Quadrangle N.L. takes a closer look at 2SLGBTQ+ health care in new research project

Ainsley Hawthorn  (Submitted by Ainsley Hawthorn - image credit)

Ainsley Hawthorn (Submitted by Ainsley Hawthorn – image credit)

Ainsley Hawthorn

Ainsley Hawthorn

Ainsley Hawthorn, the project’s research manager, says some in the 2SLGBTQ+ avoid health services due to a lack of education among some health staff. (Submitted by Ainsley Hawthorn)

More than half of 2SLGBTQ+ and gender-diverse people in Newfoundland and Labrador say their mental health is poor or very poor and over 73 per cent say they needed mental health-care services but never got them.

That’s according to a research project by Quadrangle N.L., funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada.

The report considers all health-care services in Newfoundland and Labrador. The results are anything but optimistic.

“Even though we can see that there’s a need for therapy and mental health treatment, people aren’t easily able to get it,” Ainsley Hawthorn, the project’s research manager, told CBC News on Monday.

The survey had 272 respondents from people in all regions of the province. About half indicated they are gender-diverse, which is around 10 per cent of the gender diverse-population of the province, Hawthorn said.

Charlie Murphy, executive director of Quadrangle N.L., says the results of the survey indicate the need for more mental health services, across the province, free of charge, for the community.

The project also included interviews with health-care providers and health-care students.

Hawthorn said many indicated they haven’t had a solid education on serving the 2SLGBTQ+ community or the community’s particular needs.

Listen to the full interview with CBC Radio’s Newfoundland Morning:

“And generally speaking, the level of confidence was not that high among health-care providers that they could serve this community,” she said.

“We actually found that 43.8 per cent of [2SLGBTQ+] community members in the province had to educate a health-care provider on their needs in the past year. So that’s not even in their

How medieval French women used hidden social networks to share medical advice

In the medieval period, medical science was still dominated by the ancient writings of Hippocrates from the fifth century and Galen of Pergamon from the second century. Research has shown that women were increasingly being taken seriously as healers and as bearers of wisdom about women’s bodies and health. But despite this, men were preferred while women faced restrictions.

Informal networks developed in response, as a way for women to practise medicine in secret – and pass on their medical wisdom outside the male bastions.

The Distaff Gospels, first published in France around 1480, is a collection of “gospels” around pregnancy, childbirth and health. It was created during secretive meetings of French women who had gathered with their drop spindles and distaffs to spin flax.

These women, who were mostly from the regions of Flanders and Picardy, agreed to meet over the long nights between Christmas and early February to gather the wisdom of their ancestors and pass it on to the women who came after them. The meetings are believed to have been organised by a local villager who selected six older women, each chairing one night, who would recount their advice on a range of topics such as pregnancy, childbirth and marriage.

A scribe was appointed to record the advice, which had previously only been preserved through the oral story tradition of peasant women. What is most fascinating is that although the text is mediated by a male scribe, The Distaff Gospels presents the often-silent voices of the lower working-class women. One such gospel advises:

Young women should never be given hares’ heads to eat, for fear they might think about it later, once they are married, especially while they are pregnant; in that case, for sure, their children would

8 Top AI Healthcare Software of 2024

eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

AI healthcare software is rapidly transforming the healthcare sector, providing medical professionals with new and innovative AI tools to improve patient care, diagnosis, and treatment.

AI healthcare software uses machine learning and data analytics to analyze patient data, predict outcomes, and personalize treatment plans. These AI-powered healthcare tools can help reduce medical errors, improve efficiency, and save lives. In this best AI healthcare software review, we analyzed the best solutions available on the market and how they are improving healthcare delivery.

Top AI Healthcare Software Comparison

Top Use Medical Imaging Analysis Diagnostic Assistance Key Strength
Enlitic Managing medical imaging data Yes Yes Reduce mundane data routing tasks for PACS administrators
Merative Clinical decision support and healthcare analytics Yes Yes Treatment cost calculator provides real-time estimates of costs
Regard Automating clinical tasks Yes Yes Reduce clinician burnout
Google Vertex AI Information retrieval Yes Yes Feature-rich and highly customizable
Freenome Early cancer detection No Yes Potential to save lives
Iterative Health Detection of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases Yes Yes Improves the accuracy and consistency of endoscopy readings
VirtuSense Predictive fall prevention No No Automated and fast alerting system ensures timely response from staff
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Enlitic: Best for Managing Medical Imaging Data

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Winnipeg resident left without regular care during healthcare worker strike

Lorna Ross says she feels abandoned and caught in the middle of the health care worker strike at Ten Ten Sinclair. She says she’s forced to stay in her condo, waiting for services that may or may not come.

“We live minute by minute, day by day. So I never know when I’m actually going to get checked on,” she explained.

“My experience with this whole strike is very stressful, very depressing, very annoying.”

The strike began Wednesday, with workers refusing to return to work unless they get better wages. Ross says she wants to be spending her days socializing with her friends, but due to the strike, she can’t leave her condo.

“With this, it’s so different, like I can’t even make plans with my plans doing things, even if I tried, because like I said, don’t know when I’m gonna get service,” explained Ross.

Lorna Ross says since the strike at Ten Ten Sinclair began Wednesday, she’s been stressed out and unable to sleep well. (Photo Credit: Joanne Roberts, CityNews)

Ten Ten Sinclair and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority have been bringing other workers and agencies to help with residents’ care, but Ross says it’s leaving her deeply uncomfortable not knowing who is coming to her door.

“You don’t know these people. They don’t know you and you don’t know them. How are you supposed to feel safe? Like, I’m letting two people come back … and give me a bath. Sure. There’s only so much a person can handle.”

Ross’ needs are well-known to the regular healthcare workers, but she’s constantly having to remind new workers what her needs and boundaries are. She says for comfort reasons, she only works with female aides, but they keep forgetting.

“I have to expose myself to them. I have to

Seasonal Allergies Ruining Your Sleep? 8 Tips to Try for Relief

Allergy season can be miserable. Between watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and congestion, just making it through the day can be a struggle, to say nothing of getting quality sleep. In addition to exacerbating sleep issues like snoring or obstructive sleep apnea, allergies can also increase the time it takes to fall asleep — and prevent you from staying asleep once you do manage to drift off.

Health Tips logo

The more severe your symptoms, the higher the chances your allergies are disrupting your rest. Quality sleep is crucial for your body’s immune system to properly function, and for your overall health in general. Use the tips below to help your body curb the allergy symptoms that keep you awake, so you can get better sleep tonight. 

This story is part of Sleep Awareness Month 2024, CNET’s deep dive into how sleep impacts your overall health and why it’s crucial to all aspects of life.

Need more sleep tips? Here are pointers on how to sleep better while dealing with cold symptoms, and here’s a look at natural cold remedies for a sick child. 

8 ways to ease allergy symptoms for better sleep

1. Take a shower before bed

Rinse off each night before bed to remove pollen and prevent yourself from taking allergens to bed with you. Showering before bed is a good activity to incorporate into your nighttime routine as it helps you relax and promotes better sleep. 

2. Keep doors and windows closed 

Prevent pollen and other allergens from blowing into your home through windows and doors by keeping them closed. 

3. Sleep apart from your pets 

We all love our pets, but by letting them sleep in your bed with you, you’re inviting pet dander (and any other allergens they might bring along) into your sleeping space. Train

Lawsuit claiming Flo Health app shared intimate data with Facebook greenlit as Canadian class action

A Canadian class-action lawsuit accusing a popular fertility tracking app of sending users’ intimate health information — including details about their periods, sex lives and pregnancies — to companies like Facebook without their knowledge has been allowed to go ahead.

The claim, certified in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday, said Flo Health collected their highly sensitive personal information, promised to keep that information private and then knowingly shared the data with third parties. 

“There’s been a significant disclosure of the private information of Canadian women, and we’re excited to be proceeding to the next step with the case,” said Richard Parsons, who is co-counsel on the case.

The ruling is a pivotal step forward for the case. It will test lagging Canadian privacy laws in a time when millions of people regularly pour their personal information into their phones. If the claim succeeds, more than one million people who used Flo in Canada over a three-year period will be eligible to claim damages.

None of the lawsuit’s claims have been proven in court. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, Flo said it “has never sold user information or shared user information with third parties for the purposes of advertising.”

“Flo will vigorously defend against allegations stipulated in the case.”

Lead plaintiff used app while trying to get pregnant

Flo is an app that tracks users’ fertility and periods. Users enter personal information about their height, weight, sex lives and reproductive cycles — including details about their periods, vaginal discharge, pregnancies, miscarriages, births and postpartum symptoms.

Jamie Kah Cate Lam, the lead plaintiff in the class action, said she used the Flo app for 18 months while she and her husband were trying to conceive. The B.C. woman gave the app information about the different stages of her menstrual

Fashion stylist reveals how popular velvet hangers are RUINING your clothing – particularly if you’re petite

A professional fashion stylist has revealed why you need to ditch the velvet hangers in your closet immediately – especially if you’re petite.

The tip was shared by Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane in a video posted to TikTok this week.

Kahane, who also works as a personal shopper, often takes to her social media accounts to share her wardrobe styling tips and tricks, as well as trend predictions.

In a new clip, Kahane explained her reasoning for urging people to avoid velvet hangers, explaining that she had originally learned the tip from a professional wardrobe archiver.

In a new video posted to TikTok, Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane revealed why you should not use velvet hangers in your closet

In a new video posted to TikTok, Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane revealed why you should not use velvet hangers in your closet

Kahane often makes videos sharing her fashion and styling tips, tricks and other various secrets

Kahane often makes videos sharing her fashion and styling tips, tricks and other various secrets

‘Do not use these types of hangers, especially if you are a petite woman under a size six,’ Kahane began.

‘You do not want to use these for tops, dresses, sweaters, jackets,’ she continued.

The stylist revealed that when you hang your clothes on velvet hangers, it will stretch out the shoulders of the garments, explaining that the size of the closet accessories combined with the fact that they cling to the fabric of your clothing can lead to disaster. 

She also demonstrated why this occurs, revealing that the hanger’s width is typically much bigger than the width of her own shoulders.

‘So, if you put a top on it, it will stretch out the top and the shoulder area, so your sleeve won’t fall properly where it’s supposed to, and it will create a little dip,’ she said.

‘You don’t want that, it will ruin your shirts.’

The solution?

Instead of buying velvet hangers, Kahane recommended buying kids’ size hangers.

The styling expert warned viewers that using large velvet hangers can stretch out the shoulders of your clothing

The styling expert warned

Mobile County Health Department discusses uptick in STD cases

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Talking about STDs is something a lot of people shy away from, but in Mobile County, STD numbers are staggering.

News 5’s Cherish Lombard was joined by Cherrite Peterson and Ashlee Fountain-Jones from the Mobile County Health Department in studio Friday to discuss the rise in sexually transmitted disease cases.

The highest rates of STDs in the country are found in the 20 to 29 age group with a rate above 227% per 100,000 residents.

“So here in Mobile County, we have about 300,000 residents,” Peterson said. “Out of that 300,000, every 100,000, 227% of those people have tested positive for STDs, so that is extremely high for a county such as Mobile. So we’re definitely encouraging people to get tested so that we can get those numbers down.”

Peterson said chlamydia is the most common STD found in Mobile, but it is a treatable STD. She said in 2023, Mobile County saw 4,500 cases of chlamydia.

Mobile County also saw a 3.6% increase in human immunodeficiency virus cases, Peterson said.

Women and young girls are more likely to be impacted by STDs than men or boys.

“So we have more women seeking care,” Fountain-Jones said. “They are going in because they are having more symptoms. They are going in for their GYN exams, and they are getting tested more often.”

Still, many who may have these kinds of issues don’t see a doctor, which can lead to major health problems.

“Yes, it can definitely lead to different things like infertility,” Peterson said.

“Chlamydia, so chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which is

The Weekly Wrap: It’s time to have the private health-care conversation

This week‘s edition of The Hub’s Weekly Wrap reflects on some of the past week’s biggest stories, including what the upcoming federal budget might bring, new polling showing increasing support for private health-care options, and recent criticisms from both the Left and the Right.

Will a desperate Trudeau double down on class conflict to save his skin?

This week we learned that federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table the budget on April 16, which is one of the latest budgets outside of an election or some other extenuating circumstances in forty years. 

The minister was generally circumspect about the budget’s priorities, though she did nod to the anticipated inclusion of pharmacare. National Post columnist John Ivison wrote that it’s likely to be a free-spending budget in light of the government’s struggle for its political survival. 

But the budget’s real story may not be new spending. It may instead come in the form of new taxes targeting big business and wealthy individuals. The Trudeau government might just try to survive by appealing to class warfare.  

The Hub published an article this week by the Business Council of Canada CEO Goldy Hyder that warned about growing rumours that the government is considering an excess profits (or “windfall”) tax on large corporations. 

The basic details are somewhat unclear, but the Trudeau government has previously imposed excess profits taxes on banks and life insurance companies and threatened them on the grocery sector. The implication here is that they could be extended to other parts of the economy. 

The negative effects of such a policy in terms of employment, investment, and wages could be significant. A report last year for the European Parliament for instance warned that windfall taxes can create big distortions—particularly in a globalized economy. The result could be a lot of

‘How to Be Old’ offers lessons to redefine your style at any age

One day in 2019, Lyn Slater looked at the racks and racks of beautiful clothes in her New York City apartment — and despaired.

Slater was 66, a former social worker turned social media star. She had begun documenting her style on the blog Accidental Icon at age 61. Her sleek gray bob, omnipresent shades and slouchy, twisted Yohji Yamamoto suits gave her a funky hauteur — and hordes of admirers. Her Instagram (@iconaccidental) boasts some 770,000 followers. Designers flew her to Paris and London to attend their runway shows and fragrance launches. Brands showered her with gifts: purses, jackets and so many dresses, in every color of the rainbow. She starred in campaigns for Valentino and Kate Spade.

Yet, at that moment, Slater had an overwhelming desire to go to her sewing kit, take out her seam ripper and “take all those garments apart, piece by piece.”

“I was lost,” Slater, now 70, told The Washington Post.

It’s a feeling that many women have experienced: the anxiety that comes with the realization that your clothes no longer serve you — or the person you’ve become.

“I see my clothes as materials that I use to convey a certain identity, to convey a certain role,” Slater said. Her ensembles communicate her desires, her thoughts and her very soul. “Having what I wear be coherent with who I am makes me feel like a whole person,” she said. When she began letting brands dictate the items she would put on her body, she no longer felt fully herself.

That has changed. Today, Slater calls herself a “reformed influencer.” She has culled her wardrobe, moved from Manhattan to an old house upstate — in Peekskill, N.Y. — and traded her designer duds for vintage Gap overalls and silk pajama

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