Health

Health


Ontario missed interim target for providing hands-on care to long-term care residents

Ontario failed to meet its own legislated target this past year for the average number of hands-on hours of care that long-term care residents receive, a newly updated document shows. The province says it has since reached its goal for the 2023-24 fiscal year, but that happened outside of the timeframe the Progressive Conservative government […]

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Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A state judge in Montana heard arguments Thursday over policies that block transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. District Court Judge Mike Menahan did not immediately issue a ruling on the request for a preliminary injunction to block those prohibitions while the case […]

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Texas hospitals must now ask patients whether they’re in the US legally. Here’s how it works

Texas hospitals must ask patients starting Friday whether they are in the U.S. legally and track the cost of treating people without legal status following an order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that expands the state’s clash with the Biden administration over immigration. Critics fear the change could scare people away from hospitals in Texas, […]

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Georgia Supreme Court restores near-ban on abortions while state appeals

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday halted a ruling striking down the state’s near-ban on abortions while it considers the state’s appeal. The high court’s order came a week after a judge found that Georgia unconstitutionally prohibits abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy, often before women realize they’re pregnant. Fulton […]

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Cyber breach at B.C. First Nations Health Authority exposed TB tests, insurance data

The First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia says online hackers gained access to an array of personal information including medical test results and insurance claims during a cybersecurity breach last May. The health authority says it has concluded its investigation and “the impact of the cybersecurity incident is not the same for everyone.” But […]

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Judge strikes down Georgia ban on abortions, allowing them to resume beyond 6 weeks into pregnancy

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge on Monday struck down the state’s abortion law, which took effect in 2022 and effectively prohibited abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order that the law violates Georgia’s Constitution, finding that “liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, […]

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Woodstock Hospital suffers another privacy breach

The Woodstock Hospital is dealing with another breach of privacy and at least one person affected has no idea what information was leaked. The Woodstock resident, who did not want to be named, was a part of the breach and said it’s disturbing to find out this is the second incident in 2024. “I am […]

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N.S. woman with painful condition seeks MAID amid battle to fund surgical treatment

A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes “indescribable” pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live. Jennifer Brady completed her MAID application in June. She has lymphedema in her legs, a condition in which tissues swell […]

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Walgreens to pay $106M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Walgreens has agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged the pharmacy chain submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed. The settlement announced on Friday resolves lawsuits filed in New Mexico, Texas and Florida on behalf of three people who had worked […]

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Congress targets Chinese influence in health tech. It could come with tradeoffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California biotechnology company that helps doctors detect genetic causes for cancer is among those that could be cut out of the U.S. market over ties to China, underscoring the possible tradeoffs between health innovation and a largely bipartisan push in Congress to counter Beijing’s global influence. The competition between the world’s […]

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Ontario autism services enrolments decline in some weeks despite large waitlist: docs

Ontario’s progress in giving children with autism access to government-funded core therapy has slowed so significantly that at times the number of kids enrolled is actually declining, despite a ballooning wait-list, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press. Progress updates on the Ontario Autism Program show a widening gulf between the number of children […]

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Sensors can read your sweat and predict overheating. Here’s why privacy advocates care

On a hot summer day in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of men removed pipes, asbestos and hazardous waste while working to decontaminate a nuclear facility and prepare it for demolition. Dressed in head-to-toe coveralls and fitted with respirators, the crew members toiling in a building without power had no obvious respite from the heat. Instead, […]

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