A Photo Exhibit to Share the Results of the Rural Mental Health Photo Voice Study

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Photographer: Nola

Photographer: Nola

How does it feel to be an older adult with a mental health concern in a rural community?

“You have to watch what you say, you never know how it will affect someone. When people cross the street to avoid me, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Mental health is a major health issue in Canada. With our aging population, mental health concerns are increasing in this age group. The number of adults 50 and over continue to increase, especially in rural areas, and there is little information about their experiences with mental health concerns. Our research sought to understand the experience of adults 50 and over with mental health concerns in rural areas. Princeton was chosen for our research due to its location and demographics; in Princeton, 55% of people are 50 or older, and 82% of the population qualify as low income. We looked at this age because of significant, common transitions that affect mental health (e.g., new physical health conditions, retirement). Eight participants were a part of this research study and all had a mental health concern. Continue reading

The secret moves to increase private health care

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By BOB HEPBURNStar Columnist

Wed., Jan. 9, 2019

Premier Doug Ford loves to boast about how his Conservative government is moving swiftly to end “hallway medicine” and adequately fund health care in Ontario.

Indeed, Ford said earlier this week in a letter to Ontario’s 68,000 public servants that he has been “moving forward at a lightning pace” to deal with hospital overcrowding.

Premier Doug Ford, right, told Ontario bureaucrats this month that Health Minister Christine Elliott, left, is working hard to protect the public health-care system. Evidence suggests otherwise, writes Bob Hepburn.  (RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR)

Premier Doug Ford, right, told Ontario bureaucrats this month that Health Minister Christine Elliott, left, is working hard to protect the public health-care system. Evidence suggests otherwise, writes Bob Hepburn.  (RICK MADONIK / TORONTO STAR)

He also told the bureaucrats that Health Minister Christine Elliott is working hard to protect the public health-care system, adding his government “will continue to ensure necessary funding for world-class health care in Ontario.”

Secretly, though, a major multi-faceted campaign is underway inside and outside the premier’s office to develop a two-tier system of health care in Ontario, complete with specialized private clinics and the ability of some doctors to charge more than standard rates for medical procedures they perform outside of a public hospital or health centre.

The campaign is filled with closed-door meetings at such places as the Albany Club, a long-time Conservative bastion in downtown Toronto, and is funded by some of Canada’s largest corporations.

If successful, this privatization push could ultimately have a profound impact on every patient and resident in Ontario, including how long they must wait for specialized operations and diagnostic services and how much they must pay out of their own pockets.

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Why isn’t there a single medical licence for all doctors in Canada?

Canada has the key to lowering drug prices. Here’s why it won’t be used any time soon

By Kelly Crowe
November 24, 2018

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There’s a battle being fought in the backrooms of Ottawa and the outcome could determine how much Canadians will pay for new drugs.

The federal government has developed a series of regulations that would lower Canada’s patented drug prices, which are among the highest in the world. Canada is second only to the U.S. in per capita drug costs.

But the new rules were like a gauntlet thrown down in the path of the pharmaceutical industry which has been lobbying federal government officials ever since.

“Drug companies understand very well what’s at stake and they’re massively mobilizing to make sure nothing happens,” said Marc-André Gagnon, a pharmaceutical policy researcher at Carleton University.

The dispute is over a policy document called “Protecting Canadians from Excessive Drug Prices” — a series of amendments to the Patent Medicine Regulations that former Health Minister Jane Philpott announced on May 16, 2017.

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