The crumpled piece of paper that changed my patient’s life www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... @drgorfinkel.bsky.social @thestar.com More news → CanadaHealthwatch.ca 🍁

And what’s become an annual holiday tradition, I just finished phoning my patients who spend Christmas alone. I’m not sure who gets more out of these calls …them or me.

A patient I’ll never forget Reat in peace, Ms. L www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Tell me. How accurate have Ontario's pharmacists been at diagnosing minor ailments? What's been YOUR experience? www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... via @TorontoStar

💉VACCINE EXEMPTIONS in York Region, ON 2019: 305 2025: 3,147 (!) "Most units COULDN'T PROVIDE detailed figures..." Incredible. Don't they keep track? 😳😟😱 www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

🚨CANADIAN STUDY Getting a COVID Vaccine while PREGNANT SLASHES the risk of PREMATURE BIRTH Pregnant people who receive a COVID vaccine are 60% less likely to experience severe disease AND 30% less likely to give birth prematurely Check it out... www.scientificamerican.com/article/gett...

COVID vaccines ⬇️ risk of ER visits in CHILDREN by 76% in toddlers 9 mos-4 yrs 56% in kids 5 - 17 years ...compared with children NOT vaccinated 🧸 www.scientificamerican.com/article/covi...

FLU cases are SURGING EARLY this year ...hitting KIDS especially hard in ON, QC, AL & BC & increasing WAIT TIMES in ERs This MAY be a novel strain of H3N2 which is 😷More contagious 🏥Risks hospitalization 🚨 HOSPITALS SHOULD REINSTATE MASKING www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

😰 1 in 3 Canadian teens have known gender-based violence Teen dating violence has ⬆️30% over the past decade. It's Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women The solution is ACTION - not just remembrance thestar.com/opinion/cont... via @torontostar

Ontario is pouring $2.1 billion into health teams …but that’s STEP 2 STEP 1 is attracting more family doctors back into providing cradle-to-grave care Reversing these steps CANNOT WORK www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Family doctors have been leaving comprehensive, cradle-to-grave care for YEARS …in pursuit of better pay, fewer hours and less admin work Ontario’s Auditor General missed the memo.

🚨 WHY 1 in 4 Ontarians won’t have a GP in 2026 Family doctors leave COMPREHENSIVE care for ⤴️ Pay ⤵️ Overhead & Admin Better hours But that’s NOT the AuditorGeneral’s take… Be heard. Please COMMENT in today’s Toronto Star ↙️ www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Who wants to live forever? Sam Altman will combine epigenetic editing, cell replacement therapies, & other approaches to spur younger, healthier cells into aging tissues. The goal? It's not forever, but how about an extra 10 years ? www.statnews.com/2025/12/03/a... via @statnews

🦠Tis the season MASK MANDATES in HEALTHCARE SETTINGS are spreading FAST ...including jurisdictions in -Spain -Japan -U.S. -England -Wales Shout-out to Canada: Let's MOVE ON THIS ! www.bbc.com/news/article...

🚨 INFLUENZA & KIDS Last month, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario saw 🧪8 X ⬆️in kids testing positive than last year 🚑 2 X ⬆️in hospital admissions -most WEREN'T vaxed Kids have TINY airways that can get blocked QUICKLY 💉cuts hospitalizations by HALF www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...

ONTARIO FOOD BANK 2025: Highest demand on record 🧸 1 in 3 is a child <18 yrs ♿ 1 in 3 has a disability 😨1 in 4 has a job but can't make ends meet Food banks were meant to be a STOP-GAP measure ...NOT a solution. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

3 CONSEQUENCES ...of CHANGING 🇺🇸 VACCINE APPROVAL ➡️ Clinical trials will TAKE LONGER ➡️ Vaccines will COST MORE ➡️ Preventable deaths will RISE www.scientificamerican.com/article/chan...

Alberta is turning PUBLIC hospitals into PRIVATE businesses. Will Ontario follow? Your input matters. PLEASE COMMENT to the Toronto Star via this link ↙️ thestar.com/opinion/cont... via @torontostar

🚨 Make no mistake Alberta is setting a very DANGEROUS 🇨🇦 PRECEDENT www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

BOTULISM is an EMERGENCY 🦠 CAUSE: Nerve toxin - Clostridium botulinum 😟SYMPTOMS -Weakness: Face→Neck→Arms→Legs -Poor feeding, weak cry, constipation, floppy tone 🍼 INFANTS = 7 in 10 cases​ TREATMENT Airway support, Immune globulin TIME is CRITICAL nationalpost.com/life/food/by...

More bad news for public health More than ever …we need to up our game Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/h...

Will PRIVATIZING Canadian MEDICARE WORK? Researchers compared 25 wealthy countries. The more each relies on FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES to deliver healthcare ...the WORSE LIFE EXPECTANCY gets. www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

It's official: The CDC is no longer trustworthy. Its website contradicts 40+ high-quality studies involving 5.6 MILLION people. The reason? RFK Jr. is Health Secretary. This is what happens when politics replaces science.

Coffee: $3.95 Shirt: $25.95 Prescription cost: ❓🤷‍♀️❓ 👉🏻 You’ll find out at the pharmacy counter. When doctors can’t see drug prices, Rxs often wind up costing more … for the same health outcomes

An UNAFFORDABLE 'LUXURY' It's IMPOSSIBE to deliver cost-effective care when clinicians lack access to the Rx price patients pay at the pharmacy ...when 1 in 5 have NO coverage ...& drugs are the 2nd highest item in the health budget www.thestar.com/opinion/cont....

DISINFORMATION A "deliberate instrument" to attack & discredit scientists & health professionals for -Political gain -Building online brands -Influencers to get clicks ☠️ Note to Public Health: Silence like a cancer grows @CaulfieldTim @TorontoStar www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

SHAMEFUL Removed from encampments Belongings trashed Fines up to $10,000 Jail terms up to 6 months ...while Ontario provides LESS THAN HALF the supportive housing needed www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

🚨BUYER BEWARE FOR-PROFIT DIAGNOSTIC CENTRES DON'T SAVE MONEY They INCREASE 🧪 Tests not indicated ✖️ Anxiety 🧐 Waste of public resources 🗓️ Public wait times ...while Conflicts of interest, Upcharges & Oversold services are NOT DISCLOSED @alonghurst.bsky.social calgaryherald.com/news/local-n...

🏆 KUDOS ...to Toronto's University Health Network for bringing back masking in their facilities as of Nov 18, 2025 😷TGH 😷Toronto Western 😷Princess Margaret Cancer Centre 😷Toronto Rehab 😷Michener Institute 😷West Park 🏥 Hope others will follow... www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

285 doctors (& counting) have now applied to ONTARIO from QUEBEC ...over HALF are FAMILY DOCTORS Why the exodus? BILL 2 forces 😬75% of ER patients to be seen w/in 90 min. 😲97% of surgeries completed w/in 1 year 😟Clawbacks if targets aren't met www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...

Not depressed enough? RFK Jr's latest "commonsense" guidelines stress eating "saturated fats of dairy, of good meat” as a part of the whole-food diet he wants Americans to follow ...breaking from scientific consensus - yet again. Sigh. www.statnews.com/2025/11/12/i...

Based on my back of the envelope calculations and 2024 populations, these are the cases per 100,000: ON, 14.9 BC, 5.74 AB, 40.1 MB, 17.0 SK, 8.69 We're not as bad in ON as I thought, but nothing to be proud of either.

WHY Canada lost measles elimination status 👉 5,138 cases as of Oct 2025 ON 2,392 cases AL 1,944 BC 324 MN 253 SK 107 👉 Over 300 hospitalizations 👉2 deaths It'll take 12 months of ZERO cases to regain status

FLU SHOTS & HOSPITALIZATION ALL AGES: 💉lowers risk by 40-50% KIDS: 💉lowers risk by 50-70% How effective the flu vaccine is in any given year is known only AFTER the flu season ends. Bottom line: Get vaxed www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

Tragic. Preventable. It finally happened. Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says - From reuters.com

This isn't simply a matter of inconvenience. 1 in 5 patients find ERRORS in their medical records ...over HALF of which are SERIOUS. Patients need access to their primary care records NOW www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

As a GP, I want to KNOW mistakes in patients' records. Knowing what family doctors write IMPROVES 🧐 Engagement in care 💪 Confidence in managing health 🙌 Trust in the team ...so WHY can't most patients access their primary care records in Ontario? www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

1 in 5 patients found ERRORS when given access to their medical charts Many were serious. Yet most Ontarians lack access It’s time to up our game.

Ontario has enough family doctors but NOT enough choosing comprehensive care Alternatives like walk in clinics offer better pay & fewer hours. BC evened that score …& family doctors followed

TESTOSTERONE in the MENOPAUSE -Under-researched -Modestly helpful at⤴️ sexual desire -1 in 3 reported ONE addtnl sexual event per month # of APPROVED PRODUCTS by Health Canada 💪MEN 7 -gels, patches, injections, pellets, buccal 😰 WOMEN ZERO 🎧 8 min listen www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

This is what public health is up against. We need to up our game.

🧐 Ontario has enough FAMILY DOCTORS ... but too few providing cradle-to-grave, comprehensive care That's because it -Pays less than alternatives -Has longer hours -Offers no sick leave, disability or paid vacation www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

CAFFEINE - Surprising factoid Our bodies quickly get used to its benefits ...but NOT to its impact on SLEEP Regular use just treats the lethargy & headache from WITHDRAWAL 🎧8 min listen www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

THIS …is what democracy looks like.

Solidly researched. Evidence based. Incontrovertible. "An astounding 90% of autistic children consumed either breast milk or formula...ignoring potential confounders, control groups and statistical significance." Hats off to @integralanswers.bsky.social for the fine work.

To our U.S. Colleagues, Condolences on the loss of the CDC’s MMWR. 3 resources that may help 🇨🇦

🚨A cornerstone of 🇺🇸 public health has been DECIMATED Nearly the ENTIRE staff of CDC’s MMWR was FIRED This publication was a go-to for information on 🇺🇸 DISEASE OUTBREAKS What’s next? www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c... via @statnews.com

Clinics are the one place patients should be SAFE Colds, flus & coughs are the #1 reason why Canadians see a doctor …so where did masking in healthcare go? It’s political.

Leaving an ER without being seen is riskier than you think. It’s linked to a 14% higher risk of hospital admission & death.

Finally. Some HOPEFUL NEWS The Department of Defense funds biomedical research to ensure military and pandemic preparedness. This includes mRNA vaccine projects that RFK, Jr., recently defunded www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...