Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
‘It’s chronic disease, stupid!’ The central challenge facing health care
Friday, February 20th, 2026
A well-integrated interprofessional health-care system, rooted in primary care and configured to support patients with chronic conditions and their informal caregivers, has the potential to improve health outcomes, curb health-care spending and reduce reliance on hospital care… Government policies that fail to meaningfully support public health and social safety nets ultimately drive higher chronic disease rates and greater downstream health-care costs.
Tags: economy, Health, mental Health, poverty, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
There are realistic solutions to our growing mental health crisis
Wednesday, February 18th, 2026
In primary care, mental health concerns account for roughly one-in-five visits to family physicians in Canada and most primary care practices in Ontario do not have embedded mental health professionals. Too often, patients leave with a referral, not support, and join another wait-list… A mental health system that waits for crisis is not care… We must find new ways to invest in early, visible and embedded support.
Tags: jurisdiction, mental Health, multiculturalism, youth
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
What causes depression? What we know, don’t know and suspect
Tuesday, February 17th, 2026
Depression arises from a mix of factors – biological (genes and hormones), psychological (personality and thoughts) and social (stress and life events). Treatment options are based on all of these factors, as well as considering how severe the depression is… While science has made some progress in understanding depression, what underpins each person’s experience is unique.
Tags: mental Health
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Ontario needs more psychologists. These changes finally address the long-standing obstacles to care
Thursday, February 12th, 2026
Across Canada, other provincial and territorial regulators have safely relied on shorter, well-designed supervision periods for many years. Ontario already recognizes psychologists trained under these models through Canadian labour mobility rules that require provinces and territories to register professionals who are already registered elsewhere in Canada, even if their training followed different, shorter, timelines.
Tags: Education, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Why Ontario’s measles outbreak highlights our need for a vaccine registry
Thursday, February 12th, 2026
Ontario’s measles outbreak has laid bare how vulnerable we are without the essential tools needed to know who is protected and who is not…The solution is clear — and it’s not a crumpled yellow vaccine card. Ontarians need… a comprehensive immunization registry… a secure, province-wide system that’s accessible from family doctors’ offices to ERs across the province.
Tags: Health, jurisdiction, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living, youth
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
For women who live on the margins, health care is often out of reach. Here’s how we can build a bridge to access
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
A community health worker (CHW) is typically a trusted member of the local community who understands the challenges of those who are sick or socially excluded. With targeted training, CHWs can conduct basic health screenings for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, breast and cervical cancer, and reproductive and mental health problems. Importantly, CHWs act as bridges to primary care physicians… This approach builds trust, continuity and access…
Tags: mental Health, participation, poverty, women
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
What Alberta is doing with its health care is a threat to every Canadian
Monday, February 9th, 2026
The Health Statutes Amendment Act will allow physicians to practice in both the public and private system for medically necessary care — meaning that they can both bill the provincial health care plan for some patients and charge other patients out-of-pocket or through private insurance… Dual practice does not address the real problems in health care because it does not involve adding more health care professionals to the system or enable more organized, efficient care.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Feds revive bill to build digitally connected health data systems for patients, providers
Thursday, February 5th, 2026
Canada’s health data system is “fragmented and siloed” and incomplete health records can compromise patient care and safety… If passed, the legislation would establish standards that companies developing electronic medical records must follow, allowing data to be shareable between health-care providers and across provinces and territories… “Canada’s diversity and single-payer model has created one of the most valuable health data sets on Earth,”
Tags: Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Why drug approval in Canada should not rely on foreign regulators
Friday, January 30th, 2026
So far, there is no evidence to back up the claim that using decisions made by foreign drug regulators will lead to faster access to newer and better drugs. Before Canada proceeds down this pathway, Health Canada needs to show that it will improve public health.
Tags: Health, jurisdiction, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
We’re already facing the consequences of two-tier health care. Doug Ford is opening the door to make it even worse
Tuesday, January 20th, 2026
… the door is now wide open to a major expansion of for-profit health care thanks to Ontario’s Bill 60. The bill contains no obvious limits on outsourcing publicly funded health services to the private sector… While reducing wait times is a goal we all share, funding private, for-profit expansion while publicly funded operating rooms sit underused and nurses remain unavailable is not the solution.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
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