Social Determinants

Beyond acceptance: Fostering inclusive care for sex and gender minority youth

Sex and gender minority youth are disproportionately impacted by mental health concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they're also less likely to find adequate supports.

Backlash against call for equity in medicine is misguided

A backlash against EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) is gripping Canadian medicine. The reasons for this backlash are complex but ultimately misguided.

Cautious, compassionate safe supply is good public policy

Safe supply is not a magic bullet to cure our overdose emergency. However, under cautious guidelines, prescriber-based safe supply initiatives have a role to play in saving lives.

People with disabilities account for 13% of all pregnancies, but their needs are invisible

People with disabilities need inclusive, accessible pregnancy care that treats them with respect, dignity and acceptance.

Disability and poverty: Funding and structure of new federal benefit unacceptable

The amount being offered to some people with disabilities, $200 per month, is a drop in the bucket in a time of high inflation, rising rents and significant added costs to living with a disability.

The toxic standards that have shaped coverage of drug use in Canada

While a health crisis has unfolded, newsrooms have had to learn to do better. But the changes in framing haven’t always come fast enough or extended to the workers with lived experience

Simple finger-prick blood test could help women with debilitating condition

A Canadian company is working to perfect a simple, finger-prick blood test that would revolutionize the diagnosis of endometriosis.

‘Just a pinch’: Women frustrated as medical community downplays pain of IUD insertion

Thousands of TikTok rants, viral tweets, petitions and peer-reviewed studies have documented the insufficient pain relief offered for IUD insertions. So, what is the response from Canadian medicine to this outcry? Practically nothing.

Students call for improved refugee health education in Ontario medical schools

While Canada accepts thousands of refugees each year, refugee health care falls short. Improved education on refugee health in medical schools can help bridge the gap.

‘Unshrinking’ tackles fat shaming and bigotry

Kate Manne's new book examines fatphobia in North American society and its sweeping impacts on health care, history and politics.

‘It’s time to do something’: Climate change endangering remote First Nations communities

The Anisininew leaders have urged governments to support the region by injecting financial and emergency resources, and directly empowering them to rebuild and maintain vital winter road infrastructure.

‘That Women Will Have the Same Opportunities as Men’

What the life stories of pioneering female physicians teach us about Canadian medical culture today

‘Cruising down the wellness lane’: Program helps people struggling with addiction, mental illness find work on road to recovery

Supported Employment is a “golden ticket” for those struggling with mental-health challenges and addictions – and is therapeutic for employers and employees alike.

‘Why would I not keep going?’ Month-long sobriety challenges establish healthy habits

Dry January and Sober October could be the start to forming long-term, healthier relationships with alcohol.

‘We strongly urge the Premier to reconsider’: Statement from Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Alberta Medical Association

Please leave politicians out of the exam room. Proposed changes to transgender health policies set a dangerous precedent

Government insertion into medical care is a dangerous step for all Canadians. While it may seem limited to a small minority of people, it sets a precedent that health care is subject to the whims of the current political party. Medical decision-making should be left to the patient and the provider.

Who you are and where you live shouldn’t determine your ability to survive cancer

Let us commit to a future in which all people have the resources and support to prevent and treat cancer so that no one is left behind.

A call for 365 days of action against gender-based violence

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) inflicts our society all year round. While a focus on the prevention of GBV must remain a top priority, ensuring an integrated and sustainable framework of support is essential for surviving and thriving.

‘I can’t quite shut it off’: Prevalence of insomnia a growing concern for women

As women juggle their responsibilities, these duties can take a toll, both emotionally and practically. Societal pressures, maternal concerns and the challenge of balancing multiple roles contribute to women's increased susceptibility to insomnia.

Come for the black bears and huskies. Stay to ‘transform how we deliver health care’

"Self-determination doesn't happen when all of your clinicians are flying up from the south, working for a week and then flying home.” Medical resident Maria Raveendran writes on her experience working in the remote northern Ontario community of Moose Factory Island.