Good morning, Other Siders!

Here we are with another edition of “The Other Side of Care” – your passport to the wacky world of healthcare! 🚀

First things first, a belated but wholehearted 🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers! We hope you celebrated with poutine, maple syrup, and enough apologies to make the politest fireworks display ever.

And let's not forget our American friends!🇺🇸 Happy belated 4th of July! We hope you celebrated your independence with barbecues, fireworks, and a questionable amount of red, white, and blue attire. Remember, the true patriot is the one who can eat the most hotdogs without needing an ambulance. 🤣

In this edition, we've got the scoop on the latest healthcare happenings in Canada and around the world. Brace yourselves for mind-blowing discoveries and a few chuckles along the way.

Let's dive right in, shall we? 💫

News that impacts you!

🚀 From Pension Packages to Suicide Tips! 📩

A large healthcare provider in British Columbia, Fraser Health Care, is under fire for promoting assisted suicide in a disturbing PowerPoint presentation to a group of healthy patients. Slideshow offers advice on 'expressions of wanting to die' and allows terminally ill patients to die within 'a day'. Critics call the practice 'reckless' and 'disgusting'. Canadian euthanasia program expanded to include children. An alarming 24% rise in euthanasia deaths in British Columbia raises concerns. The healthcare system is criticized for permitting euthanasia when not medically necessary.

❓Is the aggressive expansion of Canada's euthanasia program crossing ethical boundaries?

🤔💵 Gender-Affirming Care: Who Pays the Price?

Ontario's Connect Clinic, which provided gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and non-binary individuals, has relaunched as Foria Clinic in partnership with PurposeMed. However, unlike before, patients now have to pay for the services, with fees ranging from $99 for follow-up appointments to $199 or $299 for initial appointments. This move has raised concerns about accessibility, as marginalized communities, including trans and non-binary people, are more likely to experience poverty. While the clinic hopes to establish a fund to support those unable to pay, questions are being raised about Ontario's failure to prioritize the healthcare needs of these communities.

Funding Woes: Kids Pay the Price 💰👶💔

Do you know what's happening to pediatric patients in Ontario's biggest children's hospitals? Two-thirds of them are stuck waiting for surgery, risking lifelong complications. 😱

• In Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, the surgical waitlist hit a record 6,509, with 67% waiting beyond the recommended window. 😔

• Similarly, McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton has 2,300 patients waiting for surgery, two-thirds of whom are outside the recommended timeframe

The issue stems from a lack of funding and resources, leading to massive backlogs. The federal government pledged $2 billion to fix the crisis, but only Ontario and Nova Scotia have committed to spending those funds. More money and a dedicated national leader are needed to address the ongoing problems in pediatric healthcare.

Small Town, Big Healthcare Battle 🏥

Residents of Minden, Ont., express frustration and concern over the permanent closure of their local emergency room due to staffing shortages. The Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) decided to consolidate emergency services at its Haliburton site, 25 kilometres away. A new urgent care clinic, staffed by nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses, will open on the site of the closed emergency room but with reduced operating hours. The community seeks transparency and accountability regarding the closure. Ontario Health Minister denies closure was financially motivated.

Impact on Minden Residents:

• Residents of Minden, Ontario, now face a significant change in their healthcare access.

• Though an urgent care clinic will open soon but the residents are concerned about its limitations and the availability of comprehensive emergency services.

• Closure highlights rural healthcare staffing and resource issues.

Remember, folks, when a vital service like an emergency room gets shut down, it's no joke. So, our question to you is, how can communities fight for their right to accessible and quality healthcare, especially in rural areas?

💭Let us know what you think by writing to us at [email protected]

Tools & Tech to Keep a Tab On!

🫀Opening the Doors of Your Heart…

A patient who had something unusual detected in her heart during a routine check-up was able to have a biopsy done using a new procedure. A minimally invasive biopsy was performed at Toronto General Hospital while the patient was wide awake, using just local anesthetic and a sedative to ensure she could follow instructions. A one-millimetre-wide needle was inserted to take out a couple of tissue samples from the mass in the patient’s heart. Furthermore, the process also included manually synchronizing a computerized tomography (CT) scan and fluoroscopy with the electrocardiogram (ECG). Results were provided within just 3 days and there was no recovery period.

What makes this procedure even more special was the ability to do so with the heart since it presents its own unique risks based on function and shape. In addition, the lower risk of infection and cost of open-heart surgery will make it an attractive alternative for others as well.

🧠 It’s All in the Way You Talk…

Alberta researchers are using a machine-learning model to use speech as a potential biomarker to detect certain patterns that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. The analysis is done based on 3 features- pauses in speech, word length or complexity, and speech intelligibility. For example, dementia patients might take more time for a recall as they could forget words and a longer duration would be associated with a higher degree of speech complexity, such findings would then trigger a deeper investigation for such patients.

The tool will not completely replace clinical diagnosis but could be used as an early detection tool. The technology is still in its early stages but could provide higher value if it is made available through an app.

Evolving Global Health

🇫🇮 Keeping Up With the NHS Mandate 2023 to ‘Support the Workforce’

Nova Hospital has been able to successfully reduce the number of separate entries at multiple points for patient information and test data across a patient’s entire care pathway using a new strategic interoperability platform. The outcome ensures healthcare workers get more time with their patients and there is an improvement in the quality and breadth of data collected and analyzed.

Patients are provided with a barcode wristband which is linked to any required medical device using a smartphone device. Therefore, data is linked from the equipment to a location based on barcode scanning that the hospital made available via the Enocacom Patient Connect device integration platform. This process also enables positive patient identification and guaranteed data security. In other words, your data literally sticks with you… 😊 

🥤 Let’s Do Some Sweet Talk…

If we are to follow what sources say- it is time to get rid of anything that contains aspartame from your kitchen. This is because the WHO is soon to report aspartame as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' next month. Aspartame is commonly used in diet sodas and many other of your favourite grocery items. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (the cancer research arm of the WHO) has previously shared rulings which also led to lawsuits and pressured manufacturers to recreate recipes and swap for alternatives. Therefore, it is not surprising that such rulings can create hesitation in the minds of many in terms of ‘ what to do and what not to do’ - to minimize negative health impacts and to safeguard their businesses.

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