Calls to lower colorectal cancer screening age
Maralee speaks with Barry Stein of Colorectal Cancer Canada about their push to lower the screening age to 45 years old.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Ontario's summer health risks explained
A man kayaks in Lake Ontario on a warm sunny day in Toronto on Friday, August 19, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette As Ontario enters peak summer season, infectious disease experts are warning that some viruses — from respiratory bugs to mosquito-borne illnesses — thrive in the heat. While many people may consider winter to be the season when they are most at risk of catching a virus and becoming ill, experts who spoke to CTV News Toronto said that there are many infections that actually peak in the summer. Dr. David Fisman, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said that respiratory infections like rhinovirus, enterovirus and para-influenza are all more common in the summer months and are capable of causing mild illness. He also said that other more serious health threats, like measles, can 'come back' when people make a decision to skip vaccination. Ontario reported fewer new measles cases this past week; 33 compared to 96 the week before, officials say the outbreak now stands at 2,212 cases since October. 'If we were having this conversation 100 years ago, we would be talking in a time when in Toronto, summertime was the high mortality season, and most of that mortality was from infectious diseases,' Fisman said, emphasizing that deaths have gone down thanks to smart public health measures. Does climate change play a role? Mosquitoes and ticks are another concern as climate change expands their reach across Canada. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital, said Lyme disease is already well established in many parts of Canada. Why Lyme disease is on the rise Dr. Isaac Bogoch explains why Lyme disease is on the rise. 'We do see a fair bit of Lyme in Canada. In 2024 there were roughly 5,000 cases that were identified, but that's likely a gross underestimate. We're probably not detecting the majority of cases. So people should be aware that Lyme is out there,' he said. 'It's very easy to prevent Lyme infections… people can just be mindful where ticks live, typically in tall grass or in forested areas, you can wear insect repellent to reduce the risk of a tick bite, and it's certainly helpful to do tick checks.' To check if ticks or reported Lyme disease has been reported in your area, the Public Health Agency of Canada has created a free online portal where residents can enter their postal code or the first three letters of their city. Travelling this summer? Bogoch also warned that international travellers should prepare for serious infections not found in Canada. 'Mosquito avoidance is key with insect repellent,' he said. 'For infections like malaria, many people should be taking tablets to prevent this infection. It can be very severe and even deadly, and it's important that people are aware that malaria is out there.' 'It's a really good idea to get professional travel advice,' he added. 'There might be infections in other parts of the world that we just don't see in Canada, and these are largely preventable.' Malaria Malaria death rates have been in steady decline since 2000 but rose in 2016 as progress towards eliminating the mosquito-borne preventable disease stalled. (Ales_Utovko / Fisman echoed those warnings, noting that hotter climates accelerate mosquito activity. 'Mosquitoes bite more when it's hotter, their biting rate increases and when you have diseases like dengue or yellow fever or chikungunya… that all gets speeded up and outbreaks can happen,' he said. Hotter weather 'can increase' foodborne illnesses While some people associate summer illness with food poisoning or stomach bugs, Fisman said the risks are 'climate sensitive.' 'There are foodborne illnesses like Campylobacter, Shigella and salmonella… and those are climate sensitive,' he said. 'Hotter weather can increase the risk of foodborne illness, obviously increase the risk of food spoilage and so forth.' He also noted the growing concern around antibiotic resistance, pointing to new Canadian research: 'My colleague Dr. Derek MacFadden, at University of Ottawa, has actually shown that hotter weather is associated with a surge in antibiotic resistance, which people may not realize.' How to stay healthy? Experts say basic hygiene still matters, especially when it comes to respiratory viruses. 'The advice in terms of respiratory infections is the advice for COVID,' said Fisman. 'If you're in a closed, crowded space, you can open a window. You can do activities outdoors if you're concerned. You (should not) show up and infect other people if you're sick.' Bogoch agreed the risks are manageable — if people stay informed. 'Enteroviruses are more common in the summer months, and to no one's surprise, we're starting to see a rise in reported enterovirus cases in Canada,' he said. But he wants to reassure people there is no reason to sound the alarm. 'The key message is, have a wonderful summer. Enjoy. We're going to be okay.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
IKS Health Announces Transformational Partnership with Western Washington Medical Group through Strategic Investment in Managed Service Organization
Article content DALLAS — IKS Health, a global leader in care enablement solutions supporting clinicians, staff and patients throughout the care journey, is pleased to announce a transformative expansion of its partnership with Western Washington Medical Group (WWMG), a leading independent multispecialty healthcare organization in Washington state. Article content IKS Health will make a strategic investment in a newly established management services organization (MSO) that will oversee all nonclinical operations of WWMG, including revenue cycle management, clinical documentation, HR, IT and finance. The clinical operations will continue to reside within WWMG, allowing for a clear separation of clinical and administrative functions. Article content Article content As part of this expanded partnership, IKS Health will support WWMG through the newly formed MSO, helping the medical group improve performance across both fee-for-service and value-based care models. By addressing key administrative and operational functions, IKS will position WWMG to better manage risk-based populations, reduce friction in care delivery and improve financial sustainability and patient outcomes. Article content This support will be powered by IKS Health's comprehensive, AI-enabled care enablement platform. WWMG will gain access to advanced revenue cycle management, clinical documentation through the Scribble Suite's ambient scribing solution and a patient engagement hub driven by a patent-pending AI algorithm that predicts and reduces no-shows while improving communication across the care journey. Additional services include chart reviews, document management and care coordination. Article content 'Our work with IKS Health has resulted in streamlined operations and increased efficiencies, leading us to expand our partnership and further position us for growth and, most importantly, for providing excellent patient care,' said David Russian, M.D., CEO of Western Washington Medical Group. 'This strategic partnership with IKS Health will create transformational value for WWMG with a self-sustaining model for independent medicine that benefits all stakeholders — clinicians, patients and the communities that we serve.' Article content 'Our initial investment of substantial capital into the MSO reflects our strong conviction in the long-term potential of this partnership,' said Joe Benardello, co-founder and chief growth officer at IKS Health. 'The investment will be used to grow WWMG's physician base and expand its primary care capacity. When combined with the operational efficiencies driven by the IKS Health platform, it lays the foundation for scalable and sustainable growth.' Article content 'This partnership marks a pivotal step in IKS's journey to lead the strategic transformation of healthcare,' said Sachin K. Gupta, founder and CEO of IKS Health. 'It moves us meaningfully up the value chain, well beyond commoditized point solutions, and creates a scalable and replicable path to growth. By enabling a sustainable model for physician aggregation that delivers on the quadruple aim, we're not only unlocking two powerful pools of economic value (revenue from the IKS platform and long term value from the MSO growth) — we're also deepening the moat around our Care Enablement Platform and reinforcing our long-term relevance in an increasingly dynamic healthcare landscape.' Article content About Western Washington Medical Group Article content Western Washington Medical Group (WWMG) is a team of over 100 providers in 20+ specialty areas serving patients and their families in the north Puget Sound region of Washington State. Their providers are owners of the company, and they live and work in the communities that they serve. For over 30 years, it's been WWMG's mission to provide clinicians the freedom to practice medicine with compassion, in the best interest of their patients and community. Learn more at Article content About IKS Health Article content IKS Health takes on the chores of healthcare — spanning administrative, clinical, and operational burdens — so that clinicians can focus on their core purpose: delivering great care. Combining pragmatic technology and dedicated experts, IKS Health enables stronger, financially sustainable enterprises. IKS Health's Care Enablement Platform delivers data-driven value and expertise across the care journey, and IKS Health is a partner for clinician enterprises looking to effectively scale, improve quality, and achieve cost savings through forward-thinking solutions. Founded in 2006, IKS Health's global workforce supports large health systems across the United States. For more information on IKS Health and its solutions, please visit Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Sask. Catholic schools renew partnership with U of S on nursing practicum
The following story originally ran in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. It's paid for through federal Local Journalism Initiative funding and shared under a Creative Commons licence. A Prince Albert Catholic School Division nursing agreement with the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) will continue for another year. Last school year, the division hosted 12 nurses completing their practicum with the U of S College of Nursing. In a report presented at the board's regular meeting on June 16, the division confirmed the program would continue for another year. Next school year the division will have eight students and each student will complete 216 hours, two days a week from September until December of 2025. Prince Albert Catholic Director of Education Lorel Trumier said administrators at schools that hosted the practicum students saw the value they brought. 'They bring a rich element to support curriculum delivery and areas of support,' Trumier said 'We know that those young nurses need to see what community nursing looks like and what that involves. It certainly involves educating people around them about the different aspects (of health) so it's very important,' she added. Nursing students will be involved in creating health teaching, health promotion and disease prevention strategies. The nursing students will also develop resources for staff and students according to school needs. Nurses will also be able to do presentations about health-related subjects. St. John Community School, Ecole St. Anne School, Ecole Holy Cross School, and St. Catherine School will each have two nursing students assigned. 'It's been very successful, so we're very grateful for the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert and the nursing students that we receive,' Trumier said. Catholic School Division trustees receive year-end mental health report Prince Albert Catholic School Division trustees received an outline of mental health and well-being initiatives and supports in the division at their regular meeting on June 16. Superintendent Charity Dmytruk provided the update. Following the presentation, Director of Education Lorel Trumier reflected on how much work was done in this area in the past year. 'I'm very many years into my career and what I appreciate is how much intentionality there is to mental health and well-being,' she said. 'That's changed considerably over the last 30 years.' Trumier said they also appreciate the school division staff who support different work on mental health in the division. Another example is the Mental Health Capacity Building partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) at St. John Community School. 'I think it is just speaking to that intentionality, whether it's the mental health capacity, building opportunity that we have at St. John, and we're going to endeavour to have that at St Francis next year,' Trumier said The MHCB initiative focuses on prevention, health promotion, early identification and intervention by helping youth better manage their feelings and find help if they become overwhelmed. The MHCB pilot started at St. John Community School in September, 2022. The initiative operates 12 months a year and focuses on community outreach in the summer. The division is also part of the working group on the Mental Health Priority, the new Provincial Education Plan. The Division also utilizes the Red Cross Beyond the Hurt Bully Prevention Program but has brought the faith-based perspective into it. 'We do a lot of work with that. That's really changed the dialogue for students in schools and we've made it our own. We've made it a Catholic focus. We know Jesus as a model, gospel values guide what we do, where we respect each person as a child of God, and that's the foundation of the work,' she explained. She explained that seeing all the work in the area made her reflect on how things have changed. 'I was reflecting on how beautiful it is that there is attention to these matters now, much more than in the beginning of my career. I think it's putting everyone in a much better place to support our students today,' Trumier said.
