Health

Health


Ontario boosts autism budget to $779M, advocates question where money is going

Ontario is increasing funding for its autism program to $779 million this year, the government announced in this week’s budget, but advocates say it’s not yet clear exactly where that money will go. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy’s budget, tabled Thursday, contains two lines on the Ontario Autism Program, including touting the new funding. Children, Community […]

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Court rules in favor of The New York Times over texts between the EU chief and a pharma boss

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission failed to provide a credible explanation for refusing The New York Times access to text messages sent between its President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case highlights questions about transparency at the commission, […]

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Ottawa looks to off-load costly, seldom-used mobile hospitals bought for the pandemic

The federal government expects to spend about $7 million this fiscal year to store and maintain four custom-made, portable hospitals that cost taxpayers more than $200 million to buy — facilities meant to bolster overwhelmed hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic that were barely used. Early on in the pandemic, as the federal government moved at […]

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Alberta ramps up measles vaccination push as 3 children in intensive care

Alberta’s government says three children are in intensive care in hospital after contracting measles. A health ministry spokesperson declined to disclose their ages, citing privacy concerns. At a news conference Monday, Dr. Sunil Sookram, Alberta’s interim chief medical officer of health, said there have been no deaths. Sookram said the risk of getting the highly […]

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Text messaging helps hospital get more feedback

THUNDER BAY — Can a text message help improve patient care? The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is betting that it can.The hospital is the first in Ontario to adopt a text message-based patient survey distribution.The hospital has seen a two per cent increase in people responding to surveys since switching to SMS (Short […]

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Investigators don’t know who leaked a Wisconsin Supreme Court draft abortion order

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Investigators concluded in a report released Wednesday that the leak of a Wisconsin Supreme Court abortion order last year was likely deliberate, but they were unable to determine who was responsible. The June leak of a draft order showed the court would take a case brought by Planned Parenthood, which is […]

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Travelling in Canada? Take your health card with you

Now that the number of Canadians crossing the border for travel has declined, many  people are choosing to travel across Canada for a vacation.   If you are travelling to another province,  you will want to maintain your healthcare coverage when you are on the road.  Before you leave home, you should make sure your health […]

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Mass layoffs are underway at the nation’s public health agencies

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department received notices Tuesday that their jobs were being eliminated, part of a sweeping overhaul designed to vastly shrink the agencies responsible for protecting and promoting Americans’ health. The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of […]

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Alberta Health Services claims fired CEO kept confidential emails, seeking injunction

Alberta’s health authority is claiming its fired former executive breached her employment agreement by holding on to confidential emails with information pertaining to allegations in a high-profile court case. A new affidavit filed Wednesday by Alberta Health Services says the agency is looking to amend its statement of defence in light of the emails, which […]

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Internal report finds major flaws in program to recruit foreign nurses to Quebec

Foreign nurses recruited to Quebec through a provincial government program faced “major obstacles” upon their arrival, including a lack of housing, child care and transportation, according to an internal report.  A rigorous training schedule, culture shock and fear of failure caused severe stress among the recruits, says the report produced by the province’s Immigration Department. […]

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Finding health advice on social media is easier than knowing which claims to trust

In the corners of social media dominated by wellness content, influencers recommend an assortment of treatments and products to support weight loss, fight exhaustion or promote other desired health outcomes. Some of the endorsed approaches may be helpful. Many play into fads with scant evidence to back up enthusiasts’ claims, medical experts say. Some influencers […]

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Risks of state abortion reporting mandates outweigh the benefits, an advocacy group says

States should stop requiring health providers to file reports on every abortion because the information poses a risk to both them and their patients in the current political environment, a research group that advocates for abortion access says. The Guttmacher Institute says in a new recommendation that the benefit of mandated and detailed data collection […]

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