A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH
A message from Chris Mazurkewich, Interior Health’s CEO.
Ways you can stay engaged in your day-to-day.
IH identifies key areas of work for 2016 to 2018.
Post-transplant followup via telehealth; a first for IH.
From tent to hospital to home.
Support from Allied Health team helps clear ED.
Honouring our employees at the 2015 Long Term Service Awards.
Featuring Cheryl Sidenburg, Tobacco Reduction Coordinator.
Snapshots of our staff in action and trending health-care videos.
Marian Kooznetsoff, Susan Chovanec, Rhonda Lee Bedard, Laressa Altenhoff, Wanda Perepolkin, and Darlene Bens celebrate the Long Term Service Awards in Nelson. Story p. 16.
The @InteriorHealth magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues of @InteriorHealth can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please e-mail: IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Deadline for submissions to the February 2016 @InteriorHealth magazine is Jan. 11. Editors: Amanda Fisher, Breanna Pickett Designers: Breanna Pickett, Kara Visinski, Tracy Watson IH Communications Contributors: Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Megan Kavanagh, Breanna Pickett, Erin Toews, Tracy Watson
Every person matters
Welcome to 2016! It’s a new year, bringing with it a renewed focus on doing our part to transform the health-care system in a way that’s never been done before in this province.
President & CEO, Chris Mazurkewich
At Interior Health, we want to set new standards of excellence in the delivery of health services in B.C. and to also promote healthy lifestyles and provide needed health services in a timely, caring, and efficient manner. To achieve this, we are guided by the following strategic goals: Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3
Goal 4
The articles featured in the @IH newsletter are great examples of how we’re achieving our goals … and realizing our vision and mission.
By finding ways to make our services about the person – more responsive, more available, and more flexible – we can provide better care where the majority of people want and need to be supported, at home or in the community. The added benefit is that we shift the focus of health care away from hospital, reduce the pressure in our emergency departments, and create a more sustainable system for the long term.
improving care for mental health and substance use populations; improving timely access to surgical care; and strengthening health care in rural B.C., including the specific needs of our Aboriginal populations in all initiatives. This is a complex assignment; it will not be an easy shift to make. But I am confident we are up for the challenge in partnership with other organizations and groups that are essential to this work, like the Divisions of Family Practice and First Nations Health Authority.
With accelerated efforts and keen focus on each of the strategies, I believe that we will be able to show positive results within one to two years. In Interior Health, For me, Joseph’s story in this issue of we already have countless examples of @IH illustrates the shift that is needed progress in these areas – about how in a powerful way (see p. 12). One year we’ve made a difference for patients, ago, Joseph was homeless and staying clients, and residents. The January @IH in a tent by the river when he ended up reminds us of many of those, while also deathly ill in the Royal Inland Emergency providing more detail on the five strategies Department. Today, he is in an apartment, (see p. 6-8). Building on the good work on the road to recovery, and getting the done to date, action plans for each support he needs for his mental health and strategy are in development and will be medical issues thanks in part to our Winter finalized by March with implementation Surge Transitional Housing Initiative in activities occurring in the year ahead and Kamloops. The success of this initiative through to 2018. is due to valuable collaboration between clients like Joseph, who are taking an To further support focus on the key active role in getting better, and important strategies, I have requested that we partners inside and outside IH. continue the portfolio initiative mapping process that started last spring across all This is exactly the kind of work we need vice-president portfolios. Reducing the to do more of – deliver services that are number of initiatives will allow us to person-centred and compassionate, while redeploy those efforts and realign energy also high quality and appropriate. It’s and resources to where it is most needed. where the mandate from the Ministry of Health is clearly focused as well. Along The goal here is a success story. By 2018, with our partner health authorities, we Interior Health should be able to proudly must increase system integration, focus share how we collaborated with internal on key populations, and relieve pressure and external stakeholders, improved care on acute care, all while living within our by expanding community services, and means. reduced pressure on our hospitals – all to better meet the needs of the people we To ensure our success, there are five serve. And that we did it with individuals key strategies that will be our top priority and families as partners in their health and work over the next several years their care. – enhancing access to appropriate primary care; improving care for older adults; Let’s work together to make this a reality.
hanging populations are energizing governments around the world to find better ways to provide care in the community for people who are living longer, have complex medical needs, but also prefer to live at home from birth to death. There is no turning back from the increasing demand for community services and programs that will help people remain out of acute- and residential-care facilities. A mandate from the B.C. government has offered Interior Health an opportunity to join the winds of change and identify five key strategies where it will direct health resources over the next several years, shifting the system away from hospitals and into the community. The strategies support a person-centred system in which family physicians, multi-disciplinary teams of health professionals, and community agencies provide care together in a cost-effective way to specific patient populations that require the most support. A focus will also be placed on rural health care as well as elective surgical wait lists. As we examine the strategies, it’s helpful to understand how primary care is defined in the provincial document, Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health System. Primary care is the principal point of consultation and treatment for patients in the health-care system and one that co-ordinates access to other specialists the patient may need.
We will create a system of primary care at the community level that delivers meaningful outcomes for patients and quality service in terms of access, acceptability, appropriateness, and safety. The Primary Care Home will be the cornerstone of the health system in B.C., built on integrating or linking family practices with primary care services for individuals and families, which will also provide effective access to higher level specialized services. In IH, this work will begin in Kamloops and the Central Okanagan with the intent to spread to other IH communities afterwards. Related Stories: See primary care in action in the community, One Nurse Town Means Little Bit of Everything , or NP Supports
Patients, Providers.
With this strategy, we will build from the system of primary care and leverage planning work already underway in IH to Reposition Health Care for Older Adults, a project currently focused on Kamloops and the Central Okanagan. The focus here is to provide integrated specialized care planning and services in collaboration with older patients and their families who have moderate-to-complex medical conditions and frailty (including dementia). Related Story: In A Love that Binds a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals helped a frail senior with a highly complex medical condition live out his life at home.
This strategy will also build from the system of primary care, adding MHSU health-care teams to provide integrated specialized care planning and services in collaboration with patients and their families who have moderate-to-complex mental health and/or substance use issues. In IH, our realigned MHSU program has responsibility for both planning and operations, including: development of collaborative practice models for primary care, existing community care programs, secondary and tertiary hospital-based care, as well as specialized programs such as services for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. Innovative mental health models in IH – Outreach Urban Health in Kelowna, King Street Centre in Kamloops, and Martin Street Outreach Centre in Penticton – support this strategy, where partnerships with local physicians have improved care for mental health and substance use clients by connecting them with the services they need, from primary care to specialists. Related Stories: See examples of this work in Coming Together for Complex Patients and Seeking (and Finding) Help.
Timely access and quality of elective surgical care is a priority for our patients and for IH. We are working with the Ministry of Health to improve access to surgery through short-term and long-term plans focused on building capacity. These efforts are meant to ultimately help us achieve the Province’s three-year goal of seeing 95 per cent of scheduled surgeries being completed within 26 weeks. Achievement of this target will involve multiple stakeholders working on system changes, increasing capacity/volumes of specific surgeries, and ensuring internal resources are aligned to enable results. Related Stories: Read more about our surgical progress in A Sneak Peek and Changing the Approach.
Incorporating the system of primary care with effective person-centred pathways to other health-care services, this strategy will help us to improve access and service quality across rural and remote communities, including continuing to build relationships with First Nations to ensure health care is provided in a culturally safe and sensitive way. Related Stories: Read about the work of RN Ruth Kuehl-Venn in No Typical Day at Remote Nurse Clinic, as well as Dr. Rob Coetzee, the physician for three First Nations communities and two IH sites in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, in On the Road Again.
2016 10th Annual BC Health Care Awards Celebrating 10 years of excellence in BC health care
Nominate a deserving person or team today!
Presented by the Health Employers Association of BC, the BC Health Care Awards recognize excellence and innovation in our province’s health care community. Awards are for projects that improve health care delivery and for individuals who inspire those around them. • • • • •
Top Innovation – Affiliate Top Innovation – Health Authority Workplace Health Innovation Collaborative Solutions Health Care Hero (eight winners!)
Learn more & nominate online at BCHealthCareAwards.ca Nomination deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, February 26, 2016 BCHealthCareAwards.ca Twitter.com/@BCHealthAwards Facebook.com/BCHealthCareAwards YouTube.com/BCHealthCareAwards
PRESENTED BY
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angerous driving conditions, lost wages, expenses, and added stress – for transplant patients living in rural communities, these are the realities. But for Paula Smith, a new telehealth service for post-kidney transplant patients has eliminated all of these.
Paula’s kidney function first started to decline more than 10 years ago. Then, in 2010, while Paula’s kidney was functioning at only 15 per cent, the worst happened – her husband passed away. “Just five weeks after my husband died, I had a peritoneal dialysis catheter implanted in my abdomen and was getting prepped for dialysis,” recalls Paula. For three and a half years, Paula was on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant and in January 2014 her brother, a perfect match, volunteered one of his. “Everything just fell into place and then moved really quickly. I had my transplant in February 2014,” says Paula. “There were no complications for either of us – I have never felt this happy, healthy, and alive in my entire life.” For surgery, Interior Health transplant patients travel to Vancouver, but the routine follow-up appointments are done
locally. The closest post-transplant clinic to Paula, who lives in Cranbrook, is more than 200 kilometres away in Trail (three hours each way). Paula is one of many in IH who travel for specialty appointments. Kim McDuff, Transplant Redesign Project Coordinator, along with her colleagues at the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital Kidney Transplant Clinic in Trail, identified a need to find other options for patients who have to drive long distances for followup appointments. They decided to develop a pilot project where post-transplant patients were given the option to attend their clinic appointment in Cranbrook and connect to Trail via telehealth. “Telehealth offers a way to provide adequate and continuous care for post-transplant patients not living in Trail,” says Kim. In collaboration with BC Transplant, telehealth appointments were offered for the first time for post-transplant patients. The pilot ran from November 2014 to May 2015 with 12 patients using the service.
During the followup appointment, Georgi records Paula’s blood pressure, weight, and pulse; checks for edema (excess of fluid); and relays the information via telehealth videoconferencing to the team in Trail. On the receiving end are Teresa Buckley, transplant clinic nurse, and Dr. Chi Zhang, transplant nephrologist, as well social worker Connie Poling, dietitian Cindy Hoolaeff, and unit clerk Staci Carey. “It’s expensive for people to take an unpaid day off work and stressful to drive the mountain pass to Trail,” says Teresa. “With telehealth, this health-care service is more accessible and increases the continuity of care.” Through telehealth, Paula is able to connect with each of the care providers involved in her post-recovery care plan without having to drive to Trail each time. “To me, there is no difference in the service provided,” says Paula. “I’m just glad I don’t have to make the drive. On a winter day like today, I would have cancelled. It’s such a benefit for patients who would otherwise have to travel.”
Georgi Winger is the renal nurse at Cranbrook Wellness Telehealth for transplant patients is expected to expand Centre who facilitates the appointment between the patient to other areas of IH. and the Trail Kidney Transplant Clinic. “Right now we are looking at other rural sites with renal “Although we’ve only been doing telehealth with nurses who can facilitate these appointments – like post-transplant patients for a short time, the feedback Sparwood, Grand Forks, and Williams Lake,” says Teresa. has been nothing but positive,” says Georgi. “We have also just begun to facilitate appointments for pre-transplant patients, before they go to Vancouver for “They are so grateful to be able to meet with the transplant surgery.” team and receive the care they need without having to take the time to travel to Trail. Prior to telehealth, Paula The first pre-transplant appointment took place in early would have to take a day off work for her appointments January and more are expected throughout 2016. in Trail, plus spend money on gas and meals. I believe telehealth has reduced the emotional and financial stress of many of our patients which, I’m sure, has a positive impact on their health and well-being.”
Left: The team who developed the pilot project to offer the first post-transplant appointment via telehealth in IH. (L-R): Teresa Buckley, Dr. Chi Zhang, Staci Carey, Connie Poling, and Cindy Hoolaeff. Inset: Teresa coordinates the telehealth videoconferencing unit with her multi-disciplinary team in Trail and patients in Cranbrook. Right: Paula (R), standing with Georgi and telehealth unit in Cranbrook, no longer has to drive to Trail for her appointments.
WINTER SURGE W
hat a difference a year has made for Joseph. Last winter, he was living in a tent by the river in the bitter cold. It was his third year without a home.
This year, he has a tidy two-bedroom apartment – decorated for Christmas – a comfortable bed, and a bathroom.
In Kamloops, the partners are IH Mental Health and Substance Use Services, Royal Inland Hospital, and community agency ASK Wellness. Last year, Joseph was identified as a potential Winter Surge client, if he was prepared to take an active role in his recovery. Lying in his hospital bed, Joseph had already been doing some deep thinking of his own.
“This is awesome,” says Joseph. “I don’t have to put shoes “I said to myself ‘I need to make a choice in my life. If I’m on in the night to go outside. I don’t have to go down to going to feel like this for the rest of my life, I might as well the freezing river to shower.” give up.’ But I decided to live.” This turn of luck began when Joseph got deathly ill and ended up in the Emergency Department of Royal Inland Hospital. When you live on the street and get sick, there are limited options for recovery, especially in the winter. The nearest hospital’s ED is where ailing members of the homeless population often end up, followed by a stay in an acute-care bed. Sometimes that’s the right place, but many times there is a more suitable place that doesn’t involve an extended admission during a hospital’s busiest time of year – flu season. A group of like-minded leaders in Kamloops put their heads together last year and came up with a plan that provided a successful alternative for homeless, sick people with mental health or substance use issues. In Kamloops, the Winter Surge Transitional Housing Initiative provides brief stays from December to March at two local motels to patients with both a mental health and a medical issue. The outcome of the initiative, which has made such a difference for Joseph, also convinced Interior Health’s Senior Executive Team to not only fund it for another year, but to expand it to four other cities.
He was discharged from hospital into a local motel room with a kitchenette to live out the winter and recover from his illness. Mental Health staff from Interior Health and ASK Wellness, along with Home Health nursing, were available to provide medical and counselling services. “They are strict, but the rules are there to help not hurt us,” says Joseph, an addict who has been drug-free for more than a year. ASK Wellness Executive Director Bob Hughes presented the concept of focusing Winter Surge funding on the homeless population to then-MHSU manager Kerry McLean Small. Together, they operationalized it with full support from Royal Inland’s leadership. “Winter Surge funding rents motel units, which is a win for the motels as well because of their high vacancy rates in the winter,” says Bob. In 2014-15, five units were rented with 10 people passing through the program. Winter Surge is funded for programs in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Penticton this winter. The programs will be different in each community, but averting admission or shortening a person’s length of stay in hospital is the primary premise for each. RIH Social Worker Wendy Sims and ASK Wellness social
worker Judy Foreman, who is also a retired IH nurse, are on the frontline of the program. Winter Surge clients in the hospital are referred to Wendy who conducts a psycho-social assessment and determines whether the client meets the criteria and is also willing to participate. “There is no point putting someone into the unit if they aren’t willing to live by the rules, which includes a face-to-face check-in every day at 9 a.m.,” she says. All potential Winter Surge clients are reviewed at a teleconference huddle, involving a mix of staff and managers, as a second checkpoint to ensure the right person is going into the right bed. Then it’s up to Judy from ASK who works on site at the motels to settle the clients into their unit, ensure they have food staples, prescriptions, and other services for recovery. She coordinates their care and is also the person knocking on the door at 9 a.m. “They often come here with just the clothes on their back and no family supports. Their family is ASK Wellness,” says Judy. IH West MHSU Director Rae Samson says it’s important to stay focused on the purpose of winter surge because there is always a need in the community for housing alone. “The Tuesday and Friday meetings of the Winter Surge committee provide a safeguard to ensure this program is used to safely transition people out of the hospital or prevent admission from the community’s homeless population,” she says.
Above: Royal Inland Hospital Social Worker Wendy Sims (L) and ASK Wellness Social Worker Judy Foreman (R) are on the frontlines of the Winter Surge program.
“Winter Surge is strictly for these specific clients with an illness that makes them at risk for going to the ER or admission to hospital or are already in the hospital and could be discharged with supports.”
Below: Joseph talks about his road to recovery through an innovative program to help homeless people get back on their feet when they are sick. ASK Wellness Social Worker Kimberly Porter (L), is one of his supports now that he is healthier.
Is the program worth the funding? Pop in to Joseph’s home, which the ASK team found once Joseph was so successful living in the motel. We find the former house framer with a hammer in the second bedroom that he’s turned into a workshop, building more furniture for his place. He is warm. Life is sweet. See Winter Surge supports for seniors, Page 15.
Standing outside the door to the ED at Royal Inland Hospital, Allied Health Social Worker Wendy Sims works to provide a quick response to frail elderly who find themselves in the ED, but could go home with supports.
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llied Health staff in Kamloops will take an active role in a project to help ease the pressure on hospitals this winter by focusing on frail seniors who could get well at home with proper supports.
Karen Cooper, Director of Allied Health, IH West, oversees the six disciplines that will provide services – primarily to older adults – designed to either prevent an admission to hospital or hasten their recovery and return home more quickly. Physiotherapists and occupational therapists from Community Allied Health and a registered dietitian, respiratory therapist, and speech language pathologist from Royal Inland Allied Health are on the Winter Surge team for 2016. As well, Social Worker Wendy Sims, also based at RIH, is the first point of contact by Emergency Department or Home Health staff to recommend services for a senior who doesn’t need to be in an acute care setting. “Wrapping the right service around the patient is going to result in higher success rates,” Karen explains. As an example, she highlights the speech-language pathologist who might discover a patient with recurring pneumonia has a swallowing issue that is causing aspiration of food particles into the lungs. “We are excited to be able to show the value of bringing in the Allied Health disciplines through a project like this. Winter Surge provides an opportunity to demonstrate what Allied Health professionals can do at any time of the year to help patients reduce their stay in hospital or avert an admission altogether.” Karen is hopeful both the physicians and nursing staff in the ED will rely on the Winter Surge social worker to help ease the pressure on them and their ED beds, as well as to find the best spot for people to recover. Winter Surge initiatives are also in place in Kelowna, Penticton, and Vernon to help frail seniors with supports at home to avoid admission or shorten their hospital stay.
Lorraine Romanin, pictured with fellow colleagues, celebrates 45 years of service at the Royal Inland Hospital Laboratory in Kamloops. (L-R): Sally Brown (30 years), Kelsey Pasquill, Sandra Nukina (30 years) Jeffrey Harrison, Lorraine Romanin (45 years), Shelley Sanders, Jennifer Smith (40 years), and Marianna Campbell (30 years).
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ach year, special recognition is given to those who have achieved 25, 30, 35, 40, and even 45 years of service.
In 2015, there were 1,903 employees who achieved one of these significant milestones. Employees with 25 or more years of service were invited to attend a Long Term Service Awards banquet in their honour and bring with them a significant other, family member, or friend to share in the special moment. During these events, employees are individually thanked by members of our Senior Executive Team and Board of Directors and receive an award for their years of service. The events in 2015 were a great success! Thanks to all the volunteers who helped coordinate the logistics, as well as all the details behind the scenes. Additional thanks to all managers and colleagues of our recipients for sharing special stories to acknowledge staff and make the night memorable. Lastly, a heartfelt thank you goes out to all the family and friends who have supported the hard work of these employees over the years and the time they have dedicated to patient care in our communities. Pictured here are some of this year’s award recipients. Visit the Recognition web page on InsideNet for a full listing of recipients and event photos. Congratulations everyone!
Our recipients are from:
Cheryl Sidenberg, Tobacco Reduction Coordinator @IH: What is your role in IH and why is it important? I am part of the tobacco reduction team, which is composed of three regionally based tobacco reduction coordinators and one tobacco reduction coordinator for Aboriginal communities. Our role is to utilize a population-health approach to protect the public from the harms of tobacco use. Population health is about improving the health of an entire population. Simply put, it means we work with groups of people rather than individuals across a geographic area. Our work involves smoke-free bylaw work with local governments and communities, policy work with school districts, and program work with Aboriginal communities. We have also worked with Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) to implement programs and We are often asked if electronic cigarettes are a training to help address tobacco use among MHSU clients. recommended quit smoking aid. Unfortunately, much is unknown at this point and more research is urgently @IH: What is fun or exciting about what you do? needed on the benefits and harms of these products. I look I love information gathering and systems thinking work. forward to learning about and sharing new evidence in this The fun and challenging part of my role is figuring out area. how to communicate best-practice health information across this living system we call Interior Health. Another true highlight was working with 85-year-old Dan MacQuarrie, a tobacco free advocate in Salmon Arm who @IH: What makes for a really great day at work? was passionate about smoke free-bylaws to protect I love it when we hear good news from the communities children in parks, trails, and playground areas. As a we have supported in our smoke-free bylaw work. It feels former city council member, Dan has worked towards good to know we can make a difference at the community a smoke-free bylaw in his community for over 38 years! level by assisting with bylaw recommendations and In June 2013, Salmon Arm Council passed “Dan’s Bylaw” information on how other communities have successfully and Salmon Arm became one of the 16 communities in IH become smoke free. When you receive a note directly from with smoke-free bylaws to protect citizens from the harms the Mayor of Rossland thanking you all for the good work of second-hand smoke. you are doing to assist them, it’s a great day! @IH: What is great about where you work? @IH: Do you have a highlight or two? I live and work in Kelowna but my team-mates are located For me, being able to research and bring forward the best in Vernon, Kamloops, and Nelson, so we rarely see each evidence makes all the work we support meaningful. The other in person. I have to say I love the technology that world of tobacco products is ever changing and we need to makes it possible for my team to connect and do our work understand the impact of new products that appear on the effectively across this vast geography. I also really love the market such as electronic cigarettes. team that I work with – they are all amazing individuals.
Stats on smoking and tobacco reduction
16
Communities in IH with smoke-free bylaws that exceed the Tobacco Control Act (TCA)
4,000
19.9%
Tobacco users in IH – higher than provincial average by 5.6%
Number of chemicals in a cigarette – 50 of which are known to cause cancer
6,000
Tobacco related deaths per year in B.C.
84%
B.C. residents who are non-smokers
4
Tobacco reduction coordinators employed by IH
Stats gathered from 2015 data. Nominate a colleague, manager, or site for a future spotlight by contacting IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca.
Fort Steele Submitted by: Andy Chappell
Ashcroft Submitted by: Darcie Barbeau Barriere Submitted by: Sherry Hughf
West Kelowna Submitted by: Matt Wilkie
St. Mary Lake (EK) Submitted by: Mandy White
Where We Live & Work ... A Spotlight on Our Communities Covering more than 215,000 square kilometres, Interior Health is diverse in nature and composed of vibrant urban centres and unique rural communities. Photos are submitted by employees and posted to the InsideNet. Select photos are featured in @IH.
Submit your photos of the beautiful places that make up IH on the InsideNet.
Adult Day Centre client Teresa Sacha (R) turns over four shopping bags full of beautifully knitted slippers to ASK Wellness Society’s Outreach Worker Jillian Watson (L). ASK supports marginalized people in the Kamloops region who don’t have extra dollars to spend on cozy slippers. “Giving back feels fantastic and we thank Teresa for helping us see the beauty in her generosity,” says Adult Day Program Coordinator Janice Rodgers.
The first ever Pediatric Diabetes Education fair held in December in Vernon was a huge success. The fair had 14 interactive booths for children and their families to visit and provided a new approach to children's diabetes education. Shannon Paul-Jost (R), Community Integrated Care Coordinator, and Sharon Young, Diabetes Education Nurse, were among the staff that helped make the event possible. See more photos on our Facebook page.
IH Physiotherapist Erin Leahy (front) and her rehab clients have big smiles after working out at the Sparwood Recreation Centre under a supervised chronic disease exercise program. A partnership between Interior Health and the leisure centre encourages people needing rehab for cardiac, pulmonary, diabetes, obesity, or neurological issues, as well as the frail elderly, people with a falls risk, and arthritis to get and stay active safely. Erin provides education and exercise to benefit the broadest population possible.
Last year, Bell Canada launched the Let’s Talk campaign to help end stigma around mental illness. In this video, Howie Mandel shares his story and why he fights for mental health. Learn more about Let’s Talk at letstalk.bell.ca.
Quit smoking help is at your fingertips! A new text service is available anytime, anywhere. Text QUITNOW to 654321. There are a number of other free resources to help in your journey. Lead a heathier life in 2016 and quit now. Learn more at www.quitnow.ca/join.
Did you know that women represent 72 per cent of Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease? That’s because women live longer than men and age is the biggest risk factor. January is Alzheimer Awareness Month and the Alzheimer Society of Canada is asking Canadians to learn about the 10 warning signs and share them with your family and friends. Learn more at Alzheimer Society of Canada, www.alzheimer.ca/the72percent.