Posts Tagged ‘Health’

« Older Entries | Newer Entries »

The risks of ending safer supply drugs programs

Sunday, January 28th, 2024

21 of 24 federally funded safer supply programs are in jeopardy, as their contracts will expire in March. And with just two months until then, the feds have given no indication that they’ll renew their commitment to any of them. Ottawa’s silence on the matter is all the more disturbing given the recent, dramatic increase in overdose deaths — and the mounting evidence in support of safer supply.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »


Ford government’s controversial plan for private medical clinics will begin this spring

Sunday, January 21st, 2024

The Ontario government will approve more privately owned clinics to provide diagnostic services like CTs and MRIs and surgeries starting April 1… critics fear will bleed the public health system of doctors, nurses and other resources at a time when patients face record waits in hospital emergency rooms… Ontario currently has more than 900 private clinics in operation, mainly providing X-rays and other diagnostic services, and many of them predate [this] government.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »


Understanding The Scope Of Private Healthcare In Canada

Thursday, January 18th, 2024

“The goal of this paper is not to argue either for or against private healthcare… It is simply to clarify what is meant by ‘private’ healthcare, and to explain the different ways provincial legislation currently permits or prohibits aspects of private healthcare. I also discuss the supply and demand side variables… and… offer an analysis of the relationship between provincial healthcare legislation and the Canada Health Act, with reference to the expansion of private healthcare in Canada.”

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »


No end to the ER crisis without investments and addressing workers’ concerns

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

We recently estimated that dealing with those pressures and bringing back the quality of care in our hospitals to an acceptable standard would require a $1.25 billion annual investment after offsetting costs of inflation. But so far, the Ford government is letting the hospitals deteriorate while it sits on $5.4 billion in contingency funding. If this government is serious about addressing the hospital crisis, it must commit to historic investments immediately.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »


Everything we know (so far) about the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Sunday, January 14th, 2024

The program will roll out over two years. By May 2024, everyone over the age of 65 who meets eligibility requirements will be able to apply… By the end of the year, qualifying disabled people and those under 18 should be enrolled. After that, enrollment will open to all other eligible Canadians who meet the income threshold (less than $90,000 in household take-home pay) and don’t have access to private insurance through their employer… Program eligibility will depend on the income reported on your previous-year tax return.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »


Critical nursing shortage puts patients at risk

Saturday, December 30th, 2023

As the health care crisis rages unabated across the country, it is nurses who are holding our health systems together through grit, determination and a shocking amount of overtime… Fixing the nursing shortage is not just about adding more nurses to the system; it’s about addressing the conditions that have created this dire crisis… Relying on excessive overtime or costly private nurse agencies as short-term fixes only exacerbates the systemic challenges facing health care.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »


The Government of Canada announces the creation of the Canadian Drug Agency

Wednesday, December 20th, 2023

The CDA will build on CADTH’s existing mandate… to include new work streams including: Improving the appropriate prescribing and use of medications… Increasing pan-Canadian data collection and expanding access to drug and treatment data… and, Reducing drug system duplication and lack of coordination that causes expensive inefficiencies and pressures… Once the CDA is operational, it will take on a greater role in the drug system to ensure Canadians can have better health outcomes and access the medications…

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »


Home care reforms don’t address poor working conditions

Saturday, December 16th, 2023

The almost entirely female – and, in Toronto, mostly racialized – home care personal support workers expect more of the same: low wages, irregular work, few benefits, and almost no pensions. Recent reforms to home care will not resolve chronic problems of poor working conditions, fragmentation of services, and an inefficient delivery model…

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »


After 57 years, Canadians finally have a reason to ‘say cheese’

Thursday, December 14th, 2023

Tooth decay is a preventable disease and a low-cost public health intervention. By publicly funding this care, we should be getting vastly improved preventive and primary care, better health outcomes, and new levers to contain costs… Today it’s not just kids and the elderly who need help. It’s the twenty-, thirty-, even forty-somethings whose jobs don’t come with benefits packages, and whose pay hasn’t kept up with soaring rents and groceries. 

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »


Program at Hamilton Public Library shows how libraries can expand the social services they provide

Wednesday, December 13th, 2023

Library social workers aim to remove systemic barriers… by offering preventative support… and by helping people access services that offer longer-term solutions to their problems… they are trained and able to support trauma, mental-health issues, challenges and complex needs in a way that meets the person where they are at emotionally, physically and/or cognitively.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »


« Older Entries | Newer Entries »