The Ontario Government is considering reopening the Finch site of the Humber River Hospital to try to address the large shortage of beds, overcrowding, and hallway medicine in the area and in the province. The Finch site would be used to hold 150 seniors waiting for long-term care. Two years ago, the Wynne Liberals closed the Hospital which has contributed to the severe shortage. Over the last few years, community members have pushed to create expansions to the Finch site of the Humber River Hospital; efforts have included getting thousands of signatures for petitions which have been presented at Queen’s Park. The location was promised to be kept open for ambulatory care, but instead became an acute care facility and was subsequently closed. Now the Wynne Liberals are scrambling to solve the problem that they have created and ignored for many years. Tom Rakocevic, Ontario NDP Candidate for Humber River-Black Creek said: “Our community played a big role in the creation of the Humber River Hospital on Finch, and we were disappointed to see it closed despite assurances of the contrary. The government talk on the potential re-opening of this site in some form highlights the government's mistake to close it down in the first place. Our community deserves answers on the future of this important hospital site.”Throughout Ontario, there have been thousands of cuts and layoffs to hospitals while we have been facing a shortage of beds. There is a 30,000 person wait-list for seniors’ care, and hospitals all over the province are at over 100 per cent capacity. This disconnection has reduced the quality of the health system in Ontario and has put the lives of many people in jeopardy.
Isolated, Deceived and Blamed: Toronto’s Immigrants
By:Jennifer Ouch, Emma van Wijngaarden, Lisa Im, Katie Koob, Carson DeRuiter, Charvine Mercado, Yar Matin, Mykhaylo Kosykh, & Katie MacPhersonAccording to Statistics Canada, the country welcomed over 300,000 immigrants in 2016. Over the course of many months, we have been working with immigrant populations within some of Toronto’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods.Whether it be at a Community Centre, a nursing home, or a school, it is clear that one of Toronto’s greatest strengths is its multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. Despite this strength, our interactions with immigrant people have opened our eyes to the challenges of moving to a new country.Numerous immigrants reported that moving to Canada is an extremely isolating and confusing experience. Take a moment and ask yourself; What is your quality of life when you can’t speak English and don’t know where to get food or health care? A Torontonian shared “I felt “so alone and I got lost a lot. It was hard to find friends because I couldn’t speak English and there was so much stigma about my situation”.Immigrant families and children also reported a disconnect between accessing government resources or lack thereof. One community member said “I know there are resources out there. I just have no idea where to find them and I have a hard time reading the forms because English isn’t my first language”.Finding employment is another barrier that immigrants face when moving to Canada. A long-term care resident disclosed that the Canadian Embassy told her she could find work in Canada, but when she arrived, her credentials were not validated; “I felt misguided and deceived. I thought I could find a job but instead had to go back to school.”Culture shock and adjusting to Canadian climate is another common struggle for immigrants in Toronto; “It’s a challenge coming to a new country looking for a better life when the culture and weather is so different from what you’ve always been used to” said a community member.Immigration is crucial to Canada’s economy, helping support the sustainability of this great nation. However, it is evident to us that immigrants face a multitude of struggles when moving to Canada but no one takes the time to listen to their stories or lend a helping hand. The negative attitudes of the greater population towards immigrant people needs to stop. This involves the general public debunking false cultural perceptions and not tolerating degrading comments directed towards immigrants.Immigrants are experiencing unfair stigmatization, victim blaming for their hardships, and everyday stereotyping. We are advocating for social reform to correct these misconceptions and the preservation of dignity for the immigrant population. Services need to be changed and policies reformed. Canada as a whole needs to embrace immigrants, seek to understand their lived experiences, and provide the necessary supports they need. Please spread #StopTheBlame to raise awareness.Immigrants seeking further assistance can access: http://www.costi.org/index.php
Fixing Inflammation
Happy Fathers’ Day, Dr Jeffrey Bland, PhD! Jeffrey Bland, now in his 70’s, is not yet retired—working on it. Not really my father, not old enough for that, but I and many colleagues (medical doctors and naturopathic doctors and others) honor him as the Father of Functional Medicine. We all should.Have you noticed the last few years, frequent ads in the TTC and the papers for preventing type II Diabetes by diet? It works. If anyone you know uses that program, they are benefitting from his work, his first crusade, many decades ago. It takes a long time for big establishments to get on board. People used to think diabetes was all hereditary. Early in his career as a chemist and nutritional researcher, the Chinese government invited Jeffery Bland to speak. They praised his research but said they could not apply it because China didn’t have a diabetes problem. Well, that changed. The Chinese diet became more similar to the North American diet, and so did their diabetes numbers. They invited him back. As his reputation and authority became established, he was invited as an expert witness by the US Senate during a brief time when they studied alternative medicine.Further developments now include new ways to prevent or manage chronic diseases—circulatory problems (blood pressure), many auto-immune conditions (like arthritis), digestive issues (Crohn’s, colitis, and others). You can’t exchange your genes by diet; however, in some cases, diet can turn one gene’s activity on and off or supply a nutritional bypass. (Technically, that’s epigenetics.)Change is slow. The companies Dr. Bland has worked with have never had budgets like big corporations that push blood pressure pills—budgets for advertizing, lobbying, legal proceedings and sponsored clinical trials. If ads in alternative medicine are a bit over-enthusiastic, they get jumped on fast. Also, sad to say, many health practitioners think their education is finished when they earn their degree. How many of us fully understand that real science means real controversy?Functional medicine assumes that symptoms are signals, often signals of silent inflammation. They should call attention to functional systems that need support: the digestive system, the immune systems, the nervous system, the hormones, and so on. Soothing the symptom may be like turning off the fire alarm before you put out the flame. Or in FM terms, before you reduce causes of in-FLAM-ma-tion, a core objective of FM therapy.
M & D Medical Clinic and Pharmacy
872 Sheppard Ave. West; Phone: Clinic 416-633-1600 and Pharmacy 416-633-6800On a stretch of Sheppard Ave. West, almost in the epicentre between Wilmington Ave. and Wilson Heights, on the north side, you will find one of the best kept secrets of Downsview. It is an absolute blessing to the neighbourhood. To what am I referring? It’s the M & D Medical Clinic and Pharmacy.The medical clinic is always filled with patients and is open six days a week (closed on Sundays). Dr. Gobrial, who is the physician at the clinic, has a great bedside manner. He has a very attentive ear, is very meticulous at what he does, and really does listen to the concerns and the symptoms of the maladies which afflict his patients.He takes his time, methodically deducing what treatment can help his patients. I speak from experience as I have used the clinic on a number of occasions. I was immensely impressed with the way he actually “listened” and did not try to rush through my appointment.One of the great things about the clinic is that it is attached to a pharmacy. So as soon as you are diagnosed – and if you need medication – the pharmacy attached to the clinic will dispense it for you expeditiously.The pharmacist, Mr. Hany William, also, like Dr. Gobrial, has a very attentive ear. He is very patient and takes his time when he explains how medications work, their side effects, and how they should be administered.When Mr. William was asked why he became a pharmacist, he had a very lucid answer: “My main objective for becoming a pharmacist was to help people. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.” Very well put.While awaiting your prescriptions it might behoove you to also peruse the pharmacy’s product lines. It offers a myriad of good products to purchase, from shampoo and conditioner to facial tissue, deodorant, shaving creams, lips balms and toothbrushes, cough syrups to vitamins or female hygiene products, beverages or chocolate bars and more. Also for those special occasions there are many great greeting cards for just a dollar, what a bargain!If you are visiting the clinic, there is ample parking in the back of the building. You can park in the spots which are labeled “commercial.”Next time you’re in need of a medical clinic or pharmacy, there’s one right in the neighbourhood. You don’t have to go very far, visit M & D Clinic and Pharmacy!The clinic and pharmacy operates during the following days and times: on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., on Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Fridays 9:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and at 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays, closed on Sundays.
RALLY TO SAVE BRANSON URGENT CARE CENTRE TO TAKE PLACE TODAY
Tuesday, May 8, 2017FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO –May 4, 2017 The Branson Community Action Group and the residents of the Bathurst/Finch community are planning a rally outside the Branson Division of North York General Hospital to protest the imminent closure of the Urgent Care Centre. The rally is to take place: Date: Wednesday May 10thTime: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.Where: on the sidewalk in front of the Urgent Care CentreOn the north and south sides of Finch Avenue555 Finch Avenue West, Toronto, ON The Branson Community Action Group (BCAG), a local citizen’s group, believes that the Branson Urgent Care Centre is an extremely important part of this neighbourhood which provides necessary medical services within reasonable walking distances to a community with a high concentration of seniors, disabled, new Canadian residents and families of limited income.The members of the Branson Community Action Group feel that closure of the Urgent Care Centre would cause a great hardship in the community that might lead to avoidable deaths due to a lack of easy access to urgent and emergency medical care. Collectively the Branson Community Action Group strongly advocates that the Urgent Care Centre should remain open to serve the community to ensure that the community has access to health care. The Branson Community Action Group feels it is important to postpone the closure of the Urgent Care Centre to at least November of 2017 to allow a reasonable amount of time for public consultation on the matter. It is the hope of the members of the Branson Community Action Group and the affected community that, with proper public consultation, an alternative solution to providing the medical needs of this area can be found.Contact:Kenneth Schafer, Co-chairperson, Branson Community Action GroupEmail: drkschafer@rogers.com Tel: 416 618 4114
Media Release: Councillor Pasternak Strongly Opposes the Decision to Close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre
March 2, 2017Media Release: Councillor Pasternak Strongly Opposes the Decision to Close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre Toronto City Councillor James Pasternak, Ward 10, York Centre, strongly objects to the decision to close the Urgent Care Centre at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre, 555 Finch Avenue West, in June 2017."It is extremely disappointing that the decision was made to close the Urgent Care Centre in June. This facility is an incredibly valuable resource for the local community that enables residents to receive care for urgent illnesses and injuries that are not life threatening. I am calling on the Premier and Minister of Health and Long Term Care to reconsider this decision," said Councillor Pasternak.The Branson Ambulatory Care Centre is one of North York General Hospital's three sites. In addition to the Urgent Care Centre, Branson also provides vital services for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, mental health, medical imaging, cataract surgery and diabetes education programs. In 2015-16, the outpatient volume at the Branson Site was 68,693 with 21,858 visits to the Urgent Care Centre.North York General has determined that it will not be renewing its lease at the Branson Ambulatory Care Centre in 2019 as the Advent Corporation has extensive redevelopment plans for the site that will include a seniors’ living and care community."I would be of great benefit to the community for the Urgent Care Centre to remain open until the end of the facility's lease in 2019. We will work with any medical facility to activate this site and ensure its long-term sustainability," said Councillor Pasternak.- End -Councillor James Pasternak416-392-1371 | councillor_pasternak@toronto.cawww.jamespasternak.ca
Access to Healthcare Services Is Everyone’s Problem
“Cancer patients have been complaining about the lack of parking all day”, the compassionate and understanding admin said to me as I arrived 30 minutes late for my appointment in the Cancer Clinic at the Humber River Regional Hospital. I had arrived at the campus in time for my appointment but then found myself driving around from parking lot to parking lot, along with dozens of other cars carrying sick people to the hospital, only to discover that every single lot was completely full. There was literally no patient parking anywhere on the multi-billion-dollar complex. Again. The same thing had happened on the day of my previous appointment. I had paid $120 for a parking pass that was completely useless. What was I going to do?As I exited the rear of the complex, I drove past three giant, passive-aggressive signs at the entrances of the three, large, half-full City of Toronto building parking lots that said, “PRIVATE PROPERTY!” and “NO HOSPITAL PARKING!” in bold red letters. Clearly the city was aware of the problem. Clearly the city felt it wasn’t its problem. Driving back around to the front of the complex, I noticed a tow truck on stand-by, waiting like a vulture for a patient to become sick enough or desperate enough to leave an unattended vehicle.I drove North of the hospital until the city’s unnecessary “no parking signs” in the adjacent residential area ceased to bloom. I passed dozens of cars, many of which had parking tickets for daring to park on a city street near a hospital for too long. The city was not only aware of the problem; it was also actively profiting from it through parking fines. When I eventually found a legal place to park my vehicle, the walk back to the hospital took 20 minutes. I’m able-bodied and in good health. Most hospital patients cannot walk for 20 minutes to go to and from their chemotherapy sessions. It’s unthinkable.The CEO of the Humber River Regional Hospital, Barb Collins, is very proud of the many awards it has received. It’s unfortunate that none of these awards are related to the very real, lived, patient experiences that have repeatedly been brought to her attention, like this one. Imagine the negative impact on the health of a cancer patient who has to deal with the frustration and expense of recovering a towed vehicle at the same time as chemotherapy, all because of “not my problem” finger pointing and poor planning for patient parking! Perhaps if a “fewest patients’ cars towed” award were created the Hospital would actually address the problem and add it to its list of “achievements”, since awards, not patient care, seem to be the executive priority.