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Resource Curation

I researched curated resources about different health topics, for easy retrieval.

This is for health practitioners, health professionals, researchers, students, and teachers to read.

Each link provides information on specific topics of interest.

 

 Future Directions in Health in B.C.

The Government of Canada is changing healthcare systems in communities and the services provided. Communities and programs are more involved with awareness for more substantial equity, and diversity, helping lower-income communities access health care needs and medical care in vulnerable populations, reducing healthcare costs in the long term, with free prescriptions, and strengthening the access to care with funding towards programs.

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The Provincial Health Services Authority posted on social media about the upcoming starting date April 01, 2023 for free contraceptives and other birth control for B.C. residents. This is the first time that a province has introduced free prescriptions in Canada. This will help to reduce the cost of  unplanned pregnancies and reduce barriers of cost for women to access contraceptives.

 

Indigenous people who are First Nations, Metis, or Inuit have different DNA and understanding their treatment options for accessing substance use treatment is vital for harm reduction. In this article, the experiences of Indigenous people are highlighted, and solutions for their healing and well-being.

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B.C. and the Government of Canada have made a new announcement of Federal funding of 24.47 billion for B.C. to health care services, to support programs and communities for fair and equitable access to medical care in accordance with the Canada Health Act.

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Indigenous Health in Canada

Resources pertaining to Indigenous people were found through a PubMed search.

I found these resources through a PubMed search for recent journals and articles. I found one published in 2019 and the other two that were published in 2022. Another very good resource that was recommended to me is Greenwood, M., de Leeuw, S., & Lindsay, M.N. (2018). "Determinants of Indigenous people's Health-Beyond the social." Canadian Scholars. I went to the library and borrowed this book and have found that this resource has been beneficial in this course.

 

  • The first article explains how the approaches to First Nations health in B.C. through wellness leadership perspectives, principles, and values.

  • In this next journal article, the authors discuss the links between heart disease, colonialism, social determinants, and mental health of Indigenous people.

    • Field, S.N, Miles, R.M., Warburton, D.R. Linking Heart Health and Mental Wellbeing: Centering Indigenous Perspectives from across Canada. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 11(21):6485. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11216485

  • In this article, the authors state that more research needs to be concluded for understanding the relationships of Indigenous people and systemic racism, to gaining access to health care services for patients who suffer from dementia for better health outcomes.

    • Chakanyuka, C., Bacsu, J.R., DesRoches, A., Dame, J., Carrier, L., Symenuk,P., O'Connell, M.E., Crowshoe, L., Walker, J., Bourque Bearskin L. (2022). Indigenous-specific cultural safety within health and dementia care: A scoping review of reviews. Soc Sci Med. 293:114658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114658

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Marginalized Populations

 

I have been learning about people who are in marginalized groups, especially after Covid-19. This has changed my understanding of people living in poverty, LGBTQ2+ stats in Canada, and immigrants and to understand the health issues, and perspectives for working in the health care field. I found three curated resources.

 

  • In this report in chapter five, I learned about post-COVD-19 poverty in Canada. Approximately one in nine people suffer from poverty in Canada and the most marginalized population are women, recent immigrants, Indigenous people on reserves, racialized individuals, and LGBTQ2S. The government’s actions to reduce poverty have been revamped since covid, to make funding accessible to the most marginalized people that include single families, people with disabilities and caregivers to individuals and First Nations people living on reserves.

 

  • I was interested in the statistics regarding the LGBTQ2+ community because this group of people are advocating for gender change, equality, and more awareness in the health care system. There are approximately 1 million people in this community with more young people who are transgender.

    • Mulé, N.J., Ross, L.E., Deeprose, B. et al. (2009 May 15). Promoting LGBT health and wellbeing through inclusive policy development. Int J Equity Health 8, 18 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-8-18

 

  • According to the statistics, the rising population in Canada are their newest immigrants, reported of a population of 1.3 million arriving in Canada from 2016-2021. There are a reported 8.1 million immigrants currently living in Canada and makes up one fourth of the population in Canada. Most immigrants live in large cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal to have access to housing, employment, and be close to other family members. The percentage of immigrants is the highest in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Many newcomers came from Syria and make up approximated 67,000 of the population.

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Chronic diseases in Canada

Three resources on chronic diseases in Canada related to massage therapy are Cancer, hypertension, and neurological disease-Multiple Sclerosis.

  • Cancer and, when diagnosed, could be a reason for massage therapy and can help a client deal with anxiety, depression and to promote relaxation. This news article from Massage Therapy Canada highlights reasons for massage with a client diagnosed with cancer. There are a number of reasons why someone would benefit from massage therapy, but it depends on what stage a client is in and their health goals for before and after cancer treatment. This article emphasizes what a patient should do when inquiring about massage therapy and benefits.

  • Having high blood pressure is common with clients who have high stress and medical conditions that can be helped with massage therapy as a means to promote health and wellness.

  • Massage therapy has been studied with people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Studies have shown improvement in a client’s gait, mobility, improved circulation and decreased pain. Authors Schroeder, Doig, and Premjumar published a study of the effects of massage therapy on multiple sclerosis patient’s quality of life and leg function. This was published through the Evidence Based Complement Alternative Medicine.

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Multilevel Model of Health.

Covid-19- vaccinations and mandates for health care professionals in B.C.

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  • Through the British Columbia Pharmacy Association, I was able to track information regarding the protocols of accessing the flu and Covid-19 vaccines in B.C. I learned that any pharmacy can administer a vaccine without an appointment though it is recommended to have an appointment.

 

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  • The Government of B.C. has an update on vaccination requirements for health professionals and was posted on the B.C. Gov News. All health care professionals are to be vaccinated by March, 2022 to be employed in their stated occupation. The reasons are to protect the public from transmission and to stay healthy.

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  • The author Jang researched the social- ecological factors related to preventative behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. this is a good source for information regarding the ecological health model that i used for an assignment, and this mentions the four levels such as individual, interpersonal, community and government policy.

 

  • The author Palmer highlights the facts about Covid 19 vaccines and the misinterpretation of perceived side effects clarity on the safety of vaccines. 

 

 

 

Multiple Spheres of Health Influence.

In my master's of health studies course through AU, we are looking at different ways that determinants of health are impacted by levels of influence. I searched for three different health issue topics and found curated research for these that include Aboriginal women, cancer, and Covid-19.

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  • This journal discusses the population health model (POHEM) and gives a review of the rationale, methods and applications of cancer and health determinants. This article examines data derived from the model of individuals’ disease states, risk factors, and health determinants, in order to describe and project health outcomes, including disease incidence, prevalence, life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy, quality of life, and healthcare costs. 

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  • This journal discusses Covid-19 pandemic and the social determinants of health that affected vulnerable groups the most. Governments should be more prepared, post-covid-19, for maintaining social equity with strategic planning to overcome the challenges for marginalized groups.​

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What is Health?

This was a topic for open discussion, that started with WHO's definition of what is health, in my course at Athabasca University(AU) and I found four resources, two that were peer-reviewed, one from a University website, and a Youtube video.

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 Health Determinants

This space is for resources on current health determinants in BC, health inequities, and health policy. This is evidence based on population health studies, Government websites, and current statistics regarding factors that influence health.

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How Universal is our Health Care System in Canada?

  • During my degree at Thompson Rivers University I studied HLTH 4021 and we used this informative textbook for our readings. I utilize this and refer back to it often for health information on policy.

    • ​Bryant, T. (2016). An introduction to health policy. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press. ISBN 978-1551309

 

 

How might the Canada Health Act might be modernized?

Massage therapy and Canada Post benefits for employees.

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This B.C law and other resources states how massage therapists can work in B.C as regulated massage therapist.

 

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©2025 by Kethra Stewart. 

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