Healthcare Articles: 1) New AI Technology Helps CGMH With Cancer Sceening; 2) RVH, Canadian Blood Services Partner To Help Save Lives; 3) Ontario Hospitals, LTC Homes Spent Nearly $1B On Agency Staff Last Year; 4) March 12th Measles Case In Simcoe Muskoka Did Not Have Measles: Health Unit; 5) 5) Alberta Scientists Hope To Shift Climate Change Focus To Health Impacts From Environmental Effects
1) New AI Technology Helps CGMH With Cancer Sceening
Courtesy of Barrie360.com
Andrew Sorokan Published: Mar 25th, 2024
Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) is announcing two new pieces of technology to aid colorectal cancer screening.
The GI Genius Intelligent Endoscopy Module will assist surgeons during colonoscopies, acting as a second set of eyes.
“Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the GI Genius acts as a second set of eyes to assist surgeons during colonoscopies, identifying suspicious polyps with unparalleled accuracy,” the hospital said in a media release.
The AI tool “significantly enhances the efficiency and accuracy of polyp detection”. This is thanks to its database of over 13 million images, which it continuously learns from.
According to CGMH, only a few hospitals in Canada have the technology.
The other technology CGMH is using is the Olympus X1 Endoscopy System. This system works with the GI Genius to identify abnormal growths in the colon more easily.
The system uses state-of-the-art imaging technology helping surgeons discover subtle differences and increasing detection rates. The technology enhances brightness, colour and texture.
“With the Olympus X1 and GI Genius at our fingertips, we’re not just setting the bar – we’re taking it to new heights,” says Dr. Michael Lisi, Chief of Staff at CGMH. “CGMH is now at the forefront of colorectal cancer screening in Canada, and we’re thrilled to offer our patients the absolute best in cutting-edge technology, right here in South Georgian Bay.”
The hospital says the new technology will aid CGHM’s colon cancer screening program, improving early diagnosis and ultimately helping save lives. CGHM conducts over 2,000 colonoscopies per year.
The technological leap was possible with support from the CGMH Foundation Giving Circle and the community supporting healthcare innovation.
2) RVH, Canadian Blood Services Partner To Help Save Lives
Courtesy of Barrie360.com ReleasePublished: Mar 28th, 2024
News release – Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
May is STOP THE BLEED® month and to raise awareness, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and Canadian Blood Services have partnered to provide the public with two opportunities to help save lives.
From April 1 to May 15, anyone who books an appointment to donate blood in the Barrie area will receive a special promo code to take part in a free STOP THE BLEED® training course at RVH on May 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. The code offers one free ticket or a buy-one-get-one free option.
“The number one cause of death after a traumatic injury is uncontrolled bleeding,” says Sharon Ramagnano, RVH Operations Director, Emergency, Critical Care, Trauma Programs. “Knowing what to do in a bleeding emergency empowers bystanders to help before first responders can reach the scene, potentially saving a life.”
Since RVH’s designation as a Level III Trauma Centre in 2022, the health centre has been offering the STOP THE BLEED® program with the first public session held September 2023. During the two-hour interactive training course, RVH’s Trauma Program Team teaches participants how to identify and control life-threatening bleeding using packing, compression, and tourniquets. In addition to the skills and knowledge, participants will gain the confidence to help save someone’s life with hands-on practice of all three techniques. Since the program began, RVH has trained 310 people how to stop a bleed and save a life.
Dr. Peter Dauphinee, RVH Co-Medical Director, Trauma Program says, “When someone is injured, seconds count, and it is a terrible feeling to be unable to help. In a few hours, this course can teach you a few simple techniques that may save a life.”
To participate download the GiveBlood app; call 1-888-236-6283; or visit blood.ca to book your appointment at the Barrie donor centre at 231 Bayview Drive, Suite 100.
“Donating blood helps save and improve lives locally and across Canada. Every donation, whether you’re giving as an individual or as part of a group, makes all the difference for patients and has a lasting impact in the lives of others,” says Cheryl Russell, Community Development Manager with Canadian Blood Services.
3) Ontario Hospitals, LTC Homes Spent Nearly $1B On Agency Staff Last Year
Courtesy of Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Mar 25th, 2024
By Allison Jones
Hospitals and long-term care homes spent nearly $1 billion last year to fill shifts with nurses and personal support workers from private staffing agencies, a Ministry of Health document estimates.
A November 2023 staffing agency update obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request shows that agency use increased from 2021-22 to 2022-23 by every metric — in hospitals and long-term care, in hours worked and in total costs.
Hospitals and long-term care homes turn to staffing agencies when they can’t fill all of their shifts with employees, and the temporary nurses and PSWs from agencies allow them to continue providing services in the face of staff shortages.
But agencies charge double or even triple the regular hourly rate for their staff, hospitals and long-term care homes have said.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones has repeated recently that agency usage is going down in the province.
“Respectfully, Speaker, facts matter in this discussion,” she told the legislature in October. “The use of health personnel — agency nursing — has actually decreased in the province of Ontario.”
A spokesperson for Jones wrote in a statement that the proportion of agency nurses and total hours worked by agency staff has decreased since 2017.
But that was not the case in the 2021-22 to 2022-23 period, the most current data when the ministry document was written. It says organizations’ reliance on the use of agencies to address staffing challenges “continues to increase.”
“Staffing issues persist in hospitals and long‐term care homes; vacancy rates remain consistent despite the addition of staff through HHR (health human resource) programs,” the ministry’s capacity and health workforce planning branch wrote.
“This is due to migration of staff away from hospitals/long term care to other sectors (public health, telehealth) and agencies; and overall higher demand for staff due to the capacity that is being added in the system (increase in hospital and long‐term beds, etc.).”
Understanding the issues at play is key, the planning branch said.
“It is important to crystallize the problem we are trying to solve (high use, high cost), and respond to the choices that staff are exercising when they choose to work for agencies (higher compensation, higher flexibility),” it wrote.
“This balance is crucial to ensure retention and satisfaction of our workforce.”
Lisa Levin, the CEO of AdvantAge Ontario, representing the province’s non-profit long-term care homes, said surveys of her organization’s members suggest the situation hasn’t improved much since 2022-23.
“We’ve been hearing from our members that the cost of agencies are crowding out the budgets for care,” she said.
Hospitals and long-term care homes spent about $368.64 million on agency nurses in 2021-22, and the projected cost in 2022-23 was $600.18 million, a 63 per cent increase, the ministry document says.
When the cost of personal support workers from agencies is added, the total for the latter year becomes more than $952.8 million, the document says.
The percentage of hours worked in hospitals by agency nurses was 0.7 per cent in 2021-22 and that rose to 1.5 per cent the next year, the document said, with an increase of 123 per cent when looking at total hours.
In long-term care, the percentage of hours worked by agency staff grew from 7.6 per cent to 14.9 per cent in the same time period, an increase of 103 per cent when looking at total hours.
Agency staffing is a tool many northern and rural hospitals rely on, Jones’ spokesperson said.
“We will continue to take action to grow our health-care workforce in these communities, building on our progress adding 17,000 new nurses this year, through programs like the Learn and Stay grant and breaking down barriers to make it easier for internationally and interprovincially educated nurses to practice in Ontario,” Hannah Jensen wrote in a statement.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ontario’s growing reliance on staffing agencies means more tax dollars are ending up in the hands of agencies that are allowed to charge whatever they want.
“It’s completely inappropriate, financially unsustainable and not a real solution to the issues we’re facing,” he wrote in a statement.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said her party and experts have long been ringing the alarm bells about staffing agencies.
“The Ford Conservatives are underfunding our health care system so badly that hospitals and long-term care homes are left with no choice but to use these private nursing agencies,” she wrote in a statement.
“This not only costs all of us more money, it further drains workers from the public system.”
Hospitals and long-term care homes have said staffing agencies are necessary and they do not want to see them banned, but many have urged an end to what they call price gouging.
The Ministry of Long-Term Care is “examining the possibility of creating a vendor of record for approved LTC agencies to potentially support price regulation,” the document says.
AdvantAge has made that recommendation to the ministry, but also says any measure applied to staffing agencies for long-term care must be applied across the health sector so one part of the system is not disadvantaged.
4) March 12th Measles Case In Simcoe Muskoka Did Not Have Measles: Health Unit
ReleasePublished: Mar 27th, 2024
Courtesy of Barrie360.com, Release from Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit
On March 26, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) was notified by Public Health Ontario’s (PHO) laboratory that due to laboratory error, the case of measles that had been lab-confirmed positive on March 12, based on symptoms and a positive urine measles laboratory result by PHO’s laboratory, is in fact negative for the measles virus.
“With this new information of the negative lab result, we believe that that individual was not infected with measles and that there has not been any public exposure to measles resulting from this individual’s illness,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health. “We recognize that notifying the public of what we believed to be a positive measles case in our area created worry, anxiety and disruption for some, and we regret this. We do know that, despite best efforts, on rare occasions laboratory errors can occur. We are working closely with the PHO’s laboratory to do all that we can to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.”
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads very easily through airborne transmission. The measles virus can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. Symptoms of measles begin seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, and red eyes. Small white spots appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present. Three to seven days after symptoms begin, a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and then progresses down the body. The risk of transmission to those vaccinated with two doses is low, and when it does occur tends to show a reduction in the severity of these symptoms.
“Although we are relieved for the individual involved, and for all Simcoe Muskoka residents, that this case has now been confirmed as negative, we know that measles is still active in Ontario at this time and the potential remains for new cases to arise, especially given the increase in Ontarians travelling to areas in the world that have higher numbers of measles cases,” said Dr. Gardner. “This is why we continue to advise individuals to keep up to date with their routine immunizations, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.”
The risk of measles is low for people who have been fully immunized with two doses of measles vaccine or those born before 1970; however, many children have been delayed in receiving their routine childhood immunizations and people who have not had two doses of measles vaccine are at higher risk of contracting the disease.
People who do get sick usually recover without treatment, but measles can be more severe for infants, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Possible complications include middle ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, or encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and occasionally death in the very young. Even individuals who are up to date with the measles vaccine should watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after exposure.
For more information about measles, please visit smdhu.org or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to speak with a public health professional.
5) Alberta Scientists Hope To Shift Climate Change Focus To Health Impacts From Environmental Effects
Courtesy of Barrie360.com and Canadian PressPublished: Mar 25th, 2024
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Bodies and minds are just as affected by climate change as sea ice and forests, says University of Alberta scientist Sherilee Harper.
“Climate change impacts everything we care about,” she said. “It’s not just an environmental issue.”
That’s why Harper, along with 30 or so colleagues from disciplines as wide−ranging as economics and epidemiology, have banded together into what she calls Canada’s first university hub to shift the view of climate change from an environmental problem to a threat to human health.
“The hub is about helping people see that every climate change decision is a health decision,” said Harper, a professor in the School of Public Health and a vice−chair on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading scientific body on the issue.
Take bike lanes, for example.
City planners look at them as a way to decrease tailpipe emissions from cars. But riding a bike also improves health.
“There’s a lot of power in framing climate change as a health issue,” Harper said. “There’s research showing that if you frame (it) as a health problem, it inspires more action than if you frame it as an environment problem or economic issue.”
Canada is warming at twice the pace of the global average and abundant research already demonstrates that increasing temperatures are increasing health problems.
A 2022 report from the Public Health Agency of Canada called climate change “the single biggest health threat facing humanity and the livability of the planet.”
Wildfire smoke, which last summer gave Canada some of the worst air quality on the globe, damages lung function, especially in children. Illnesses such as Lyme disease and West Nile are spreading as the parasites that carry them take advantage of new habitats. Diarrhea is becoming more common as warming waters host more bacteria.
There are mental health impacts as well, from the acute stress suffered by those forced to flee by flames to the pervasive sense of loss and grief as people mourn a familiar environment that has changed into something else. Often, the physical and mental effects occur at the same time, compounding each other.
And Harper’s own experience after last year’s wildfires will sound familiar to many.
“I have two young kids. We were stuck inside all summer. That was really hard.”
The threats are international.
The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.
The Climate Change and Health Hub will be officially announced on Tuesday at an event featuring Canada’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Theresa Tam. For now, it will be mostly a network of scientists, First Nations knowledge keepers and students who agree that such interdisciplinary work is needed and who plan to share ideas and research.
Such hubs already exist in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, Harper said.
She said Alberta’s hub will be more than just a talk−shop for boffins. It will also take on public outreach and advocacy.
“We think in this era of mis− and disinformation that having a place that can mobilize evidence−informed advocacy is really important. It’s providing evidence so that politicians can make decisions based on that evidence.”
The hub will plug a big gap in Canada’s climate change research community, Harper says.
“Research on the topic is happening, but it’s not connected and researchers are not connected with each other. Climate change is by definition a very interdisciplinary topic.”
Patricia is the Business Mentor and owner of Grow Vantage and a Past President of the Barrie Chamber of Commerce. She applies over 30 years of business experience (from start-up to corporate) to mentor entrepreneurs. Since 2011, she has held over 6,500 coaching and training sessions in-person and online. Through Ask For Directions Training, her entrepreneurial training program (and parent company Grow Vantage), and as a business coach, she works with start-ups who are new (or who have lost traction) to design, launch and grow their businesses. Along with 20 other expert instructors she teaches strategies in marketing, sales, communications, and finance, as well as practical techniques to increase productivity, and manage their businesses. In other words, everything entrepreneurs need to learn to grow and run their businesses successfully, and avoid the costly mistakes they can't even see coming - that lead to delays in growth and getting stuck.
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