docs reveal medical concerns, abuse allegations – CBC News [2023-07-14]
A cancer survivor says he wasn’t given access to pain medication. A man who lost 42 pounds says he couldn’t get the right food for a medical condition. Another man felt like he was going to die after staying in the back of a […]
More supports needed to protect people with schizophrenia from extreme heat, experts say – CBC News [2023-06-24]
British Columbia’s 2021 heat dome killed people diagnosed with schizophrenia at a higher rate than those with any other chronic illness, according to recent findings from researchers at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). As extreme heat events are forecasted to become more […]
Access to virtual mental-health care uneven across Canada – Healthy Debate [2023-05-28]
Despite the promises of “universality” and “accessibility” enshrined in the Canada Health Act, virtual delivery of family physician services for mental health varies enormously across the country. Before the COVID-19 pandemic onset, virtual delivery of physician services in Canada was rare – other than […]
