When a pedestrian is killed crossing the highway on the way to “community” housing, it is not an accident. It is death by design – or some would say – a lack of design, and we all have blood on our hands. From the urban planners who designed the housing project in its current location,Continue reading “Road traffic deaths are preventable”
Category Archives: Health
Effective Policy Needed to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms
Many of us welcomed in the New Year with a glass of our favourite alcoholic beverage, even if in muted celebration this year. Alcohol is an ubiquitous and accepted part of our culture, associated with times of festivity, socializing with friends and family and relaxing after a hard day at work. While there are social,Continue reading “Effective Policy Needed to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms”
The opioid crisis rages on
In the last five years, there has been an alarming increase in deaths related to opioid overdoses. Over 22,000 Canadians – the majority of them in the prime of their lives – have succumbed to fatal overdoses since 2016. These numbers are comparable to lives lost in Canada due to COVID-19 infections, yet we areContinue reading “The opioid crisis rages on”
Children and Youth in Mental Health Crisis
On October 19, 2021, the American Association of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. They cited soaring rates of depression, anxiety, trauma and loneliness in American children and youth as reasons for this unprecedented declaration. The picture is no less grim in Canada. Even before the pandemic, poor mental health was rankedContinue reading “Children and Youth in Mental Health Crisis”
Climate change is a health crisis
An update version of this article including the carbon tax is now available here: https://engagedcitizen.ca/2024/09/05/climate-change-is-a-health-crisis-2/ As we cope with extreme heat waves and unpredictable wildfires this summer, it is hard to deny that climate change is a reality. With record setting high temperatures in many places in the West, this stretch of hot weather isContinue reading “Climate change is a health crisis”
Transformative change needed in care for seniors
In the wake of horrors laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic in our senior care facilities, the Government of Alberta commissioned a review of facility-based continuing care in the province. Recommendations from the government-appointed panel were released at the end of last month. The report makes several important recommendations on improving quality of lifeContinue reading “Transformative change needed in care for seniors”
COVID-19 vaccine policies explained
Following a worrisome wait for a renewed supply of COVID-19 vaccines, many Albertans now have the opportunity to receive their vaccine much sooner than expected. Many are pleased at the accelerated timelines and are ready to roll up their sleeves, but some are anxious or confused about the evolving COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. COVID-19 vaccine guidelinesContinue reading “COVID-19 vaccine policies explained”
Resilience and self-reliance key to pandemic recovery
COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Canada were reduced in recent weeks and Canadians have felt frustrated and helpless at being asked to wait. We have watched with envy as other countries manufactured vaccines and inoculated their citizens. Canada was similarly vulnerable at the beginning of the pandemic when countries scrambled to procure adequate supplies of masks,Continue reading “Resilience and self-reliance key to pandemic recovery”
COVID-19 vaccine brings hope for the new year
Last week, Health Canada announced approval of the first vaccine against COVID-19 infection for use in Canada. The development of highly effective vaccines against a virus that we couldn’t name a year ago will surely go down in history as an unequalled biomedical triumph. The vaccine development process normally takes decades, not months, to accomplish. Continue reading “COVID-19 vaccine brings hope for the new year”
Privatizing health care is no panacea
Alberta’s UCP government is looking to privatization as a cure for what ails Alberta’s public health care system. Bill 30 allows for-profit corporations to bill the government directly for medical services and 30% of surgeries conducted in Alberta will be done in private facilities by 2023. Despite ample evidence suggesting the opposite, the Kenney governmentContinue reading “Privatizing health care is no panacea”
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