Maddi Dellplain

Digital Editor and Staff Writer

Maddi Dellplain is a national award-nominated journalist specializing in health reporting. Maddi works across multiple mediums with an emphasis on long-form features and audio-based storytelling. Her work has appeared in The Tyee, Megaphone Magazine, J-Source and more.

maddi@healthydebate.ca
46 Contributions
by Maddi Dellplain

Finding your energy envelope: Long COVID patients urged to ‘pace’ themselves back to health

For many long COVID patients, returning to activity can cause debilitating "crashes." But symptom management techniques like pacing can offer relief and may even help some patients slowly recover.

by Maddi Dellplain

What will happen to Ontario’s uninsured? Experts weigh in

Adding to the list of lifted pandemic policies, Ontario will no longer cover the cost hospital services and physicians fees for the previously uninsured. Without OHIP for these groups, what can we expect to see? Is this the right move? Experts weigh in.

by Maddi Dellplain

Blockchain and the future of medicine

Move over Bitcoin, blockchain is no longer just for cryptocurrency. The technology could improve transparency, trust and efficiency in health-care settings. But what exactly is blockchain and how do we make the best use of it in health care?
by Maddi Dellplain

‘Technology to help bridge the gap’: Smart homes and sensors ease caregiver burden

Smart home technology has become ubiquitous in recent years. Now researchers in Ottawa are finding ways to use this same technology to aid health-care workers, family caregivers, and allow patients to age in place.

by Maddi Dellplain

Model that predicts MS relapse highlights AI’s expanding role in health care

AI can be taught to do a lot. But can it help doctors make better clinical decisions? One MS clinic in Ontario is trialing an AI model that could help doctors determine how to treat their patients.

by Maddi Dellplain

Will the first cut be the deepest? The debate on for-profit surgeries

As Ontario moves to fund private centres for select surgical procedures, will the province see a reduction in backlogs? Or is it a slippery slope towards further privatization of the provincial healthcare system? Our experts weigh in.

by Maddi Dellplain

OurCare survey highlights lack of access to primary care

A nation-wide survey on the state of primary care in Canada illuminates pressing issues facing our health system. Dr. Tara Kiran and a team of collaborators with the OurCare project have launched an online dashboard with the findings.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Groundbreaking research into ME/CFS a pandemic ‘silver lining’

ME/CFS is a misunderstood complex chronic illness affecting more than 600,000 Canadians. For decades ME/CFS patients have been left without proper medical support. But now, with the wave of new post-viral illnesses from the COVID-19 pandemic, ME/CFS patients might finally see some answers.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

To mask or not to mask. The sequel

Canada’s provincial medical officers of health are resisting calls for mask mandates despite pressures on our health care system from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and influenza. But the question remains: Should we return to mandatory masking in indoor spaces?
by Catharine Chambers Nicole Naimer Maddi Dellplain

The Faces & Phases of COVID-19

The Faces/Phases Project is a portrait of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Through a series of data visualizations, we cover the first two years of the pandemic.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

The Plan to Stay Open: Relief for our beleaguered health-care system or a move to further privatization?

Ontario’s Plan to Stay Open, a five-point strategy aimed at “health-care system stability and recovery,” has been the subject of much debate since its final release in August. We asked a panel of experts what they thought about the plan. Here's what they had to say.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Interview with the author: Blair Bigham

Healthy Debate sat down with Dr. Blair Bigham to talk about his experience writing Death Interrupted.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Move to generic methadone raises concerns

Ontario’s move away from brand name Methadose has sparked concerns the switch could negatively impact those who rely on the drug, prompting calls for more buy-in from methadone users ahead of these changes.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Cross-country project gives patients a say in solving primary-care crisis

Dr. Tara Kiran and a team of collaborators are launching OurCare, a three-phase research project that aims to provide much-needed answers to Canada’s primary care woes. The project kicks off with a national survey of patients' experience.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

In ‘Heroin,’ author lays bare the injustice and systemic racism behind Canada’s drug laws

For International Overdose Awareness Day (Aug. 31), Healthy Debate sat down with Dr. Susan Boyd to discuss her latest book, Heroin: An Illustrated History.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Provinces have charted their own paths, but should all adults in Canada have access to second boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Canadian provinces and territories have gone their own ways on the advisability and availability of fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses. But should the general population be eligible for a fourth dose at this time? Or are we better off waiting? We asked a group of experts to weigh in.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

The right to die: Should MAiD apply to those whose sole condition is mental illness?

With the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to include those whose sole condition is mental illness fast approaching, we asked a panel of experts whether they felt this was a move in the right direction — and what they hope to see moving forward.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Group pushes for ‘compassion club model’ to address surge of deaths from toxic drug supply

Six years after the B.C. government declared the overdose epidemic a public health emergency, policies have failed to slow the scourge.
by Maddi Dellplain

Is Canada ready to lift mask mandates? Experts weigh in

As public health restrictions lift across the country, we asked experts to weigh in on whether it's time to do away with mask mandates.
by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Vaccine Hunters looks forward to the day it isn’t needed anymore

During the pandemic, Vaccine Hunters Canada became a household name because the group worked around the clock to help Canadians get vaccinated. We're profiling the group as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

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