Tag: funding

Google announces funding for AI-enabled digital health projects

Google announced that it is funding 15 AI-powered projects, including digital health initiatives to improve provider experience and patient access to care, via its commitment to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Each project received $3 million in technical assistance, cash support and Google Cloud credits. A handful of projects received Google.org Fellowships, where a team of Google employees works with an organization pro bono full time for up to six months.

Of the 15 AI projects funded, the following eight digital health endeavors were awarded funding:

RAD-AID provides low-source hospitals with an AI-enabled platform that helps triage patients, primarily regarding respiratory disease and breast cancer. The platform also helps interpret X-rays and scans and provide test results. 

Wuqu’ Kawoq and safe+natal are collaborating to develop a machine learning-enabled tool kit to help midwives in rural areas of Guatemala detect neonatal complications in real-time, such as poor fetal growth and fetal stress during delivery. The tool kit will consist of an ultrasound and blood pressure monitor connected to one’s smartphone. 

MATCH (Music Attuned Technology – Care via eHealth) is a project built out of the University of Melbourne and CSIRO that combines music and wearable sensor technology to decrease agitation in patients with dementia. Google’s grant will help the team develop the sensor technology and AI-enabled adaptive music system.

Makerere AI Lab will develop a 3D-printed adapter that processes images using AI and is compatible with a phone or microscope. The goal is to help providers in Uganda diagnose patients with illnesses, such as tuberculosis, malaria and cancer in low- and middle-income countries where lab technicians are scarce.   

IDinsight with Reach Digital Health developed a natural language-enabled question-answering service for expectant mothers in South Africa, which provides answers to inquiries and vital health information.  

Causal Foundry seeks to

Healthcare providers sign letter in effort to get more health funding to Ottawa

Ottawa County’s Public Health funding remains a worry for many, and most people at Tuesday’s public hearing are attending in support of the health department.

Before approving the 2024 fiscal budget, commissioners have much to consider following the public hearing.

More than 100 healthcare providers signed a letter sharing the impact public health cuts will have on the county.

“I’m concerned that you’d be jeopardizing your tax base by jeopardizing the health care of our community,” Dr. Kurt Lindberg told Ottawa Commissioners.

The county’s budgeting process is in the final stretch.

“I would like you to severely think about your decision to defund the health department,” Dr. Michael Borenitsch said.

Recently, the hot topic is how to fund the county’s health department.

“I think if we want to make the health department better, and I think that’s what you want, you want to better health department. I don’t think the point is to defund them or take away their money,” Dr. Matt Olson said.

“Every time there’s a change of the guard, people are being replaced, new people are being brought in, budgets are reviewed. And I don’t understand the complaints or the fear associated with all these programs. I agree the Public Health Department is so important. But it’s also important to make sure that we’re using those funds for programs that have the most impact,” Kristen Meghan Kelly said.

At the meeting, Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs explained to commissioners this proposed budget allocates more to public health than in 2019.

“The originally proposed FY24 Public Health budget, long before we took a deeper look at it at budget, would have been 26% higher than the current budget that is in front of us right now,” Gibbs said to the commissioners.

Under this new budget draft, the health

Health care, not handcuffs, says NC governor in pitch for Medicaid expansion funding

New Medicaid expansion backed by Gov. Roy Cooper would strengthen mental health care and substance abuse services for inmates, the North Carolina governor said Friday.

Even though lawmakers have not yet approved the funding, Cooper’s Wednesday announcement on his administration’s plan to expand Medicaid on Oct. 1 now pressures the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to act, as the News & Observer reported this week.

Mentally-ill prisoners disproportionately experience mental or behavioral health issues and experts have said those in the jail population will especially benefit from expansion in North Carolina. Statewide, more than 600,000 people are expected to be eligible for the program and gain new health care coverage.

On Friday, Cooper was visiting Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office Summer Camp, held for the first time this year at the former Juvenile Detention Center in north Charlotte. Sheriff Garry McFadden stood alongside Cooper as kids wrapped up their third week in the “Escape Camp” by learning archery.

Asked about a case like Devalos Perkins’ — a 37-year-old Charlotte murder suspect who has been waiting more than 10 years in jail due to his mental health condition and a one-word loophole in state law — Cooper pointed to Medicaid expanding as part of a solution for a broken system.

“We know that we’ve underfunded our behavioral and mental health system significantly over the last few years,” Cooper said.

Earlier this month, The Charlotte Observer’s “Purgatory” — a four-part series about Perkins — revealed legal ambiguity and a one-word loophole in state law allows criminal defendants like him to wait years, and even more than a decade in some cases, to go to trial if they are deemed mentally-incapable of proceeding to trial.

“Our Department of Health and Human Services already has a program going on here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg to help restore

$78.5M funding to help train and retain health care workers in Canada: Mississauga announcement


healthcare announcement mississauga

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

As Canada struggles with nurse and doctor shortages, three projects aim to train and retain more healthcare workers.

The Canadian government is putting $78.5 million toward three projects that will help to train and retain more healthcare workers, under the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos announced today (June 8) in Mississauga.

Duclos made the announcement on behalf of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough.

“It’s no secret that Canada’s healthcare system is under enormous strain,” said Duclos. “Particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We see the signs of stress and sometimes distress every day across the country.”

Duclos added that the labour shortage is particularly prominent in the healthcare sector.

The three projects will help expand access to family health teams, especially in rural and remote communities, support healthcare workers and reduce surgical backlogs, increase support for mental health and substance use, especially for younger Canadians, and support better access to health data, Duclos said.

It’s also hoped that the projects, along with initiatives from the provinces and territories, will help streamline foreign credential recognition to bring on more healthcare professionals.

The three projects are:

  • $28.8 million for a Medical Council of Canada project to modernize the examination process for licensing physicians, develop a competency assessment framework for international medical graduates, and create a National Registry of Physicians.
  • $45.3 million for a project from the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine, the research arm of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The project supports the training of health care practitioners—such as family physicians, physician assistants, family practice nurses, pharmacists, Indigenous traditional healers, midwives, and medical laboratory technologists—to practice team-based comprehensive primary care.
  • $4.4 million for the Canadian Alliance

Alberta NDP raises concerns about lack of funding for rural health care

Alberta’s NDP says the only hospital in a town south of Calgary faces potential closures in its emergency department because the United Conservative Party has not supported it.

David Shepherd, an NDP candidate in Edmonton who’s the Opposition health critic, held a news conference in front of the hospital in High River, Alta., a town of more than 14,000 people about 65 kilometres south of Calgary.

He pointed to a recent letter to the local newspaper by 30 physicians in the town that noted there’s a shortage of family doctors to cover hospital shifts and one obstetrician to provide care for pregnant women.

The doctors say in the letter that rural primary care has been inadequately funded in recent years.

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Shepherd says an NDP government would properly fund hospitals across the province if elected on May 29.

UCP Leader Danielle Smith said last week that the AHS administrator is looking at ways to alleviate pressure in hospitals and added that there’s a $2-billion investment into primary care in this year’s provincial budget.

AHS said in a statement that ensuring Albertans have access to health care in their community is of utmost importance and it values the work of physicians and health-care teams.

“The High River General Hospital remains open, offering full services including emergency care, day and night,” said the statement Monday.

Ontario funding cuts: Digital well being care entry stripped

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Amid a developing lack of family medical doctors and rising strain on Canada’s healthcare facility units, current funding alterations have slashed accessibility to digital care in Ontario — forcing some people to opt for between a most likely pointless emergency home take a look at and shelling out out of pocket for care that employed to be cost-free, according to the founder of a single virtual care platform.

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That system, referred to as Rocket Medical professional, says cuts to funding have had a extraordinary impact on its skill to deliver providers to people.

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The platform operates in B.C., Alberta and Ontario, but it has been asking Ontario people to spend out of pocket ever since the province stripped funding to physicians featuring virtual care in December. One more virtual care system, Kixcare, switched to a compensated format in reaction to the funding adjust as properly.

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Dr. William Cherniak is an unexpected emergency care medical doctor and the founder of Rocket Health care provider, wherever clients can hook up to a physician on the web by partnerships with hospitals for different principal treatment issues, these kinds of as consultations, prescriptions or lab do the job referrals.

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“I imagine the authorities has a incredibly difficult job to do to consider to sort out the place to allocate funds in the overall health-care program, but I assume just one of the issues that transpired, distinct to our software, is as a Canadian technological innovation firm, we help physicians to follow medication pretty much, and then aid them co-ordinate that into a technique of treatment.” Cherniak advised CTV’s Your Morning on Thursday.

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“And when people cuts occurred in December, dropping reimbursement by 50 per cent for spouse and children unexpected emergency doctors who had not seen a individual

B.C. and Ottawa reach $27 billion health funding agreement

The agreement is the first step to completing a $196-billion, 10-year health-care funding proposal

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Premier David Eby vowed to take the first bit of new money in B.C.’s $27.47 billion deal for health care funding from the federal government to give struggling emergency rooms and primary-care systems some relief.

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B.C. and Ottawa attain $27B health funding settlement

The British Columbia government has agreed in principle to a $27.47-billion deal for wellness-care funding from the federal governing administration.

The agreement is a phase towards completing a $196-billion, 10-calendar year health-treatment funding proposal that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau manufactured with Canada’s premiers final thirty day period.

The revenue for B.C. contains an immediate $273 million to deal with urgent needs, especially in pediatric hospitals and unexpected emergency rooms and to handle prolonged wait moments for surgeries.

The federal government states in a news release that B.C.’s priorities include things like obtain to high-top quality health and fitness expert services when inhabitants will need them, especially in rural and remote areas timely mental wellbeing and substance-use expert services and letting citizens accessibility to their individual digital wellness info.

The funding involves a $3.32-billion bilateral agreement to support Canadians age in their residences, with accessibility to home treatment or treatment in extensive-time period treatment amenities.

B.C. Wellbeing Minister Adrian Dix claimed the settlement signifies the province will have entry to even a lot more life-preserving solutions, closer to household.

“When individuals make the critical choice to reach out for aid, it truly is essential that products and services are offered to satisfy them each stage of their journey. That is why our govt is continuing to make historic investments and add new supports to our psychological wellbeing and material-use program of care,” Dix explained in the news release.

Extra than 11,000 people today have died in B.C. from illicit drug overdoses considering the fact that the province declared a general public wellness emergency in 2016.

Federal Overall health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos reported the settlement with B.C. is an option to improve the working experience of wellness employees and people they treatment for.

“It will modernize our health-treatment program, increase access to

Atlantic provinces indicator on to bilateral health-treatment funding offers with Ottawa

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s health and fitness minister states she has no trouble with Ottawa holding the province accountable for how it will invest further overall health-treatment money it will get by a bilateral facet offer introduced Friday.

Michelle Thompson manufactured the comment following Primary Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that wellbeing agreements experienced been agreed to in theory by all four Atlantic provinces and Ontario. Trudeau explained each and every offer will contain data tracking to make positive the income is put in properly.

“We just place forward near to $200 billion on the desk (earlier this thirty day period) for the provinces to guarantee that we are generating tangible advancements in well being-treatment outcomes for Canadians,” the key minister told reporters for the duration of stop by to Dalhousie College in Halifax, where he took component in a city corridor dialogue.

“Making bulletins about billions of pounds much more for health treatment does not really tell whether you are getting better outcomes. Which is why these negotiations are focused on demonstrating the true results increasing for Canadians.”

Newfoundland and Labrador will get $2.17 billion in federal funding about 10 yrs, which include $749 million by means of a new bilateral settlement. Premier Andrew Furey, who is also an orthopedic surgeon, issued a assertion declaring he sees the issues in the well being-treatment to start with-hand.

“In Newfoundland and Labrador, we have a prepare to increase the technique, and it aligns with the shared priorities outlined by our federal government,” he mentioned. “Increased federal funding is vital to assist us modernize our overall health-treatment process and much better deliver treatment.”

Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island’s deal is worthy of $996 million, together with $288 million in a one-on-1 settlement. In an emailed assertion, Leading Dennis King mentioned, “This funding will be

Eby hints he’s open to bilateral health deals if Ottawa signs on to ‘base’ funding first

British Columbia Premier David Eby hinted he could be open to a bilateral health funding deal with the federal government, provided Ottawa is first willing to sign on to a “base” funding deal with the provinces.

Eby made the comments Wednesday, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’d invited premiers to a Feb. 7 “working meeting” in Ottawa to hammer out a health-care deal.

Read more:

Feds eye bilateral health deals as Trudeau set to meet with premiers Feb. 7

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No ‘elevated risk’ of stroke from Pfizer’s bivalent COVID shot, Health Canada says

Canada’s premiers have been seeking an across-the-board, no-strings-attached increase to the Canada Health Transfer, while the Liberal government has signaled it wants bilateral deals with the provinces that could tailor funding increases to regional needs.


Click to play video: 'Premiers call on Trudeau to “set a date” for meeting to increase health transfers'


Premiers call on Trudeau to “set a date” for meeting to increase health transfers


“As I understand it the proposal’s around two badly needed discussions: one is around the base funding for health care that all provinces need universally, but the second is bilateral agreements with the provinces around — each province has its own distinct health issues that we’re facing, and we need to have those unique agreements with Ottawa around those priorities, those areas of strain we’re feeling,” Eby said.

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“My hope is we come out of the meeting on the 7th with an agreement about the base and a commitment and a path towards those bilateral discussions we have to have on our provincial priorities here in B.C.”

Trudeau announced the planned meeting during a news conference Wednesday morning in Hamilton, where the Liberal cabinet was finishing a three-day retreat ahead of the return of Parliament next week.

He said he was eager to negotiate with the premiers, but that no one

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