THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2017
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Canada 150
WAITING GAME Navigating health care’s lists, lineups
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LISA QUEEN lqueen@yrmg.com Vern Catania was in agony with no relief in sight as he waited months for hip replacement surgery. “It was excruciating pain,”
referred him to a Newmarket orthopedic surgeon. While Catania waited to for a date for an initial consultation, his condition deteriorated. Favourite activities like golf went by the wayside. Sitting became unbearable. Grandchildren were
the 67-year-old Bradford-area resident said. Catania, a sales rep with York Region Media Group, limped to his family doctor, who sent him for tests, which confirmed severe arthritis in his left hip. In March 2015, his doctor
recruited for help with routine chores. When he hadn’t heard about an appointment date by June, he called the surgeon’s office in desperation, requesting to be put on the cancellation list if another See WAIT,page pagexx 4 O See WAIT, l
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HEALTH
Lyme sufferers devastated by government’s action plan KIM ZARZOUR kzarzour@yrmg.com When Shari Allen first went public with her battle with Lyme disease, she was very sick, but she had hope.In 2015, the disease had upended her life, left her unable to work, her savings depleted, suffering from constant headaches and joint pain, but the Thornhill woman still believed this disease could be beaten. Two years later, she has lost more years of her life, lost her memory, friendships and relationships, lost her ability to walk without a cane and she has lost hope, too. Now she is spreading the word about a petition that, if successful in persuading the federal government to change its course, may
give her reason to hope again. Lyme disease is a serious illness spread by infected ticks. Research shows more than 80 per cent of the population in eastern and central Canada could be at risk by 2020, but diagnosis and treatment - a course of antibiotics - remain controversial. If not caught early, Lyme can lead to a host of muscle, joint and nervous system issues, paralysis and neurological problems. Allen, like many Lyme patients, had clung to the promise of Bill 442, approved in December 2014. Under the bill, the Minister of Health was required to convene a conference with the ministers and stakeholders, including the medical community and patients groups.
File photo
Infected ticks are linked to the growing threat of Lyme Disease. Patient groups have launched a petition to push the federal government to create a better national action plan. The goal: a comprehensive federal framework outlining improved surveillance, best practices, education and awareness to battle this growing disease threat.
Patients who’d been fighting for better testing and treatment were thrilled that their case would finally be heard. For the first time, stakeholders like CanLyme (Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation) and patients themselves were to be included in the discussion. They hoped the framework would be a national action plan and catalyst for change. From June 1 to June 30, 2015, more than 1,000 respondents participated in online consultation; the majority (72 per cent) were Lyme disease patients and their families. Last May, a conference was held in Ottawa and those who’d battled the mysterious myriad of ailments shared their testimonies, some making the trek across
the country to speak in person, others, such as Allen, who was too sick to travel, made their pleas via phone. And now, they fear it was all for naught. Feb. 7, the draft action plan was released and, according to Allen, it "missed the mark on every concern that Lyme disease sufferers brought forth at the national conference". According to a CanLyme statement, the draft report "in no way meets the mandate of the legislation.It ignored everything that was presented by experts and patients at the legislated May 2016 conference. It is not a framework and there is nothing to build upon". l See ALL page 4
NEWS
Report gives ’false sense of costs’, says Aurora councillor AMANDA PERSICO apersico@yrmg.com Aurora’s Joint Operations Centre is now complete but the full costs are still unknown. Last spring, the town’s operation services - parks, roads, sewers and water, facilities management and fleet maintenance moved into the 63,000 square-foot, $20.4 million new facility located on Industrial Parkway. Recently, town staff presented a final report on the project. Only, it wasn’t final. The $20.4 million price tag was for building, the building only.
And several items were removed from the project to ensure it stayed within budget. Items such as a green roof, a roadside entry sign, landscaping, wire cages for equipment storage and asphalt paving at the back of the facility were removed from the project. "These items were on the list at the dreaming stage," said the town’s CAO Doug Nadorozny. Coun. Harold Kim called for a more fulsome report, one that includes all costs associated with the project, including any offset Metroland file photo l See COSTS, page 4
Aurora’s Joint Operations Centre.
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