“‘Food insecurity cannot be addressed with food. It must be addressed via income….We can’t ‘food bank’ our way out of food insecurity, we can’t ‘decrease food waste’ our way out of food insecurity, we can’t ‘smart shopping’ our way out of food insecurity.'”
“In Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) makes vaccine recommendations in Canada — but it’s the provincial and territorial health authorities who decide whether to follow them…”
The math finally adds up: It’s cheaper to pay for rent than for an ER bed. 📉🏥 Toronto’s UHN is launching a $1 million fund to prove that housing is a clinical intervention. When 100 patients account for 4,300+ ER visits, the system is broken. By providing stable housing, we aren’t just saving lives—we’re saving the healthcare system millions. Led by Dr. Andrew Boozary and the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, this program treats housing as a “social determinant of health.” By preventing evictions and providing stable homes, UHN is reducing ER overcrowding and improving long-term recovery for the city’s most vulnerable. This video breaks down why prescribing housing is the most cost-effective way to fix the Ontario healthcare system. 🇨🇦 Is “Social Medicine” the future of Canada? Let’s talk below. 👇 #toronto#housing#health#healthcare#fyp @Andrew Boozary MD @University Health Network
Given all that is happening in the world, it is easy to start thinking that everyone is out for themselves. Here is a video that illustrates that this is not always the case
There is much debate about whether safe consumption sites should exist and if so where. The site at in Calgary at Sheldon Chumier Center is the center of one of these debates. Here is an article by the CBC that looks at this very important issue.
In this article, Donna Kennedy-Glans describes what she learned when she sat down with Dan Williams, Alberta’s mental health and addiction minister, to discuss Alberta’s “compassionate” drug plan. “The aim is to not just reduce the harm caused by drugs but to create the conditions for addicts to recover. In doing so, he [Williams] and others are helping to redefine what it means to be compassionate.”
All goes goes into effect on September 1, 2024. Are we ready?
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/thermometer-on-medical-pills-139398/
Tuesday, September 26th saw retirees from TransAlta harvesting what is likely to be a record-breaking yield. All of the produce will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank.
Photo from Pixabay
According to Fred Ritter, coordinator of the Get Growing Garden project, “‘It becomes more satisfying that we can play a part and help the needy folks, given the rising cost of food and so on, and folks out there struggling to put food on the table.'”
In Alberta, there is much discussion taking place concerning addiction, overdose and treatment. Part of the reason for this because of how the provincial government has chosen to address these issues.
Not surprisingly, many people are not in favour of the direction the government is taking. One of these individuals is Bonnie Larson, a doctor who has worked with people experiencing homelessness for 15 years.
Photo from https://www.avera.org
According to Larson, “Alberta’s model is unique in that it excludes harm reduction from the continuum of care. As such, it is a system akin to an extension ladder that is missing the first 10 feet of rungs. Lacking entry-level steps that meet people where they are with non-judgmental care, patient-centredness and barrier-busting pragmatism, the ROSC ladder is impossible for most to even mount, let alone climb.”
Destiny Robinson-Cooke has been fighting for over six years to get benefits related to her service dog, Sasha. Finally, on June 28, 2023, her battle was won. Nevertheless, as Robinson Cooke correctly states, “‘A disabled person should not have to fight for a benefit they are entitled to.'” Click here to read the full article.