Category: Department Health

The Ottawa Hospital and YouTube Health partner to increase access to health information in Canada


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Through evidence-based videos in English and French, this partnership aims to make health information more available for everyone.

In an effort to increase access to local health resources and information, The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and YouTube Health have partnered to deliver quality health information to Canadians. Through videos in both English and French, TOH will develop critical information that Canadians need on a variety of common health conditions, including the common cold, HIV, infertility and meningitis.

“There is a need to make health information — especially in French — more accessible and readily available to folks in the community,” said Melanie Gruer, Chief Communications Officer at The Ottawa Hospital. “Partnering with YouTube Health allows our medical experts to connect with viewers and share information about common health conditions through a platform they are already familiar with.”

YouTube currently reaches 98 per cent of Canadians ages 18 years and older. This partnership will help ensure that local YouTube viewers have access to accurate and high-quality health information. Other conditions that will be covered in these videos include Alzheimer’s disease, appendicitis, fatty liver disease, myocarditis, anemia, coronary artery disease and many more. 

“Our focus at YouTube Health is to make high-quality health information accessible to all Canadians,” said Soneeka Patel, YouTube Canada’s Health Lead. “Through our partnership with The Ottawa Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Canada, we’ll be able to leverage the scale of YouTube to connect Canadians with health information that is both evidence-based and culturally relevant.”

The Ottawa Hospital is always focused on improving access to health resources. The partnership with YouTube Health is

Primary-care summit may be step toward end of solo practices in N.B.

The Department of Health and the New Brunswick Medical Society plan to co-host a provincial summit on primary health care at the end of May that could lay the groundwork for doing away with solo practices.

“Stakeholders from throughout the provincial health system will be invited to collaborate and discuss opportunities for transitioning to team-based primary care in New Brunswick,” said department spokesperson Sean Hatchard.

No other details have been provided.

About 74,000 New Brunswickers do not have a primary care provider, deputy minister Eric Beaulieu recently told the legislature’s standing committee on public accounts, although the actual number is likely higher since some people may not have registered.

Of those, roughly 54,000 people now have access to a team of primary care providers through NB Health Link, launched in 2022, while they wait for a permanent provider, he said.

The government and stakeholders continue to seek solutions as the province faces challenges with recruitment and retention and as the population continues to grow and age.

“We look forward to continued discussion with our partners as we work to tackle the ongoing challenges within the province’s health-care system,” Hatchard said in an emailed statement.

‘Physicians want this’

The medical society, which represents more than 2,000 practising, future and retired physicians in the province, supports the move toward team-based care, according to the president.

“We would like ideally, in the longer term, to have transformation and have everybody working within a primary health-care multidisciplinary team,” said Dr. Paula Keating.

“Physicians want this. We just need support, and we need to work together with the regional health authorities and Department of Health to make this happen.”

Keating said she hopes stakeholders will be able to agree at the summit “on a path going forward together to improve health care.”

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Winnipeg residents living with disabilities left struggling amid health-care support worker strike – Winnipeg

On Wednesday, 160 health-care support workers walked off the job at Ten Ten Sinclair, a housing development company in the city for people with various physical disabilities.

The job action has left tenants at the company’s Forkus properties feeling like they have fallen through the cracks.

“I have received one shower assistance since Wednesday, and otherwise, I’ve just been trying to do sponge baths myself. It’s been very difficult,” said Kristianna Huege, Fokus tenant.

Tenants have said the lack of support has been causing major anxiety as they navigate difficult tasks such as getting out of bed and emptying foley bags.


Click to play video: 'Manitoba unions, employers wrestling over whether replacement workers during strikes are OK'


Manitoba unions, employers wrestling over whether replacement workers during strikes are OK


“I’m scared I’m going to be put into bed and left there for how many hours or how many days, not having any help, any communication,” said Tenant, Lisa Quiring.

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As a temporary measure, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) brought in more workers to help fill the gaps left by the strike but the tenants say staffing is still limited and many of them are not aware of their specific needs, resulting in tenants having to assist the workers.


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“They came to me and said, ‘Ok, what needs to be done, who are we looking at?’ Now, all of that should have been taken care of, all of that should have been handled, but obviously, it fell through,” said resident Lori Ross.

Ross says a lot of people who

Is Renalytix PLC (RNLX) a Smart Choice in Health Information Services Thursday?

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Thursday, March 07, 2024 10:24 AM | InvestorsObserver Analysts

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Is Renalytix PLC (RNLX) a Smart Choice in Health Information Services Thursday?

The 56 rating InvestorsObserver gives to Renalytix PLC (RNLX) stock puts it near the top of the Health Information Services industry. In addition to scoring higher than 84 percent of stocks in the Health Information Services industry, RNLX’s 56 overall rating means the stock scores better than 56 percent of all stocks.

Overall Score - 56
RNLX has an Overall Score of 56. Find out what this means to you and get the rest of the rankings on RNLX!

What do These Ratings Mean?

Finding the best stocks can be tricky. It isn’t easy to compare companies across industries. Even companies that have relatively similar businesses can be tricky to compare sometimes. InvestorsObserver’s tools allow a top-down approach that lets you pick a metric, find the top sector and industry and then find the top stocks in that sector.

These rankings allows you to easily compare stocks and view what the strengths and weaknesses are of a given company. This lets you find the stocks with the best short and long term growth prospects in a matter of seconds. The combined score incorporates technical and fundamental analysis in order to give a comprehensive overview of a stocks performance. Investors who then want to focus on analysts rankings or valuations are able to see the separate scores for each section.

What’s Happening With Renalytix PLC Stock Today?

Renalytix PLC (RNLX) stock is lower by -3.35% while the S&P 500 is higher by 0.76% as of 10:24 AM on Thursday, Mar 7. RNLX is down -$0.04 from the previous closing price of $1.19 on volume of 163,073 shares. Over the past year the S&P 500 has risen 28.85% while RNLX is down -59.51%. RNLX lost -$0.91 per share the over

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

A woman hoists a tea cup while standing in a living room
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: 

CBC Newfoundland Morning7:05The state of health care for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in NL is anything but healthy. That’s according to a first-of-its-kind study by a group called by Quadrangle NL

More than half of 2SLGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse people in this province say their mental health is poor or very poor. Over 73 percent say they needed mental health care services but never got them.

Major contract awarded for a concussion research programme from the US Department of Defense

The seven-year contract by the U.S. Department of Defense has a potential award amount of $15.5M over the performance period for the programme to analyse a range of biomarkers – such as blood and saliva, mental health, vision, balance and sleep – and measure their ability to predict long-term complications from mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), also known as concussion.

Some 890 people, aged 18 to 60, will take part in this mTBI-Predict study, as researchers measure effectiveness of various methods to predict outcomes of mTBI after six, 12 and 24 months.

mTBI can be caused by physical impact to the head through accident, injury, sport, or even from shockwaves following explosions. Led by the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) and the University of Birmingham, researchers will use the UK TBI Research Network to recruit both civilian and military participants to the programme.

mTBI Predict will be supported by Birmingham Health Partners and University Hospital Birmingham, as well as a range of research institutions across the UK.

The mTBI Predict research program will identify new ways to accurately predict whether concussion patients will develop long-term complications

Professor Alex Sinclair, from the University of Birmingham, who will lead the study.

Professor Alex Sinclair, from the University of Birmingham, who will lead the study said:

“Concern around the long-term effects of concussion is mounting. Even a minor injury to the head can cause concussion, which leads to brain injury with potentially serious effects on both immediate and long-term health.

“We have no precise way to tell who will have a serious consequence after a concussion. This means we can’t tell which patients will need more intensive treatment and which will recover spontaneously. The mTBI Predict research program will identify new ways to accurately predict whether concussion patients will develop long-term complications.”

WHO and Ministry of Health digitize information vital for a healthier Iraq [EN/AR] – Iraq

Attachments

7 March 2024, Baghdad, Iraq – WHO, in partnership with Iraq’s federal and Kurdistan regional health ministries, today concluded the launch of Phase II of the Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) project revision workshops.

This launch, devised as a series of 3 workshops spanning a couple of days each, engaged over 150 data collectors from across nearly all of Iraq’s directorates of health. The main aim was to provide them with a chance to review and update the HeRAMS paper and electronic formats, address Phase I issues, and rectify gaps in data collection and processing.

“WHO is pleased to coordinate the launch of this key project with the national health authorities. It has been encouraging to see the dedication of over 150 national personnel from the north, centre and south of the country as they regrouped to review the obstacles and challenges faced during the Phase I implementation and move forward to address them collectively,” said Dr Georges Ki-Zerbo, WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq.

“These efforts will help maintain the applicability of this kind of survey and strengthen a digitized health system in Iraq. Congratulations to the Ministry of Health, WHO and all partners who contributed to this significant milestone,” he added.

The HeRAMS project was initiated in 2022 and finalized in 2023, bringing digitization to Iraq’s health system. HeRAMS will facilitate the digitization of the health system by providing a backup list of the country’s public health facilities in their entirety and identifying gaps in the health services delivered. A schedule of annual reviews was launched to monitor the implementation process and address any vagueness, gaps, and changes needed to update the project surveys and data processing.

Since the Phase I launch in 2022, Ministry of Health staff have visited 5205 health

Auto insurers face pushback over preferential deals with health care providers

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Kyle Whaley, the executive director, and a physiotherapist for Propel Physiotherapy, at the company’s Etobicoke clinic on March 6.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

Health care professionals are warning that auto insurers are increasingly signing preferential deals with providers that are controlling patients’ choices about how to get injuries treated after car accidents.

A proposed agreement between Manulife Financial Group MFC-T and Shoppers Drug Mart recently thrust the issue of preferred provider networks (PPNs) into the spotlight. Under that deal – which was later cancelled – chronically ill patients would have been limited to buying their medication only at pharmacies owned by Loblaw Cos. Ltd. L-T.

But similar agreements have become increasingly common across the insurance industry – including among auto insurers.

Health care professionals who work with accident victims say these deals direct more business to large physiotherapy chains, such as the Loblaw-owned Lifemark, and they can create conflicts of interest in which the terms of a contract could unfairly dictate the treatment that a patient receives.

Kyle Whaley has experienced the issue from both sides of the table. As a physiotherapist and owner of Propel Physiotherapy, he has treated many patients who were injured in auto accidents.

Last summer, he was in a collision himself and got a concussion. At first, he figured he could find his own physiotherapist. But he then decided he wanted to experience a PPN system himself. “I thought, you know what, I’m going to go through this process and see what it’s like,” he said.

He booked an appointment with one of the three clinics his insurance company recommended. On the morning of the appointment – a week and a half later – the clinic called to cancel, saying it didn’t have the right specialist available that day.

Winter Worries: Road Salts and Private Wells

It’s easy to forget about road salt. For most of the year in Connecticut, we do not see white coatings on asphalt parking lots or salt residue on our cars. However, the salt that we apply to our roads in the winter months persists in the environment, even though we can’t see it. There are stacks of scientific journal articles that document the damaging effects of road salt on aquatic life, plants, and infrastructure. It can also negatively impact us as residents. UConn Extension has worked for many years to raise awareness of this issue by convening statewide workshops and participating in workgroups with agencies in the state such as the Department of Public Health, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Department of Transportation. Despite the concern and tireless efforts of many people across Connecticut to try to address this issue, no alternative product with less environmental impact has been found.

One ray of hope is the Green Snow Pro program being run by UConn’s Training and Technical Assistance Center. Based on a program from New Hampshire, Green Snow Pro provides hands-on training for municipal public works staff. Participants learn about how salt works and how to calibrate equipment to optimize the right product, in the correct amount, given the weather conditions. Staff have been trained in most of Connecticut’s towns. Benefits include reduced salt applications, which translates to reduced costs for towns, while still maintaining safe conditions.

UConn Extension documented some of the benefits to local waters after UConn facilities received the training. What this means is less salt accumulating in local waters in the towns where this program is implemented, creating better conditions for plants and aquatic life. This also translates to less potential contamination of drinking water sources. These include surface water sources such

Leveraging AI Applications to Overcome Linguistic Barriers in Healthcare

In the field of healthcare, the effective interpretation of health information, giving medical counseling, and achieving a shared understanding between healthcare providers and diverse populations play a key role in the performance of health programs. Nevertheless, additional challenges exist besides the actual language incompatibilities. Exploration of the complex relationships between language barriers and public health includes their effects on community resilience, healthcare outcomes, and access to care.

The intersection of language and healthcare stands out as a crucial concern, particularly in societies characterized by linguistic differences. Inconsistent health outcomes, misinformation, and poor access to health care are often experienced most severely by non-native speakers and marginalized linguistic groups. However, as artificial intelligence grows, there appear to be positive innovations and inventions that can or may aid in tackling these difficulties. This article explores the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence in bridging language barriers to improve service delivery in healthcare delivery.

Linguistic Challenges in healthcare

As mentioned above, linguistic differences pose a challenge in healthcare delivery. This phenomenon gives rise to critical issues such as – 

1. Inadequate information – Not knowing the dominant languages may limit access to correct and prompt health information. Consequently, such a situation raises even more challenges during health outbreaks when the immediate diffusion of that information can prevent diseases or manage public health.

2. Health literacy– Approaches to a language may cause misunderstanding of medical terms and advice, leading to accepting health decisions with undesirable consequences.

3. Ineffective communication– Successful dialogue between doctors and patients is the key to a high level of health care. Linguistic conditions occasionally interfere with the inter-patient dialogue, which weakens diagnosis accuracy, treatment adherence, and general patient outcomes.

4. Cultural sensitivity– Language is tied to culture. A lack of cultural understanding can result in ineffective or inappropriate

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