Health Archives — Lindsay Advocate

Family health teams a positive change, say majority, although health care cuts a worry

Published on October 18, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

Vast majority say family health teams a positive change to health care

The results are in from the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team’s most recent survey of patients across the local area. The data revealed some interesting findings on how local residents feel about their local care, the family health team approach, the health care system in general and the main challenges to be addressed.

While the vast majority of respondents indicated they found their health care provider to be caring, friendly and easy-to-talk-to and reported overwhelmingly that their providers are caring, good listeners and thorough, the broader answers were also encouraging.

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Powerless guards mired in poor working conditions at Lindsay’s Super Jail

Published on October 17, 2019 in Community/Health by Trevor Hutchinson

For the past couple months the Lindsay Advocate has been speaking to employees and former employees of Lindsay’s Central East Correctional Centre. Citing concern for their jobs (and privacy issues) all interviewees requested anonymity. We also spoke on the record to representatives of the union and to Ontario’s Solicitor General.

“We call them broken toys.”

“They are broken. Mentally broken. Some are suicidal, from a career in corrections,” says one retired correctional officer (CO), describing some of his former co-workers.

As an outsider with no experience with the prison system, I had of course expected stories from COs involving mental health. But I thought I would hear stories of trauma that come with having a job that involves providing custody and control for criminals (or those suspected of criminality): the ‘crazy stories’ of fights, drugs, rape and murder. What shocked me was that the more I spoke to COs (current and retired) the more I learned that the stress these people described was more often about policy, procedure and management then it was about the salacious things I had imagined.

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Kawartha Lakes launches Paramedic Pilot program for seniors

Published on September 24, 2019 in Community/Health/Municipal/Seniors by Lindsay Advocate

Kawartha Lakes launches Community Paramedic Pilot Program

On Monday September 23, Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service began the first day of the three-month Community Paramedic Pilot program. The program, which was approved by Council in February, was created to help reduce patient re-admission with a focus on seniors at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay.

The Advocate first broke the story last December about the many seniors in our area who were falling through the cracks and not getting the care they needed. Soon after, Council stepped up to provide funding to paramedics to try and address these needs.

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It’s ‘Housing First,’ addiction issues after, says Fourcast

Published on September 12, 2019 in Community/Health/Municipal/Poverty Reduction by Roderick Benns

Twenty-four chronically homeless people in our area now have a home, thanks to the City of Kawartha Lakes and and Kawartha Lakes Housing Corporation. But since many of them are struggling with addictions, hundreds of readers recently questioned on social media whether they were deserving of accommodation.

The story, ‘New housing complex should be for rehab, not ‘condoning drugs’: Woman’s petition,’ was read by thousands with the majority of readers on social media holding the opinion that these 24 people should be ‘clean’ first before being given the keys to a brand new one bedroom apartment.

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Basic Income Canada Network urges all federal candidates to support basic income

Published on September 6, 2019 in Community/Federal/Health/Poverty Reduction by Roderick Benns

As a federal election draws nearer the Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) is urging all federal candidates to consider a basic income as a game-changing solution to income insecurity.

The letter to all federal candidates begins by tackling the issue of financial insecurity head-on.

“As the 2019 federal election approaches, many issues will be debated. A great many of them are linked to income insecurity, which manifests itself in the form of costly symptoms, like anxiety, illness and societal unrest. If the underlying problem is about income, however, then the solution must be, too – or it will not get better.”

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Seniors test out cutting edge Seniors Play Park in Fenelon Falls

Published on September 2, 2019 in Around Town/Community/Health/Seniors by Jamie Morris

Seniors test out the cutting edge Seniors Play Park in Fenelon Falls

A politician, a physiotherapist, and an artist walk to a barre. That’s not the set-up for a joke. The ballet barre is one of 13 components in the recently-opened Seniors Play Park in Fenelon Falls, one of the first such parks in Canada, and I’ve asked the three — all seniors themselves — to spend some time exploring the very compact apparatus and then to share their thoughts.

The politician is Doug Elmslie, currently Deputy Mayor and for the past 13 years councillor for the ward that includes Fenelon Falls. He’s also Chair of the Board of Management for Victoria Manor, and so knows something of aging seniors’ needs. Doug is mid-70s, rates his fitness level as 5 on a 1 to 10 scale. He’s on the go most days and he golfs, but not as often as he’d like.

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RMH seeking broad input as CEO recruitment process enters next phase

Published on August 23, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

The Ross Memorial Hospital’s Board of Governors is pleased to report the progress of the Board’s search for the next President and CEO.

Ross Memorial’s Chief Operating Officer Veronica Nelson was appointed Interim President and CEO after former President and CEO, Dr. Bert Lauwers, announced he was leaving the role to take a position at the Scarborough Health Network.

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Nurse practitioner starting practice in Woodville

Published on August 12, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

Cheryl Marks, Nurse Practitioner, is coming to provide care for local patients at the Woodville Medical Centre, beginning the week after Labour Day. Marks will be a permanent, full-time, primary care provider with the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team.

A newcomer to the area, Marks has career experience in the hospital, long-term care, and family health team settings. She has also provided nursing care in neonatal units, infection disease centres and sexual assault treatment facilities. Marks is looking forward to starting her practice now in Woodville and providing care to local patients. Dana Robertson will continue to be the medical receptionist for patients onsite.

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New CKL Ontario Health Team formation enters next phase

Published on July 25, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

A submission to form a City of Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team (OHT) to better coordinate care and services in the City of Kawartha Lakes has progressed to the status of ‘In Development’ as announced by the Ministry of Health on July 18.

It is the provincial government’s intention to better connect the health care system through the phased implementation of Ontario Health Teams. Ontario Health Teams are groups of providers and organizations that are clinically and fiscally accountable for delivering a full and coordinated continuum of care to a defined geographic population. The designation of ‘In Development’ means that the Ministry will provide additional resources as the partners further develop their submission.

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New Nurse Practitioner begins practice in Fenelon Falls

Published on June 25, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

The City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team has welcomed a new Nurse Practitioner to its team in Fenelon Falls.

Cherisse Young, RN(EC), will begin collaborating with Dr. Bruce Allin, Dr. Kesang Pema, and the team’s family health nurse, Kylie Pankhurst, RN, at the Fenelon Medical Centre on Francis Street East as of July 2nd. A long-time resident of Fenelon Falls, Young comes to the team with almost a decade of experience as a registered nurse in the emergency department at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. She holds a Masters of Nursing in Primary Care degree from Athabasca University, having completed her training placements here locally.

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