Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health

Health Advice

November 30, 2023admin

Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy Urges Action to Ensure Social Media Environments are Healthy and Safe, as Previously-Advised National Youth Mental Health Crisis Continues

Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”

With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. The Surgeon General’s Advisory is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ongoing efforts to support President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health care for all Americans.

“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids’. The answer is that we don’t have enough evidence to say it’s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too

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Health Advice

November 18, 2023admin

Interior Health issues advice on accessing care in Vernon with no more walk-in clinics

Emergency doctors at Vernon Jubilee Hospital recently went public with what they called “grave concerns” about the impact of the clinic’s closure, concerned they don’t have enough doctors or space to handle what could amount to another 120 patients per day at the hospital.

IH said they are aware of those concerns.

“We will also have ongoing discussions with emergency department physicians at Vernon Jubilee Hospital so we can discuss and address any issues they have directly,” the agency said.

Interior Health said it recognizes the impact of the closure of Sterling Centre Clinic’s for Vernon and area residents and says many people will have questions on what the closure means to accessing care in Vernon.

“While long-term plans are underway, community members can continue to access primary care services through their family doctors, family nurse practitioners or book same-day urgent care appointments at the Vernon Urgent and Primary Care Centre.”

The centre is located at 3105 28th Avenue and the phone number is (250) 541-1097.

IH advised that if a patient is experiencing a medical concern, they can reach out to the triage nurse at the Urgent and Primary Care Clinic to discuss what is happening and get direction on the best way to seek care.

“The triage nurse follows a standardized process to determine what level of care that is needed and offers appointments or care suggestions based on that assessment. For example, they can book you a same-day or next-day appointment within urgent care, recommend that you seek a prescription from your pharmacist or advise you to seek care at the emergency room.”

Patients who already have a family doctor are encouraged to go to them.

Community pharmacies can assist with routine and emergency prescription renewals for contraceptives and medications for 21 minor ailments.

“While this does

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Health Advice

September 27, 2023admin

Health Ministry issues recommendation for Moderna COVID vaccine – Israel Politics

Israelis of all medical conditions and ages 12 years and older conditions – but especially those with chronic illness, the elderly, those with weak immune systems (due to any condition) and pregnant women – should go to their health fund to get the new vaccine against substrains of the COVID-19 virus. This is the new recommendation of the Health Ministry.

Although many Israelis are tired of being vaccinated, they should remember that they got previous COVID-19 shots many months and even a couple years ago, and they have lost much of their protective value.

Its epidemiology department sent instructions to the four health funds about available and recommendations for the shots against substrains of the Omicron variant. The ministry said it constantly monitors morbidity trends and Corona variants.

“As of this moment, there is a moderate increase in the number of hospitalized patients, most of whom have mild cases, but there is also a moderate increase in the number of patients in serious condition as well as a very moderate increase in mortality from the virus. Both in Israel and in the world, there are a number of variants that cause illness, with the dominant variants in Israel being sub-varieties of Omicron. The vaccines that will arrive in Israel are manufactured by the Moderna company and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Phases of vaccination

In the first phase, after the holiday of Sukkot, those 12 years old and older will be able to be vaccinated, while in the first phase people in the risk group for severe illness from the virus will be preferred, regardless of the type of vaccine or the number of doses given in the past. After that, when an additional supply of vaccines arrives, the populations that can be vaccinated will

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Health Information

August 5, 2023admin

Artificial intelligence could aid treatment of mental health issues

‘Knowing ahead of time that a patient may be at risk of harm can help us develop intervention strategies … and adjustments to their care plan,’ says Waypoint official

NEWS RELEASE

WAYPOINT CENTRE

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It’s crucial to keep patients safe when they receive care. This is especially important for mental health conditions, where early intervention can make a big difference. In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has shown great promise, and one area where it holds significant potential is the development of an early warning score (EWS) system for mental health patients.

“Early warning scores help care teams identify early signs of a patient’s health getting worse so they can take action early,” said Dr. Andrea Waddell, Medical Director Quality Standards and Clinical Informatics.

“Knowing ahead of time that a patient may be at risk of harm can help us develop intervention strategies such as increased nursing attention and adjustments to their care plan.”

Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information in 2021-22 shows that 1 in 17 hospital stays had unintended harm, and almost half of them could have been avoided.

Waypoint’s Dr. Waddell is also the regional clinical co-lead for mental health and addictions at Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence. She and her team of researchers are seeking to change this statistic creating an EWS to prevent harm before it happens.

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized various sectors and mental health care is no exception. It can look at a lot of data, find patterns and give helpful information. When used in mental health care, AI can help detect problems early, make personalized treatment plans, and reduce the burden on healthcare providers.

While early warning scores are commonly used in acute medical settings, they haven’t been

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Department Health

July 9, 2023admin

Hospital Emergency Department issues wait time alert

The North Bay Regional Health Centre continues to see higher than average patient volumes, combined with ongoing health human resource and capacity pressures, resulting in longer wait times for care in our Emergency Department.

Today, the North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) issued an emergency department (ED) wait time alert for July and August.

The Health Centre continues to see higher than average patient volumes, combined with ongoing health human resource and capacity pressures, resulting in longer wait times for care in our ED.

Hospitals across the province are facing similar challenges, as visits to the ED increase during the summer.

“Summer can be a very busy time for the ED, when individuals are put at a higher risk of injury due to an increase in popular outdoor activities and an influx of people visiting northern Ontario,” explains Dr. Lisa Harman, Medical Director for the Emergency Department.

“These factors, coupled with ongoing staff and physician shortages, means we are operating above capacity and seeing double-digit wait times (over 10 hours) in our emergency department.”

Emergency Department officials say when patients arrived they will be prioritized.

“The sickest, or most emergent patients are seen first,” the hospital release stated.

“Patients who come in with an issue that is not urgent will be triaged accordingly. And when volumes are as high as they have been, unfortunately, that means wait times for lower acuity care goes up.”

Dr. Harman acknowledges it can be frustrating to wait when volumes are high, but staff try to see patients as soon as they can.

“We want to help you, we want to be there for you,” she says.

“We will provide the fastest quality care that we can, but please be aware that it is busy in the ED and things can change minute

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Health Advice

June 24, 2023admin

HHS issues advisory on mental health symptoms linked to long COVID

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued an advisory Wednesday warning about identifying mental health symptoms and conditions linked to long COVID.

Long COVID occurs when people recover from the virus but experience ongoing symptoms lasting three months or longer, such as coughing, headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive impairment.

According to the HHS, about 10% of all people who have previously contracted COVID-19 have experienced at least one symptom of long COVID.

Having to battle these physical symptoms for weeks or months on end “can take a toll on a person’s mental health,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

“It can be very challenging for a person, whether they are impacted themselves, or they are a caregiver for someone who is affected,” Becerra continued. “This advisory helps to raise awareness, especially among primary care practitioners and clinicians who are often the ones treating patients with long COVID.”

PHOTO: mature man on sofa with hands on face.

The advisory found mental health symptoms and conditions linked to COVID include anxiety, depression, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research has shown that social isolation — due to lockdowns, school closures and stay-at-home orders — increases the risks of anxiety, depression and loneliness, especially for older adults.

Additionally, unemployment and insecure employment increase the risk of depression and anxiety, studies have found, with more vulnerable groups such as Hispanic and Black people, women, young adults aged 18 to 29 years and those without a college degree.

The patient may not be the only person who suffers from poor mental health but also family members caring for them, the advisory stated.

Several factors may exacerbate mental health conditions including chronic physical and/or mental illness both physical and mental, social isolation, financial insecurity, caregiver burnout, and grief.

“We know that people living with long COVID need

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Department Health

March 22, 2023admin

As Covid-19 cases surge, wellness ministry issues revised recommendations | Hottest News India

The Ministry of Well being and Loved ones Welfare has issued revised tips for Covid-19 in the wake of the surge of scenarios in the previous 7 days throughout the region.

In the past few weeks a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023.(HT archive) — In the earlier number of months a increase in scenarios has been mentioned particularly in specific components of the place with a whole of 2,082 scenarios noted in the week ending March 8, 2023.(HT archive)

“Antibiotics need to not be made use of unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial an infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic bacterial infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disorder,” revised recommendations stated.

As for every the revised Covid-19 suggestions, maintain “Physical distancing, indoor mask use, hand cleanliness, Symptomatic management (hydration, anti-pyretics, antitussive) Watch temperature and oxygen saturation (by making use of a SpO probe to fingers) Continue to be in speak to with managing medical doctor.

“Seek out instant clinical interest if difficulty respiration, Significant-quality fever/ serious cough, notably if lasting for more than 5 times. A minimal threshold is to be kept for all those with any of the high-threat features,” rules reviewed and well prepared in January claimed.

Also Examine: J’khand studies to start with situation of H3N2, 5 fresh new instances of Covid-19

In addition, in average or significant conditions at higher hazard of development, the rules advise, “Take into account Remdesivir for up to 5 days (200 mg IV on working day 1adopted by 100 mg IV OD for the up coming 4 times)”.

Union Well being and Loved ones Welfare Ministry on Thursday wrote to the Condition governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka to stick to a 5-fold tactic of exam, track, take care of and vaccinations as these states witness a increase in Covid-19

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Phases of vaccination