The Alzheimer Society of Ontario is urging the province to address the shortage of long term care beds
June 17th, 2013 | Comments (0)
A shortage of long term care beds for Ontarians with dementia, combined with a rapidly aging population has led to lengthy wait times. The province’s action plan for health has focused extensively on home-care funding; something that Alzheimer Society of Ontario CEO Gale Carey says doesn’t address the problem and is failing thousands of families. Carey says 60 per cent of long term care residents have dementia and an additional 30 per cent have some form of cognitive impairment. Wait times for long term care beds have reached over five months, which is four times longer than it was in 2005.
Health Canada says birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin are linked to 23 deaths
June 12th, 2013 | Comments (0)
Health Canada documents now link two popular birth control pills to the deaths of at least 23 young Canadian women. Those deaths mostly due to blood clots are among 600 negative reactions reported by women taking Yaz and Yasmin since 2007 and until this past February. A class-action lawsuit has been launched against Bayer.
Oshawa MP praising new federal medical marijuana regulations
June 11th, 2013 | Comments (1)
New changes to federal medical marijuana regulations is making one local politician very happy. Oshawa MP Colin Carrie says the changes had to be made to better protect people that need the drug, as well as public safety. He says users will no longer be allowed to grow pot at home, they will now be permitted to buy prescribed amounts only from licensed growers. Health Canada says since the medical marijuana program was introduced in 2001 with 500 authorized users, it has expanded to 30,000.
June is brain injury awareness month
June 10th, 2013 | Comments (0)
Brain injuries appear to be more common than most people think. This June marks brain injury awareness month and Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Durham Region, Frank Murphy, says public awareness has helped in fighting concussions. He adds that they aren’t always caused by sports-related mishaps. Murphy says a lot are caused by car accidents and is urging people across the province not to text while driving. Murphy say more than 18,000 Ontarians will suffer a brain injury this year, and it’s the number one killer and disabler of people under the age of 44.
Canadian families are being challenged to change their lifestyles this week
June 5th, 2013 | Comments (0)
90 per cent of Canadian kids are not getting the recommended amount of daily activity and it’s leading to higher obesity rates. It’s national ‘healthy me’ week and President of Concerned Children’s Advertisers Bev Deeth says they’re encouraging families to make lifestyle changes. Deeth says they’re offering tips and events online. Click here for more information.
Aspiring doctors will be working with Lakeridge Health
June 4th, 2013 | Comments (0)
More aspiring doctors from Queen’s University are getting set to join Lakeridge Health’s satellite campus. Eight first-year residents from the schools department of family medicine will begin training at the Oshawa and Bowmanville sites this summer. Vice President of Medical Affairs at Lakeridge, Barry Guppy, says this is a power partnership for all involved. Guppy says the program is a great opportunity for residents to train under the guidance of experienced doctors while also having the chance to hone their skills with state-of-the-art simulation equipment.
Durham Region Health Department is taking part in world no tobacco day
May 31st, 2013 | Comments (0)
Friday is world no tobacco day and the Durham Region Health department wants everyone to take part. Public Health Nurse Brian Dalloway says this year’s theme is to advocate for smoke free beaches and parks in the region. He says numerous companies and organizations are taking part. Dalloway says support for smoke free parks is at 89 per cent of Durham residents, which is about 400,000 people.
Ontario Court of Appeal refuses to dismiss $50 billion tobacco lawsuit
May 31st, 2013 | Comments (0)
Several big foreign tobacco companies have lost a bid to have a $50 billion lawsuit by the Ontario government thrown out of court. Ontario’s Court of Appeal has refused their request. The three-judge panel unanimously said it sees no legal reason to overturn a lower court ruling that the case should proceed. Ontario launched a lawsuit against 14 tobacco companies in September 2009 to try to recoup past and present health-care costs related to smoking. The province claims the corporations should be on the hook for billions of dollars because they misrepresented the risks of smoking, did not take steps to reduce the effects and marketed cigarettes toward children and teens. The tobacco companies argued that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice didn’t have jurisdiction to hear the case.
A report investigating diluted chemotherapy drugs that were administered to Cancer patients in Ontario and New Brunswick will come out in July
May 28th, 2013 | Comments (0)
A report investigating diluted chemotherapy drugs that were administered to Cancer patients in Ontario and New Brunswick is expected to be delivered to the provincial government by July 12th. On Monday, The man in charge of the investigation Dr. Jake Thiessen told a legislative committee he personally doesn’t feel companies that mix drugs for hospitals fall into a jurisdictional grey area. Thiessen says the service is part of the evolution of services that professionals provide. Some of 1,200 patients were given the diluted drugs for as long as a year at four hospitals in Ontario including Lakeridge Health Oshawa.
Improper chemical storage blamed in death of Whitby teen
May 28th, 2013 | Comments (1)
Durham Police are urging parents to ensure all chemicals are stored safely and to talk with their kids about the dangers of teenage drinking after an 18 year-old Whitby girl died last week after mistakenly consuming methanol at a party. The incident occurred over the Victoria Day weekend when the girl, along with a 17 year old male, drank a blue liquid from a vodka bottle that a friend had brought from a relative’s home. They were both hospitalized the next day after feeling sick and underwent dialysis treatment but the girl slipped into a coma and never recovered. Police say the most important factor in chemical storage is keeping chemicals in their original containers.
Independent panel makes 68 recommendations about Lakeridge Health Oshawa’s emergency department
May 21st, 2013 | Comments (0)
Lakeridge Health Oshawa says they’re working to improve their emergency environment. The Ontario Nurse Association hired an independent panel who made 68 recommendations to address unsafe staffing levels at the hospital. Lakeridge Chief Nursing Executive Lisa Shiozaki says they’re confident in the progress being made. Recommendations include using an all registered nurse model in the treatment area.
Durham region putting health top of mind for nurseries with online resource
May 11th, 2013 | Comments (0)
A new free online learning resource has been launched, aimed at infection prevention and control for daycare staff. The Region of Durham launched it recently, giving nursery staff access to information on transmission, risk – like hygiene, environmental controls and outbreak management. Public Health Inspector Mandi Theberge says the program is new to Ontario, and is a great tool for child care professionals. Prior to this, public health inspectors would give in-person education for day nursery staff, but since the number of nurseries in the region has increased, it’s becoming more challenging. Click here for more information.