Ontario docs from the hardest hit regions pen an open letter to the public urging you to take action and
#raiseyourvoice
for the things that will keep you safe. Protect the workplace, vaccines and transparent communication.
cc:
@LisaEsther6
@ayeletkuper
"It unethical for physicians and physicians-in-training to promote or endorse products on social media that claim to have health benefits but lack the scientific evidence to demonstrate these claims"
@SGaibrie
&
@allison_rants
…-on-social-media
The doctors seem pretty aligned in this open letter
@ONThealth
.
The call to action is clear. Paid sick leave. Workplace protections. Vaccine equity. Clear communication.
Full letter here.
#raiseyourvoice
👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
Sign here:
Female doctors are routinely mistaken for a patient's friend, told they're "not ready" for a promotion, and introduced at speaking events without their titles and credentials. New op-ed by
@allison_rants
&
@ShannonRuzycki
@HealthyDebate
The presence of
#police
in
#healthcare
settings can undermine the ability of
#doctors
,
#nurses
, and others to provide high-quality,
#patient
-centred care. It's time we critically interrogated the role of police in these spaces.
"Despite the incredible anxiety Saudi residents must be feeling, many have continued to work 26-hour overnight shifts and attending clinical duties to help ease the transition for their non-Saudi colleagues."
@c_kawala
We cannot claim that our
#public
#healthcare
system has failed when we haven’t funded it appropriately.
#Public
health-system solutions have been hiding in plain sight and cannot be ignored any longer.
By
@bechardmel
and
@jasminegite
“The closure of the Minden ED without adequate consultation is not only a local tragedy; it is indicative of a nationwide emergency that calls for collective resolve and action.”
#onpoli
#mindenpaper
@mindenpaper
During the next
#publichealth
crisis, will we again rely on the sheer grit of heroic individuals to craft ‘work-around’ solutions? Or will we actually invest in the infrastructure that would improve the lives of
#Canadians
?
By
@NoahIvers
The
#vaccine
roll out in
#Toronto
was a colossal undertaking, and it couldn't have happened without figures like
@shiranisaacksz
working tirelessly behind the scenes to organize it.
"None of this work was perfect. But it was rapid and it was impactful."
Paul is an emergency medicine physician in Alberta.
1/2 "A significant number of patients from marginalized populations do not have valid Alberta Health Care numbers... As of April 1st, the government will no longer provide coverage for these patients.
#FacesofCOVID
"Regardless of whether or not you feel uncomfortable, it is important to begin asking questions about the lands we occupy, who the people of the lands are, and what the history is here"
@SheilaCoteMeek
on
#Indigenous
#land
acknowledgements in
#healthcare
#COVID19
has exposed the longstanding frailty of our
#healthcare
system. The truth is that every flu season, our
#hospitals
burst at the seams.
Hard-working
#healthcareworkers
held the system together. It’s past time to create the system they deserve.
The
#Ontario
government’s plan to hire 4,000 staff in the
#LongTermCare
sector is yet another ineffective attempt to solve the crisis of the
#PSW
shortage without addressing the bigger issue: retaining the folks in these positions.
Social workers' role in end-of-life care is not always well understood by the general public--or even by other health care professionals. New opinion from
@CourtneySas
…end-of-life-care
These were some of the most striking quotes from our discussion with
@HCinCanada
- On the brink of collapse Ontario’s
#COVID
-19 hospital crisis
#HCinCanada
"We need to change our scientific culture so that flying across the ocean to attend a one-day meeting or for one scientific presentation is an embarrassment, not a status symbol."
@AndreasLaupacis
on scientific meetings and climate change
Rachel is a ER physician and mother.
1/2 "I immediately go into the shower after getting home before I talk to anyone. It’s hard for my kids to see me walk in the door, and not immediately go over and hug them and kiss them.
#FacesofCOVID
#MothersDay
#COVID19
#mothersday2020
Meet Shannon, a
#PSW
"It makes me tearful when people thank me because I rubbed their back as I woke them up in the morning, or held their hand as they blew kisses to loved ones outside. They make caring easy for me."
#FacesofCOVID
#PSWDay2020
#PSWDay
Dig below the surface of any geriatrician and you’ll likely find someone with an abiding love for their grandparents.
@NathanStall
is no exception. That love drove him to struggle against the
#pandemic
's horrific impact on the
#elderly
however he could.
"We know there’s a lot of unhealthiness among physicians. The mental health issues, the suicides. I think there’s kind of a perfect storm of just being pissed off. And a lot of it is justified."
Faces of Health care with
@picardonhealth
Naheed is a palliative care physician.
"When this pandemic is over...We can’t go back to homelessness and allow these morally distressing issues to go back to the way they were."
#facesofcovid
#FacesFightingCOVID
#healthcareheros
"At this juncture in the pandemic, MOHs are subject to increasing pressure from their employers to publicly support policies that are unsupported by the science but to still say it is so. In acquiescing, they leave more people marginalized."
#ICYMI
Alissa is a palliative care physician and co-chair of
@HPAP_Ontario
1/2 "I care for people experiencing homelessness and precarious housing. I see people die as a result of oppressive structural forces and the adverse social determinants of health.
#FacesofCOVID
#COVID19
"I was providing rational care, given the system I was working in. But I wasn’t providing good care. And not providing good care on a regular basis wears you down."
On the limited resources in palliative care, by
@AndreasLaupacis
Why are family doctors in Ontario cutting patients from their practice? Because they're being asked to do the impossible.
@DocSchmadia
on how the system needs to change
@HealthyDebate
Dave is a clinical assistant. He helps transport patients. "I have a little feeling of pride coming to work being one of the front-liners right now. I also worked through SARS"
#facesofcovid
#FacesFightingCOVID
Healthy Debate was started a decade ago by
@AndreasLaupacis
. We have reinvented ourselves a few times over the years. Yesterday we hit 15k followers & 250K unique monthly hits! Thank you for the support. Stay tuned as big changes are coming
#healthjournalism
#advocacy
#CDNhealth
Meet Danyaal, a family physician.
1/3 “I have a three year old and a three month old... It’s hard not to worry about their future... My nephew is now three weeks old – I haven’t gotten to meet him... These pieces are a reminder that life is continuing to happen.
#FacesofCOVID
"Policy programs like these are premised on the moralistic and meritocratic misconception that we all get what we deserve in life. We don’t."
Social worker Madeleine Ritts on Ontario's budget and the move toward workfare
#Emergency
departments are struggling to deal with staff shortages, and the violence that
#healthcare
workers face is a big reason why people are quitting.
#Doctors
and
#nurses
are now calling for national measures to curb the violence.
By
@CVarnerEmerg
ICYMI: What can go wrong with patient care when family doctors and hospital staff don't find time to talk to each other. Op-e by Ed Weiss
@HealthyDebate
Laveena is an
#ICU
physician
1/3 “When I walked into the room to see the “possible COVID” my heart sank. “COVID” was a terrified, young, 30-something-year old woman. We were all terrified of COVID – but she was equally terrified of COVID.
#FacesofCOVID
Did you get AZ for your 1st dose? Wondering what you should get for your 2nd? The province announced today (controversially) that the wait will be 12 weeks between doses, but experts including
@SabiVM
@tara_kiran
@heysciencesam
@MPaiMD
weigh in.
"Uncertainty can make the clinical encounter feel fragile. When I explain that there's no known diagnosis or that I'm uncertain how to help, I don’t want patients to feel abandoned or even worse, that I don’t care."
On doctors not knowing
@alisonlaiMD
2/2 If an Albertan without a valid number were to present to our ED with symptoms of a
#COVID19
infection, what am I supposed to do? In my 20 years of practice, I have never turned a patient away due to a lack of insurance."
#cdnpoli
#abpoli
.
@CherylPrescod
, head of a community health centre in northwest
#Toronto
, is not afraid of uphill battles.
Her grit & passion led her to play a key role in
#vaccinating
a marginalized
#community
& ensuring that decision-makers listen to local
#advocates
.
@gio_sirianni
writes "all physicians need to know the basic skills inherent in providing
#palliativecare
...If these are not taught, practiced and valued in medical training, the onus falls on a small number of individuals to take on these responsibilities."
Conrad is an actor and a standardized patient: "I've done it for 25 years and I prefer it to film work. I feel like I am doing something for society. Helping students get better at what they do."
South Asian youth are struggling during
#COVID19
as loved ones in
#India
die without medical treatment & as family who are
#FrontLineWorkers
in
#Canada
risk catching
#COVID19
& bringing it home. Find out what supports they need right now.
Vaccine mandates are not the only reason for staffing shortages & should not be blamed!
Low wages, lack of permanent full-time jobs, lack of paid sick days, & lack of mental health support are all compounding factors that are causing such staffing shortages.
-
@AmitAryaMD
"Medicine revolves around a culture of perfectionism that almost seems anaphylactic to failure. And this probably isn’t a bad thing... But the pressure to be infallible isn’t always easy to cope with." New from Wilson Kwong
How do we address the crisis of access to mental health care in Ontario? The answer is not necessarily to add more psychiatrists
By Paul Kurdyak
@CAMHnews
More than 500
#medstudents
are calling for
#PaidSickDays
in an open letter.
"Continued government inaction will only prolong the pandemic, resulting in longer shutdowns, further long-term economic damage &, ultimately, more preventable deaths."
#onpoli
Nation-wide survey results show that patients highly value the relationship they have with their
#primarycare
providers.
Read the latest in the series exploring the results of the
#OurCare
project.
By
@MaggieKeresteci
@tara_kiran
"The basic income we received helped provide an equality of opportunity that may be the reason I'm able to call myself a doctor today. How many benefited as I did? How many more still could?" Rahat Hossain on the cancellation of
#BasicIncome
"I do not think that you would benefit from 'resuscitation' or 'life support.' Unlike the others, however, I can be forced to provide them."
@VladDragan
Nareefa is a
#pharmacy
manager.
1/2 People often don’t realize it but your community
#pharmacist
plays a huge role. From ensuring patients get their meds in time, to assessing minor ailments, to talking to patients through mental health crises...
#FacesofCOVID
#COVID19
We're thrilled to announce that we've surpassed one million monthly page views, a huge milestone! A big thanks to our developer Steve Combes (StationWP) for the killer design, the entire Healthy Debate team, our contributors, and all of our readers, new and old.
Ageism is a bad thing, people can be healthy in old age, and we need to improve how we care for our elderly. All true, but none of that should rule out our willingness to consider
#frailty
a possible indication for
#MAID
.
@jamesdownar
"Test the neighbourhood, test the relatives, test the friends, and isolate all positive individuals.” Deadly virus outbreaks are controlled when people know their status. Knowledge impacts behaviour.
Wise words
@janephilpott
#COVID
ー19
#covidcanada
"This is life and death for our communities."
A new program at
@UofT
is launching the first master’s program in Black health in North America aimed at eliminating discrimination in
#healthcare
.
@UofT_dlsph
By Riley Meade
CAMH and Healthy Debate have teamed up to produce
Here, we profile four brave, articulate young people with lived experience and a shared vision to make the system more youth friendly. Please check it out. More to come next week.
@NYAC_
@CAMHnews
…
"Medical students are encouraged to be professional, polite, respectful, and serious. Why isn’t humour endorsed in the same way?"
New opinion from e_claridge