Latest news with #HamiltonHealthSciences
CBC
21-07-2025
- CBC
13-year-old Hamilton girl drowns at Wildwood Conservation Area
A 13-year-old Hamilton girl is dead after becoming lost in the water at the beach at Wildwood Conservation Area, just east of St. Marys on Sunday evening. Stratford police were called shortly before 7 p.m. and arrived to search the Wildwood reservoir alongside the St. Marys fire department. The girl was found under the water within the designated swimming area of the reservoir about an hour later. "Lifesaving efforts were made, however, the female was unable to be saved, and she passed away as a result of drowning," Stratford police said in a statement. The girl was visiting the conservation area with her family from Hamilton, officials said. Her name has not been released. The drowning is the latest in a number that have happened this summer in southwestern Ontario. At the beginning of July, an 18-year-old drowned at Ipperwash Beach while trying to save his 12-year-old brother. On June 22, a 35-year-old Woodstock man drowned while swimming at Port Burwell, and a day later a child was rescued from Lake Huron near Goderich after drifting far from shore on an inflatable device. Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for Canadian children and often happens quickly and silently, the the Hamilton Health Sciences hospital said in a statement.
Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
‘More upset about the prospect of losing my hair than I was of dying': Treatment to avoid hair loss during chemotherapy not offered in Hamilton
Adina Isenberg did not want to look like a cancer patient. She was 40 years old and a mom to two young sons when the Toronto woman underwent chemotherapy in 2017 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. 'The ability to hide the fact that I was going through breast cancer treatment at a young age and have the control as to who I revealed it to meant everything to me,' Isenberg said. 'I didn't look sick, and it made all the difference.' Key to Isenberg's healthy appearance was keeping her long, straight brown hair during chemotherapy treatments. 'I genuinely was more upset about the prospect of losing my hair than I was of dying,' she said. 'I think it's too difficult, especially as a younger person, to think about death, but hair falling out is like a physical manifestation. It's proof that something is wrong, so it makes it real.' Isenberg was able to avoid the common side effect of chemotherapy-induced hair loss because scalp cooling treatment was available at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital, where she was a patient. The technology by Paxman limits the damage to hair follicles caused by chemotherapy drugs, minimizing hair loss and increasing regrowth. 'It helped me to keep my dignity,' Isenberg said. 'I felt physically better because I looked better.' But Isenberg wouldn't have received the same treatment that saved her hair if she'd been a patient in Hamilton instead of Toronto. Juravinski Cancer Centre doesn't offer the Paxman Scalp Cooling System, which is one reason why Isenberg is telling her story. Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) declined an interview request about why the treatment is available in Ottawa, Markham, Windsor and at multiple sites in Toronto but not here despite Juravinski being a regional centre that serves a population of 2.3 million in central-west Ontario. 'Our team is aware of this treatment and will be exploring it,' the hospital network said in a statement. 'Our aim is to provide every patient with the most appropriate and effective care possible.' Adina Isenberg said scalp cooling treatment helped her keep her hair during breast cancer treatment. The scalp cooling treatment available in Hamilton is a do-it-yourself system that requires the patient to bring a cooler of frozen gel caps, source dry ice and continually change the caps every 20 minutes themselves, continuing in transit after leaving the appointment and at home. In contrast, the Paxman system is a refrigeration unit at the hospital that contains coolant circulated through specially designed caps. All the equipment is included, the treatment is overseen by a trained professional and it's done on site. Isenberg compares it to getting your hair coloured at a salon versus doing it yourself at home. 'My hope is that we can bring Paxman into everywhere in Ontario,' Isenberg said. 'To me, it's a much smoother experience for the patient and just reduces the stress overall.' Hair loss is so distressing that a study published in 2018 in the medical journal The Oncologist listed it as the most traumatic aspect of chemotherapy for the majority of breast cancer patients. In fact, up to eight per cent were reported in the research to reject chemotherapy because of 'extreme anxiety' over hair loss. As a result, Toronto medical oncologist Dr. Ellen Warner says the availability of scalp cooling 'probably saves the lives of some of these patients.' A presentation on bringing Paxman to Hamilton was made earlier this year by Dr. Andrea Eisen, a Hamilton breast cancer medical oncologist. 'I think there's interest,' Eisen said, speaking as a doctor and not on behalf of HHS. 'There was no debate about the value of it. It's just the cancer program doesn't feel they have the bandwidth to operationalize it right now.' Part of the holdup is logistics like where to store the machines and how to get the technicians to oversee the treatment, although Paxman has offered support. It also doesn't work for all types of chemotherapy treatment and patients. The biggest hurdle is that the treatment is not covered by OHIP and can cost thousands of dollars depending on how long the patient needs chemotherapy. The first five treatments cost about $450 each, the next two are around $400 each and every one after that is $100, going up to $125 in September. It means patients pay out of pocket or hospital foundations cover or subsidize it through donations. Regardless of the cost, Eisen says patients — particularly young women with breast cancer — are looking to access the treatment. 'I do think it will come (to Hamilton) … It's just not imminent,' Eisen said. 'I wish it was sooner. I think it could be implemented without that much difficulty.' Finding the will is a challenge, said Warner, who is based at Sunnybrook Hospital. Even in Toronto, where scalp cooling has been offered for years, Warner says she gets a 'ton of pushback' from colleagues. 'The system is so stressed,' Warner said. 'Nobody wants to hear about something extra.' But the treatment means so much to the patients who want it that Warner is willing to stand up for it. 'Patients should have the ability to take advantage of it,' Warner said. 'Most patients don't know about it.' The treatment works by lowering the temperature of the scalp before, during and after chemotherapy to decrease the blood flow to hair follicles, reducing the amount of medication that reaches them. 'I'm trying desperately to do something with Juravinski and hospitals in that area, but it has been a closed door,' said Harry Goodman, Paxman's general manager for Canada. 'I would say, on average, I'm probably getting phone calls from three to four patients a week that are living in the general area.' Harry Goodman has worked to bring scalp cooling treatments to Canadian hospitals after promising his wife Esther Goodman before she died of cancer in 2015 that he would try to make a difference for future patients. Goodman took on a second career after retirement trying to get scalp cooling treatment into Canadian hospitals to honour a promise he made to his wife Esther Goodman, who died of ovarian and breast cancer at 63 in 2015. One of the most devastating moments of her years with cancer was when her young grandchild didn't recognize her after she'd lost her hair from chemotherapy treatment. Feeling she had lost part of her identity, she asked her husband to try to make a difference for future cancer patients. 'I was going to do something that would help other men, women, teenagers that have to go through cancer so that they never have to worry about their hair not regrowing,' Goodman said. 'I get very emotional about this; it means a lot to me.' Patients like Isenberg want to see scalp cooling treatment become a standard part of cancer care. 'For people who haven't gone through this, it's difficult to find the words to explain how deeply this matters,' Isenberg said. 'Shave your head and then let's have this conversation.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
08-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
New hospital in Grimsby, Ont., to open in October, Hamilton Health Sciences says
A new hospital in Grimsby, Ont., will open in October, Hamilton Health Sciences says. Construction of the new facility, which ground broke in 2022, is about two months away from "substantial completion," the hospital network said in a Wednesday news release. It's set to open "on or around" Oct. 27. Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) will "get the keys" to the new facility and can begin final preparations to open in late July, it said. Those will include moving equipment and supplies into the building and training workers. The hospital will open in phases with guidance from the province's Ministry of Health. EllisDon is the contractor working on the $224-million facility, which will be about 80 per cent larger than the existing one it's replacing, HHS said. That hospital was built in 1946. According to the HHS website, the new facility has been constructed behind the old one, which will be decommissioned once the new one is up and running. The old hospital could "no longer meet the demands of our growing region," HHS said on its website. Many Niagara residents have expressed a desire for better, local access to health care. During the provincial election, the Progressive Conservative party told CBC Hamilton the government had invested $85 billion in health care "this year alone," including in over 50 hospital redevelopment projects, such as the one in Grimsby and a new Niagara Falls hospital. Those projects add "nearly 600 new beds across the region," they said.
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
IGC Pharma Announces CALMA Phase 2 Trial Expansion with the Addition of Canadian Hamilton Health Sciences
POTOMAC, MD / / March 20, 2025 / IGC Pharma, Inc. ('IGC', or the 'Company') (NYSE American:IGC) today announced the expansion of its ongoing Phase 2 CALMA trial for IGC-AD1 with the addition of a new clinical site at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) in Ontario, Canada. This expansion marks a key milestone in IGC Pharma's strategy to advance IGC-AD1 toward commercialization, accelerating patient enrollment and expanding the Company's clinical footprint. Hamilton Health Sciences is one of Canada's leading academic and research hospitals. The CALMA trial at HHS will be led by Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou, a distinguished geriatrician and Executive Director of HHS' Geras Centre for Aging Research, whose expertise in aging, frailty, and dementia will play a critical role in the trial's success. 'We are excited to welcome Hamilton Health Sciences as a site in the CALMA trial,' said Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC Pharma. 'Their world-class expertise in geriatric care and dementia research aligns with our mission to develop safe and effective therapies for Alzheimer's patients. Expanding the trial to this prestigious institution not only strengthens our study but also enhances patient access, accelerating our efforts to bring IGC-AD1 to market and deliver value for shareholders.' 'Agitation is a significant challenge for Alzheimer's patients, their families, and caregivers,' said Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou. 'By participating in the CALMA trial, we aim to contribute to the development of urgently needed therapies to improve the quality of life for individuals living with this disease. We look forward to advancing research that has the potential to make a meaningful impact.' About IGC-AD1 and the CALMA Trial IGC-AD1 is IGC Pharma's investigational cannabinoid-based therapy currently in a Phase 2 multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study (CALMA) evaluating its safety and efficacy for treating agitation in Alzheimer's dementia. Agitation affects up to 76% of Alzheimer's patients, often leading to increased hospitalization and caregiver burden. IGC-AD1 acts as a partial CB1 receptor agonist with anti-neuroinflammatory properties, targeting key pathways involved in neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter imbalances. With multiple trial sites now active across the U.S. and Canada, IGC Pharma remains focused on accelerating patient enrollment and generating data that could support regulatory approval and commercialization of IGC-AD1. For more information on the CALMA trial, visit: About IGC Pharma (dba IGC): IGC Pharma is an AI-powered, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative treatments for Alzheimer's disease and transforming patient care with fast-acting, safe, and effective solutions. Our portfolio includes the TGR family, including TGR-63, which targets amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's. The IGC-C and IGC-M platforms are advancing in preclinical studies, focusing on metabolic disorders, tau proteins, early plaque formation, and multiple disease hallmarks. Our lead therapeutic candidate, IGC-AD1, is a cannabinoid-based treatment currently in a Phase 2 trial for agitation in dementia ('CALMA') associated with Alzheimer's ( IGC Pharma Phase II). Interim data for IGC-AD1 demonstrated that it has the potential to transform patient care by offering faster-acting and more effective relief compared to traditional medications. Additionally, our AI models are designed to predict potential biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer's, optimize clinical trials, and predict receptor affinity, among others. With 32 patent filings and a commitment to innovation, IGC Pharma is dedicated to advancing pharmaceutical treatments and improving the lives of those affected by Alzheimer's and related conditions. The Company operates a wellness brand offering scientifically formulated products under the brand Holiby™ and as white-labeled formulations. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based largely on IGC Pharma's expectations and are subject to several risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond IGC Pharma's control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, the Company's failure or inability to commercialize one or more of the Company's products or technologies, including the products or formulations described in this release, or failure to obtain regulatory approval for the products or formulations, where required, or government regulations affecting AI or the AI algorithms not working as intended or producing accurate predictions; general economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; the FDA's general position regarding cannabis- and hemp-based products; and other factors, many of which are discussed in IGC Pharma's U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') filings. IGC incorporates by reference its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on June 24, 2024, and on Form 10-Qs filed with the SEC on August 7, 2024, November 12, 2024, and February 14, 2025, as if fully incorporated and restated herein. Considering these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information contained in this release will occur. (203) 972-9200 SOURCE: IGC Pharma, Inc.
