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Ottawa Citizen
16 hours ago
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Carleton researcher probes health effects of wildfire smoke
Article content The 'Great Smog of London' in December 1952 killed an estimated 4,000 people that month. Researchers have tallied an additional 8,000 deaths in the following two months — although there has been debate about how many of these 'excess' deaths were attributable to influenza. Article content 'We've spent decades assessing the health effects of air pollution, including sources like traffic,' said Villeneuve. Article content Over time, researchers have found that there are important health effects from short day-to-day increases in pollution levels as well as health effects from living in areas of high pollution for years, he said. Article content However, wildfire smoke pollution is different from air pollution caused by cars or industry because it's more organic. Exposure to wildfire smoke has been linked to a number of conditions that can prompt a visit to an emergency room or a hospital admission, ranging from anxiety and depression to low-birthweight babies. Article content Article content A 2024 UNICEF report found that fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is up to 10 times more harmful to children's respiratory health compared to particulate matter of the same size from other sources, particularly for children under five. Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with low birthweight, premature birth and increased risk of stillbirth, said the report. Article content 'We would love to expand the study to include younger people and children. Young children, for example, are more susceptible to wildfire smoke because their lungs are still developing,' said Villeneuve. Article content Technically, every person in Ontario and B.C. will be captured in the study. But people over 65 are more likely to have at least one chronic condition, and both provinces collect data on provincial drug benefits, which indicates types of chronic conditions. Article content Article content According to a study published 2024 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, more than 80 per cent of older adults reported having at least one chronic condition, and 33 per cent reported having three or more chronic conditions. Article content Statistics Canada reported that 45.1 per cent of Canadians had at least one chronic condition in 2021, and 8.3 per cent had three or more conditions ranging from arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, mood disorders and anxiety. The category also included anyone who had ever been diagnosed with cancer or heart disease.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-08-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Letters, Aug 7
Opinion Re: Nurses give NDP a fail on working conditions (July 30) and Public patience wearing thin waiting on NDP health fix (Aug. 1) The number of active practicing RNs, RPNs and LPNs in Manitoba continues to grow each year, and yet there is no tangible improvement to working conditions and the effects of the problem on the overall health care system. The June 2005 Five Year Progress Report on the Manitoba Nursing Strategy indicates a total of 14,175 practicing RNs, RPNs and LPNs in 2000. The 2024 annual reports for the three regulatory colleges shows the total number of active practicing nurses in Manitoba to be 19,731. This obviously begs the question when there are more nurses in Manitoba than ever before, why are there are still high numbers of vacancies, overtime rates and poor working conditions for nurses? One factor is likely a high ratio of part-time to full-time nursing positions. The ideal ratio cited by the 2002 Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee Report is 70 per cent full-time to 30 per cent part-time. However, even getting to 60 per cent full-time would be a step toward stabilizing Manitoba's nursing workforce. While other provinces have reached or are close to the 70/30 ratio (Canadian Institute for Health Information reports), by all observations Manitoba is probably in the 50 per cent or lower range. It was 39 per cent in 2000 when Manitoba first collected and publicly reported nursing workforce data, which it continued to do for 10 years as part of the province's Nursing Strategy. The government should work with nursing groups to establish and articulate clear, measurable goals and report their progress, as well as publicly releasing nursing workforce data that includes the full-time/part-time ratios for lasting, permanent nursing positions. And as a final point, increasing nursing full-time ratios can be done while respecting the importance of work-life balance for nurses and those who choose to work part-time. By allowing nurses to job share a 1.0 full-time equivalent position as one option, Ontario was able to reach a ratio of 71 per cent full-time positions for RNs. There is now 25 years of evidence in Manitoba to support the need for the nursing workforce issues to be addressed by means other than adding more nurses to the system. Liz Ambrose Winnipeg I take exception to Francis Newman's claim that even hateful views should be allowed. Hateful views are a slippery slope to more hate. We should not tolerate hateful views; especially when they target vulnerable people. Democracy is better when we stop expressing hateful views. As for Sean Feucht's concert; I'm glad his concert was cancelled as Central Park was not the place for that. Central Park is a public space meant for the residents to enjoy. Sean Feucht is still free to find a private space for his concert. Leanne Hanuschuk Winnipeg Re: Optometrists refuse to treat urgent cases over fee dispute with province, July 23 While bringing public attention to this important situation, this article overlooks the critical role that ophthalmologists play in emergency eye care. An ophthalmologist is a physician and surgeon, trained in medical and surgical eye care. Optometrists are trained to provide primary eye care which includes performing eye exams, refractions for glasses and treating a limited scope of eye diseases. Unlike ophthalmologists, optometrists are not medical doctors and do not perform surgery. Ophthalmologists and optometrists work together to provide comprehensive eye care. There are no optometrists based at Misericordia seeing emergency eye patients, which this article seems to imply. Patients with an eye problem may initially present to their optometrist, family doctor, emergency department or the Misericordia Health Centre (MHC). The MHC has a Clinical Resource Team consisting of a primary care physician and a nurse who see emergency eye patients at Misericordia. This team was developed after the 2017 closure of Misericordia Urgent Care. The WRHA has recently been trying to recruit more physicians for the CRT to deal with the higher volume of patients redirected from optometry offices due to their job action. Patients seen at Misericordia or elsewhere are assessed and treated as appropriate or referred to the ophthalmologist on call for eye emergencies who is often located at a private clinic. Ophthalmologists manage eye emergencies in Manitoba and surrounding areas (population 1.75 million) and take referrals from other doctors and optometrists. There are only 19 ophthalmologists covering general on call eye services in this catchment area, which translates to a ratio of 1.08 ophthalmologists per 100,000 population. Whereas the rest of Canada has three to four ophthalmologists per 100,000 population, we have an ophthalmology staffing shortage that will worsen with imminent retirements. EPSOM (Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba) has been advocating for a better system and the development of a properly structured and staffed urgent eye clinic at Misericordia with ophthalmologists on site. The job action that optometrists have taken since March 2025 has caused increased stress to an already overburdened system by directing more patients to Misericordia and consequently more referrals to ophthalmology. This has caused further delays in booking routine ophthalmology consultations and surgeries, compromising expeditious patient care. We hope that the government can support our work and improve this system at all levels. J. W. Rahman, MD FRCSC President of EPSOM Winnipeg Re: Imagining that the machine is human (Aug. 5) David Nutbean made many good points about computers and AI. However, declaring that 'they don't really think' should be done cautiously. I agree that AI systems are not human. 'Being human' suggests cognitive and many biological characteristics. Today's AI systems share few of those. 'Thinking' is trickier. Yes, computer technology and human brains differ greatly, but does that mean AI doesn't think? Many mysteries remain about human cognition, so precisely defining what thinking means is difficult. If thinking includes both what humans do mentally and how we do it, then its definition seems guaranteed to exclude all non-humans. However, if a 'thinking' definition ignores how it's done, and instead includes various what characteristics like reacting, reasoning, creating, remembering and communicating, then AI systems are in the ballpark. If thinking must include feeling emotion, how can we distinguish between a person angrily disputing a referee's ruling and the ranting of the Grok AI system? How can we objectively know the difference between a person and ChatGPT saying 'I love you'? Until we clearly understand what it means to think, we shouldn't rush to declare that humans can and that computers cannot. If what Donald Trump does is an example of thinking, then what characteristic would disqualify AI systems? Calvin Brown RM of St. Andrews
Business Upturn
31-07-2025
- Health
- Business Upturn
Rocket Doctor's Virtually-Enabled Emergency Department Diversion Program Reduces Strain on Overwhelmed Hospitals
Virtually-enabled Emergency Department (ED) at Georgian Bay General Hospital has successfully connected over 3,000 patients with MDs,with 97.5% managed virtually and only 1% redirected to the ED. The Ontario program has saved an estimated $1.4 million by diverting 3,065 patients from the ER between June 2022 and December 2024. This is based on an average of $475 per visit, using cost data from Scarborough Health Network and Canadian Institute for Health Information . In the last 3 months across Alberta, Rocket Doctor has facilitated 12,000+ patient visits with MDs, with 98% of cases resolved virtually and <1% sent to ED. The Rocket Doctor platform combines smart patient-provider matching, branded hospital intake pages, and flexible staffing models to support hospital partners Vancouver, BC, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AI Inc. (CSE: TRUE, OTC: TREIF, Frankfurt: 939) ('Treatment') and its wholly owned digital health platform and marketplace, Rocket Doctor, are providing a scalable response to Canada's emergency department crisis with a data-backed diversion program. The program uses smart triage, provider infrastructure, and AI-enabled care to safely keep appropriate patients with low-acuity healthcare concerns out of overcrowded hospitals, while getting them the comprehensive out-patient care that they need, faster. Across Canada, hospitals are facing unprecedented strain. Since 2019, emergency departments have experienced more than 1.14 million hours of closure , the equivalent of 47,500 lost days of emergency care. Ontario and Alberta have been hit especially hard, with rural ER closures and care disruptions becoming a regular occurrence. This reality has left communities with few options and patients in critical need of safe, timely alternatives. British Columbia is equally seeing regular ER closures throughout 2025, causing challenges for patients, healthcare systems and especially rural communities: BC is not Alone – Rural ER Crisis across Canada – BC Rural Health Network While in many cases a virtual-only system is not a replacement for in-person emergency care, Rocket Doctor's ED diversion program is helping to support hospitals and patients to fill a void in accessible care. The platform enables hospital systems to allow patients to self-select to reroute themselves to clinically appropriate, out-patient consultations, leveraging customized intake forms, real-time triage, and a flexible physician network, either from independent MDs on Rocket Doctor's platform, or the hospital's own staff. At Georgian Bay General Hospital in Ontario, the results speak for themselves. Between June 2022 and December 2024, more than 3,065 patients have been successfully managed through MDs on Rocket Doctor's platform, with 97% of patients treated virtually and only 1% redirected to the ER. Patients waited an average of just 20 minutes to connect with a physician. The estimated system savings totaled $1.4 million, based on an average $475 cost per diverted ER visit multiplied by the total number of patients seen. All visits were covered under OHIP, with no additional fees to patients. In Alberta, Rocket Doctor has seen similar success across its broader platform, with over 12,000 patients seen in the past 3 months alone, entirely funded by provincial health insurance. More than 98% of these visits were resolved without requiring in-person care, and less than 1% were sent to the ER. 'We see so many patients in our rural, remote and even urban communities going to ED, often when they recognize that they could be seen outside the hospital.' Said Dr. William Cherniak, CEO of Rocket Doctor. 'There has been a lot of good content from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) to recognize that we need to support patients to access healthcare where they see most appropriate. We often see patients choose an ED with low-acuity issues simply because of a lack of access to family doctors, or other accessible out-patient choices.' By leveraging smart triage and other digital tools, Rocket Doctor's ED Diversion Program and broader platform pairs patients with the right physician based on their needs, empowering physicians to order labs, imaging, make specialist referrals, or escalate care to in-person options when clinically necessary (although rare). Patients can also rebook with the same physician to ensure continuity of care, improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary visits. 'We are filling that gap by empowering physicians in a team-based cloud-enabled model of care with technological support to work at the top of their license within their clinical competencies digitally.' said Dr. Cherniak. 'We're building a system that gives patients a smarter entry point and gives physicians the tools to work independently, safely, and efficiently.' As staffing shortages and rural hospital disruptions continue to affect patients across Canada, Rocket Doctor and AI are offering hospitals and provincial systems a deployable, proven solution; one that reduces backlog, lowers system strain, and drives meaningful outcomes at scale. About AI Inc. AI is a company utilizing AI (artificial intelligence) and best clinical practices to positively improve the healthcare sector and impact current inefficiencies and challenges. With the input of hundreds of healthcare professionals globally, AI has built a comprehensive, personalized healthcare AI engine – the Global Library of Medicine (GLM). With more than 10,000 expert medical reviews, the GLM delivers tested clinical information and support to all healthcare professionals as well as providing recommended tests (physical and lab), imaging and billing codes. The GLM helps healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses or pharmacists) reduce their administrative burden; creates more time for needed face-to-face patient appointments; and enables greater consistency in quality of patient support. AI's GLM platform, through supporting healthcare professionals, allows for the inclusion of disenfranchised communities. Learn more at or contact [email protected] . About Rocket Doctor Inc. Rocket Doctor is a technology-driven digital health platform and marketplace that is breaking down obstacles that limit access to quality, comprehensive and cost-effective healthcare. Our proprietary software equips doctors with the tools to run practices in virtual and hybridized in-person/virtual models of care, enabling them to provide tailored care to patients in rural and Northern communities across Canada and on Medicaid in the United States. Leveraging large language models, AI/ML and wireless medical devices, Rocket Doctor is bridging the healthcare divide, connecting patients to equitable and accessible virtual healthcare services regardless of age, location, or financial status. To learn more about Rocket Doctor's platform and services, visit (Canada) or (U.S.), or contact [email protected] . FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT: Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO, AI Email: [email protected] Call: +1 (612) 788-8900 / Toll-Free USA/Canada: +1 (888) 788-8955 Dr. Bill Cherniak, CEO, Rocket Doctor Email: [email protected] Media inquiries: [email protected] Cautionary Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on AI's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to the implementation of its shareholder communications initiative and the timing thereof. Although believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances unless otherwise required to do so by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Toronto Star
31-07-2025
- Health
- Toronto Star
Rocket Doctor's Virtually-Enabled Emergency Department Diversion Program Reduces Strain on Overwhelmed Hospitals
Virtually-enabled Emergency Department (ED) at Georgian Bay General Hospital has successfully connected over 3,000 patients with MDs,with 97.5% managed virtually and only 1% redirected to the ED. The Ontario program has saved an estimated $1.4 million by diverting 3,065 patients from the ER between June 2022 and December 2024. This is based on an average of $475 per visit, using cost data from Scarborough Health Network and Canadian Institute for Health Information. In the last 3 months across Alberta, Rocket Doctor has facilitated 12,000+ patient visits with MDs, with 98% of cases resolved virtually and <1% sent to ED. The Rocket Doctor platform combines smart patient-provider matching, branded hospital intake pages, and flexible staffing models to support hospital partners Vancouver, BC, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AI Inc. (CSE: TRUE, OTC: TREIF, Frankfurt: 939) ('Treatment') and its wholly owned digital health platform and marketplace, Rocket Doctor, are providing a scalable response to Canada's emergency department crisis with a data-backed diversion program. The program uses smart triage, provider infrastructure, and AI-enabled care to safely keep appropriate patients with low-acuity healthcare concerns out of overcrowded hospitals, while getting them the comprehensive out-patient care that they need, faster.
17-07-2025
- Health
E-scooter injuries on the rise across Canada, data shows
Hospitalizations related to injuries from scooters and e-scooters have risen, according to new Canadian data, as emergency physicians warn the two-wheeled vehicles aren't toys. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) said Thursday that nearly 1,000 people were hospitalized (new window) for scooter-related injuries during the 12-month period starting April 1, 2023. That's up from 810 during the same period of 2022-23. Half of the injuries — 498 — were related to motorized e-scooters, an increase of 32 per cent over the 375 hospitalizations recorded in 2022-23. Some unintentional injuries are really predictable and preventable, particularly in relation to e-scooter injuries, said Tanya Khan, CIHI's manager of hospital data advancement and engagement in Montreal. Emergency physicians say the extent of injuries can be severe: brain, facial and dental trauma, fractures needing multiple surgeries, or traumatic brain injuries (new window) that require intensive care. Some injuries happen when the rider is hit by a car, but physicians are also treating people (new window) who have been hit by a rider. Back in 2020, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) saw a single e-scooter injury. By 2024, that number had jumped to 46. Fast speeds on unstable devices Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician at SickKids, said the hospital saw 16 scooter-related injuries this May alone, compared with three or fewer during the same month in previous years. Rosenfield said injuries can range from bumps and fractures to life-changing head injuries and internal bleeding that need a whole trauma team or intensive care. This can be anything from just one or two surgeries to full recovery, to lifelong injuries needing rehabilitation hospitals and complete kind of neurologic devastation, Rosenfield said. Given what he has seen, Rosenfield implores parents not to buy e-scooters for children. They are not toys. WATCH | E-scooter rider versus Canada goose: People need physical maturity to operate e-scooters, Rosenfield said. From an emotional and cognitive perspective — where you just have the ability to understand where your body is in space, how you can make turns, what's far ahead and what's not — [it is] similar to driving a car. E-scooters can go from zero to 40 km/h in seconds, and many parents aren't aware of that, he said. At SickKids, almost 90 per cent of e-scooter injuries are among teenage boys. Most of them weren't wearing helmets. The hospital's injury rates also showed an increase among children aged four to six riding with a parent or older sibling. Enlarge image (new window) Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information Photo: CBC If you have speed plus head injury, a helmet will help mitigate those injuries every time, he said. Pamela Fuselli, president and CEO of Parachute, an injury prevention charity, said micro-mobility devices like e-scooters have small wheels and are unstable when being ridden. Inexperience comes into play, Fuselli said. Take some time to learn how to use these devices. She says all users should wear helmets, obey the rules of the road, including speed and alcohol limits, and respect other road users. Noting that provincial and municipal laws and regulations on using e-scooters vary across Canada, Fuselli said stepping up enforcement is important to prevent injuries. Amina Zafar (new window) · CBC News · Journalist Amina Zafar covers medical sciences and health care for CBC. She contributes to CBC Health's Second Opinion, which won silver for best editorial newsletter at the 2024 Digital Publishing Awards. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental science and a master's in journalism. With files from CBC's Jennifer La Grassa
