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Manitoba touts health hires, but refuses to reveal departures, vacancies

The provincial government has announced that 900 health workers have been hired since November 2022, as part of Health Minister Audrey Gordon’s promise to hire 2,000 additional staff.

However, the government refuses to say how many workers have left since that time, and how many vacancies remain.

In a statement attributed to Gordon Thursday, the province said it had recently hired 82 allied-health providers, 32 physician and clinical assistants, 438 health-care aides, 259 nurses and 73 physicians.

It could not provide vacancy data to show how many positions in each of those fields remain unfilled.

The naked truth

‘I burn easily.”

That’s what I used to say while I sat in the pool with my shirt on, 260 pounds soaking wet.

Growing up, I always had an anxiety around summer. It’s supposed to be the best time of the year, but it meant I no longer had a reason to wear a sweater vest to hide behind.

And if somehow I ended up in a “shirtless” scenario, I’d pull out the “I burn easily” comment above to cover (literally) my butt and chest.

Move your body, benefit your brain

It’s hard to have a healthy brain in an unhealthy body. The brain and body are connected through neural pathways made up of neurotransmitters, hormones and chemicals.

Province tabs $3M for seniors home modification grants, supportive housing

The provincial government is investing $1.5 million in grants for home modifications for seniors, but offering few details on what the program would entail.

U of M chair in advance stroke research unveiled

A neurologist and research scientist has been appointed to advance stroke research in Manitoba over the next five years, thanks in part to a generous charitable donation.

Province expands post-surgery outpatient hip, knee physiotherapy access

Eligible Manitobans recovering from total hip- or knee-replacement surgery will now be able to access physiotherapy and rehabilitation services from any physiotherapy clinic in the province, the government announced Wednesday.

Don’t fall for the fads

Be careful this time of the year. It’s almost worse than January with the amount of BS making its way around the internet and workplaces. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

To slim down sustainably and boost health and fitness, you can’t rely solely on any weight-loss drug, no matter how highly-hyped

The Oscar goes to… Ozempic!

PCs tone down opposition to safe consumption sites

THE Manitoba government has signalled it is open to the possibility of supporting supervised drug-consumption sites — after years of rejecting them — but only if they are heavily regulated.

Manitoba’s lack of drug-overdose data called coverup

Critics are calling on the Stefanson government to release data on drug overdose deaths in a timely manner, saying its refusal to do so is an “embarrassment.”

Visceral concerns

We recently returned home from spending a week down in the Dominican Republic.

Spouse of dying woman angry he had to go to media to get home care

A woman who is dying of pancreatic cancer will begin getting publicly funded home care next week, but her partner, who had to complain to the media to get attention, said the help will come too late.

Pilot program offers bonuses to family doctors to expand hours of practice

Family doctors and pediatricians who keep their clinics open beyond the typical 9-to-5 can cash in on a new bonus from the Manitoba government, as it looks to bolster physician availability amid a province-wide shortage.

Manitoba task force to target doctors’ paperwork burden

A new provincial task force on cutting unnecessary paperwork for physicians is expected to make a public report on its progress later this year.

Real change in fitness requires hard work, resolve

As it’s January, fitness is at the top of many resolution lists.

Prolong fresh, ‘new year’ spirit

I love what a new year represents — a clean slate and renewed motivation. But it’s also worth looking ahead to a fresh 12 months differently than in years past.

Boy who got new heart inspires tribe to boost organ donation

Greyson Parisien’s time on earth was short. But the boy with dark-rimmed eyeglasses who was enchanted by the music in “Frozen,” the sound of ripping paper and his dad playing the guitar is having an outsized impact on his tribal community in the far reaches of North Dakota.

His journey to correct a heart defect led the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians to add an organ donation box to tribal IDs, which it unveiled during a November ceremony.

The rate of organ donations among Native Americans is much lower than other ethnic groups. For some tribes, cultural beliefs are a factor. In rural communities, time, distance and spotty internet access can hinder the process.

“You don’t think about donation and how many people are not donors,” said Greyson’s grandmother, Joan Azure. “I was thinking, ‘there has to be more donors.’ When you’re going through this personally, you don’t want someone to die but you also want your child to live.”

‘Perfect storm’ of inflation, high prices driving more into homelessness: advocates

CALGARY - Social agencies and advocates say rising interest rates and high inflation are pushing more Canadians into homelessness.

Chaz Smith, who was once homeless himself, said some of the clients of his BeTheChangeYYC street outreach group have been on waiting lists for affordable housing for more than five months.

He said with interest rates and inflation on the rise, it could make the rental market more difficult to enter.

"My fear is we're going to see people default into the rental market that's already crowded and we're going to see an increase in homelessness throughout all of Canada," said Smith, who founded BeTheChangeYYC.

2 COVID-19 deaths reported in Beijing as virus surges

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese health authorities on Monday announced two additional COVID-19 deaths, both in the capital Beijing, that were the first reported in weeks and come during an expected surge of illnesses after the nation eased its strict “zero-COVID” approach.

China had not reported a death from COVID-19 since Dec. 4, even though unofficial reports of a new wave of cases are widespread.

With the latest reported deaths, the National Health Commission raised China’s total to 5,237 deaths from COVID-19 in the past three years, out of 380,453 cases of illness — numbers that are much lower than in other major countries but also based on statistics and information-gathering methods that have come into question.

Chinese health authorities count only those who died directly from COVID-19, excluding people whose underlying conditions such as diabetes and heart disease were worsened by the virus.

New N.B. law allows supported decision-making for intellectually disabled residents

FREDERICTON - Dianne Cormier Northrup has helped her son and daughter, who both have intellectual and physical disabilities, communicate their key life decisions for years. Soon, her support role in that process will have a legal foundation.

New Brunswick's lieutenant-governor gave assent Friday to the province's Supported Decision-Making and Representation Act, which will allow people with intellectual disabilities to appoint those who will assist in important choices they make.

In a news release, Inclusion New Brunswick said the province "has become one of the few jurisdictions in the world" to implement a court-recognized, supported decision-making process.

The new system will allow for a person with intellectual disabilities — who may have difficulty understanding and conveying information — to make decisions using the assistance of others who are appointed by the person or the courts. The Attorney General's office still has to provide details on how the new Bill will be administered.