Imagine losing your Emergency Department | Support Minden

The countdown to June 1st, 2023 is on. This is the day Minden, Ontario is set to lose their only emergency department. The Minden Community has asked for the support from other areas in Ontario. Here’s how you can help:

• How To Help

• Minden Media Updates

• Facebook group

In this week’s email:

Ontario News

• Public vs. Private: Ontario Health Coalition calls for a vote

• Keeping Uninsured Health Care Funding Alive

• New School Year | Ontario Launches Mental Health Curriculum

• Hamilton Hospital’s Feud Against Nursing Staff

Canada News

• Protect Your Children | The Water Bead Concern

• At the end of COVID: What this means for Canada?

The List

• Recognizing some of our first 50 subscribers

Respond to this email if you appreciate receiving the news, have feedback, want to raise awareness for your healthcare community, or simply want to say hello!

Ontario News

Public vs. Private: Ontario Health Coalition calls for a vote

The Ontario Health Coalition has launched a mass citizen-run referendum aimed at stopping the privatization of public hospitals. The organization is hoping to collect a million votes across the province through voting stations set up outside grocery stores, local corner stores, coffee shops, at Legions, community centers, and other busy parts of the communities. Voting is open to all Ontario residents aged 16 or older, with online voting available on the website publichospitalvote.ca. The ballot question asks whether voters want public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics.

The Ford government's new legislation, Bill 60, would significantly expand the privatization of public hospital services and allow an unlimited number of private clinics to provide OHIP-covered services. This referendum aims to fight against Bill 60 and prevent the worsening of staffing crises and wait times in the public healthcare system.

This past Monday (May 8th, 2023) Bill 60 passed the legislature.

Cast your online vote here : https://publichospitalvote.ca/

Important Dates

May 8-19: Workplace voting takes place

May 26-27: Community voting takes place

May 31: Delivery of ballots to Queen’s Park (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.)

Keeping Uninsured Health Care Funding Alive

The Grey County Council in Ontario unanimously passed a resolution urging the province to continue a program providing funding for healthcare services for those without coverage through OHIP. The uninsured persons program was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic but ended on April 1, leaving many without access to necessary medical care. The program is critical for marginalized members of the community, according to Heather Prescott, a nurse practitioner and clinical lead with Supportive Outreach Services. The program helps individuals obtain the necessary identification to access social and healthcare services, which can be an arduous process.

The Grey County Council has asked the province to continue the program for six months and hold consultations with stakeholder groups to develop new policies to ensure uninsured members of the community continue to receive medical support and services.

New School Year | Ontario Launches Mental Health Curriculum

The Ontario government is updating the Grade 10 Career Studies curriculum and introducing mandatory mental health literacy resources for Grades 7 and 8. The resources, developed in consultation with experts, will support students in managing stress, recognizing signs of mental health concerns, and knowing when and how to get help.

Additionally, $12 million will be provided this year and $14 million next year to provide mental health services over the summer months. The funding aims to provide students with consistent and reliable support year-round. The new learning on mental health aligns with Ontario's updated Health and Physical Education Curriculum and represents an over 500% increase in mental health funding since 2018.

Hamilton Hospital’s Feud Against Nursing Staff

St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario is accusing its workers of threatening to disrupt hospital operations by organizing unit-wide sick calls and concerted efforts to refuse overtime. The hospital network has initiated an investigation, describing the threats of unlawful strike action as inconsistent with the organization's values.

The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) responded by pointing out the poor working conditions at St. Joseph's and other hospitals throughout the province. The hospital network clarified that employees are not required to take on extra shifts, but the issue was “threats of co-ordinated efforts to collectively not accept specific shifts.” The nursing staff shortage in Hamilton hospitals is unprecedented, with St. Joseph's short of 255 full-time nurses, despite hiring 831 nurses over the past year.

Canada News 🇨🇦

Protect Your Children | The Water Bead Concern

Health Canada has issued a warning to parents and guardians about the potential dangers of water beads, which are tiny beads that can grow up to 1,500 times their size when placed in water. The beads, which are also known as jelly beads, hydro orbs, crystal soil, sensory beads, or orb beads, are most often found in toys, art kits, stress balls, foot baths, vase fillers, and gardening products.

Health Canada warns that if ingested, water beads can continue to grow inside the body, potentially leading to life-threatening injuries such as intestinal or bowel obstruction. The agency advises parents to ensure that children don't swallow these beads and to closely supervise their play. If a child does ingest a water bead, parents should monitor for symptoms and call the Canadian Poison Centre hotline at 1-844-POISON-X.

At the end of COVID: What this means for Canada?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has ended the global COVID-19 emergency, citing increased immunity, fewer deaths, and less pressure on hospitals. However, the situation with the virus has exposed major issues with Canada's healthcare system. Canadian experts said that regardless of WHO's decision, COVID will remain a challenge to public health for years to come and has left lasting scars on the health care system. COVID shed light on problems in long-term care and hospitals that need to be addressed.

Hospitalizations still remain stubbornly high in Canada, with 2,881 hospital beds occupied by COVID patients across the country, despite continuing to decline since the beginning of the year. Experts have warned that the pandemic's ongoing burden on the healthcare system will be felt for years to come, with long COVID affecting a subset of those infected, and delays for cancer screenings and surgeries causing massive backlogs in Canada's system.

The List | Recognizing some of our first 50 subscribers

Last week we launched the very first Be Aware Health Care Newsletter. We were met with incredible response from all around Ontario. On this week’s list, (with permission) we would like to recognize some of our first 50 subscribers. Thank you to all of our subscribers for your support!

1. Patty A. (Minden, Ontario)

2. Justin L. (Cambridge, Ontario)

3. Tyler P. (Barrie, Ontario)

4. Cindy (Toronto, Ontario)

5. Kyle (Toronto, Ontario)

6. Linda L. (Minden, Ontario)

7. Terri C. (Haliburton, Ontario)

8. Deniz (Guelph, Ontario)

9. Pat (Minden, Ontario)

10. Tyler B. (Hamilton, Ontario)

11. Jack P. (Langley, British Columbia)

12. Richard (Kitchener, Ontario)

13. Patrick (Minden, Ontario)

14. Dana W. (Windsor, Ontario)

15. Sean (Brantford, Ontario)

16. Linda M. (Minden, Ontario)

17. Michael R. (Toronto, Ontario)

18. Stephen (St. Catherines, Ontario)

19. Beverlea (Minden, Ontario)

20. Susan (Minden, Ontario)

21. Thomas B. (Brantford, Ontario)

22. Victor (Guelph, Ontario)

23. Cindy (Minden, Ontario)

Respond to this email if you appreciate receiving the news, have feedback, want to raise awareness for your healthcare community, or simply want to say hello!