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Winnipeg Free Press: Satirical musical tackles health-care woes in bite-sized chunks

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 19:14:43 +0000

They say laughter is the best medicine. Throw a little song-and-dance into the mix and you get Larry Saves the Canadian Healthcare System — an 11-part web microseries that humorously addresses Canada’s ailing medical system through music and satire.

Sara Kreindler, a professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, spearheads the show, drawing from her extensive research.

“It’s about starting a conversation,” says writer-composer Kreindler, who has a PhD in social psychology. “Whether you’re a health-care provider or just someone curious about the system, I want viewers to come away feeling empowered to hold our elected leaders accountable for addressing the underlying issues.”

To read the full article about the musical, please visit the Winnipeg Free Press.

Medscape Medical News: Birth Outcomes Differ Across Canadian Immigration Categories

Fiona Odlum — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 19:02:44 +0000

Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News, Marcelo Urquia, PhD, associate professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, said, “Immigrants have been shown to possess a health advantage yet are also more likely to reside in arduous economic conditions.”

Urquia, who wasn’t involved with this study, has researched adverse birth outcomes among immigrants, as well as refugee maternal and perinatal health. He and his colleagues found that refugee mothers had higher maternal health risks and more adverse birth outcomes.

To read the full story, please visit Medscape Medical News.

CBC News: Opposition parties call for indefinite pause to MAID expansion for mental illness

Fiona Odlum — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 21:29:18 +0000

Only a small number of people whose sole medical condition is a mental illness would be eligible for MAID, said Long. She said they’re individuals who have endured many years of suffering and have tried multiple treatments.

Dr. Jitender Sareen is part of a group of eight university psychiatry chairs who wrote to federal ministers and urged the committee not to expand MAID to include mental illness.

Sareen said practice standards to guide psychiatrists and clinicians are inadequate, and Canada is lagging behind other countries in mental health and addictions funding.

“Offering death when the person has not had the opportunity to get better, with or without treatment, is, in our opinion, not acceptable,” said Sareen, a professor and head of the department of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba.