Category Archives: News

What a Pain!

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Did you know that…

  • 17% to 31% of the general community report chronic pain.
  • 50% of hospitalized patients report acute pain of moderate to severe intensity.
  • People in pain miss work, spend time in hospital and visit the doctor often.
  • Pain is almost unmentioned in medical training.
  • Severe shortage of acute pain services and pain clinics in hospital settings.
  • In-hospital patients with pain from non-surgical conditions are less likely to have their pain taken seriously enough to be treated.
  • Outpatients who report pain of chronic duration to health care professionals are often dismissed, or are accused of malingering.
  • There is a large gap between what is known and what is practiced in the treatment of all kinds of pain
  • November 6th-12th is National Pain Awareness Week.

Click here to find out more.

Vaccination and Immunization

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Vaccine in vial with syringe. Vaccination concept. 3d
With the cold and flu season upon us, flu shot clinics have sprung up in a number of locations, including grocery stores, pharmacies and in shopping malls. Related to these clinics are the discussions and debates around the topic of immunization and vaccination. Should a person get a flu shot? What are the risks of getting a flu shot? What are the risks associated with not getting one? Below is a tweet that contained statistics from the US concerning immunization and vaccination.

The Government of Canada has also developed the Canadian Immunization Guide that provides information about immunization. In addition, there are numerous websites, including New Health Advisor, which discuss the pros and cons of vaccinations and immunization. One thing for sure, there is no shortage of information concerning vaccination and immunization debate. On which side of the debate do you fall?

Would You Pay For Quality Care?

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Imagine if doctors were paid for quality of care rather than given a fee for service. How would this change the care provided to patients? What effect would this have on patient experience and patient satisfaction? What impact would this type of physician compensation have on the healthcare system in terms of resources used, expenses and overall costs? Alberta is about to find out.

Alberta doctors voted 74 per cent in favour of a set of amendments to the existing 2011-18 master agreement that will change elements of patient care and how doctors are paid.

The new deal will introduce a compensation model for some primary-care doctors aimed at rewarding time and quality of care given to patients rather than just the number of services provided, the province says.

Click here to read the full article.

More than an item for display

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With the Olympic games and the quest for medals now complete, the question some people may be asking is:  What do athletes do with the medals they won? While it is true that many individuals are apt to place them in a special case for display, Piotr Malachowski, the Polish discus thrower, did something much different. Click here to read what he did with his silver medal.

Anonymous liver donor revealed

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Twin girls, Bihn and Phuoc, suffered from a genetic disorder that made liver transplant the only option. After one of the girls received a liver from her father, Michael Wagner, their mother, Joanne, started a campaign to find a liver donor for their other daughter. 

Upon hearing of this situation and recognizing that like himself, Michael was in the military, Kris Chung, a 19-year-old student at Kingston’s Royal Military College, knew what he needed to do. “Most people know what’s the right thing to do, deep down inside…It was something I had to do.”

Click here to read the full story.

“This is the saddest photo I have ever taken.”

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According to Ashley Bartyik, she had recently taken her saddest picture. This picture shows her grandparents, Wolfram and Anita Gottschalk, sitting together crying. The reason for their sadness is because after living together for 62 years, they are being forced to live apart.

Whenever they get a chance to visit one another, both burst into tears.

“I just want to see them together…They’re a pillar of strength in our family.”

Wolf, 83, and Anita, 81, are in separate care facilities in Surrey, B.C., and even though the regional health authority says it’s working to reunite the couple, their families fear time is running out.

Click here to read the full article.

Physicians gather to address First Nations health

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At a recent event held in Vancouver, physicians came together to discuss a very important topic – namely, First Nation health.

The nearly 7,000 emotional and often tragic stories from the survivors of Canada’s residential school system gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada provided a powerful backdrop to a standing-room only gathering of physicians and other health care providers at a special pre-General Council session on Indigenous health, held Aug. 20.

Truth and Reconciliation commissioner, Dr. Marie Wilson, set the tone for the discussion, saying she wanted to serve as a “channel for the survivor’s words” at the session.

“The ongoing work of truth and reconciliation going on in this country is not in fact just about Indigenous wellness,” said Wilson. “It’s about the wellness of our shared country.”

Click here to continue reading.

Vandalism with peanut-butter

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Imagine taking your child to the park to play on the swings, slides and other equipment found there. Upon your arrival, you discover that something has been smeared on all of the equipment. On closer inspection, you realize that the smeared, messy substance is peanut butter. For some individuals, this would be an annoyance and somewhat upsetting. However, for others, it could be life threatening to them and/or their children. Unfortunately, this is not a fictitious event but is what occurred at some parks in Toronto, Canada. Click here to read the story found in the Toronto Star.

Family Presence: More of a Presence

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exciting newsFamily Presence is becoming an important topic in Alberta’s healthcare system. As such, we have added a Family Presence area to our website. There you will find some new material that is hot off the press! Click here if you are looking for Family Presence tips, conversation starters and more…