Sandra Smiley (she/her)

Re-upping my conversation with @drmelissalem.bsky.social in advance of 🇨🇦‘s National Day of Action on Planetary Health, 6 October: planetaryhealthday.ca

#planetaryhealthday @cape-acme.bsky.social

B.C. funeral homes say provincial burial support falls thousands short of covering costs | CBC News British Columbia's government helps to pay families who can't afford funeral costs, but those who offer the services say the funding isn't enough and could mean the demise of rural operators.

“We need to recognize that the people most impacted, they're not able to speak for themselves … to say, 'Hey, this is the dignified care needed after someone dies’”

BC funeral homes say provincial burial support falls short of covering costs
via @cdnpress.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Toronto ER costs, visits by frequent patients reduced with new housing model | CBC News The Dunn House, a long-term housing project with easy access to healthcare, is helping 48 of Toronto's most-frequent visitors to the ER. The program has greatly reduced the number of hospital visits a...

Toronto ER costs, visits by frequent patients reduced with new housing model
via @liamdevlincasey.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Today marks 10 years since the bombing of the Kunduz trauma centre, #Afghanistan. We remember the 42 lives lost, including 14 MSF colleagues.

Since reopening in 2021, our teams have treated over 95,000 emergency patients. Hear how the new hospital is helping the community.

The war in Sudan is the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. Here’s how it started and the toll so far The conflict is in its third year, with the latest ceasefire talks going nowhere. Meanwhile, aid is falling far short of what’s needed

What to know about the war in Sudan
via @geoffreyyork.bsky.social @theglobeandmail.com
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

SickKids is opening first-of-its-kind sickle cell clinic in Canada, and naming it after renowned Black community member - NOW Toronto For the first time in Canada, children with sickle cell disease will have access to a dedicated clinic at SickKids — named in honour of a distinguished Ontario public servant.

Children with sickle cell disease will have access to a dedicated clinic at SickKids thanks to The Prince Hall Family, and it will be named after a distinguished Ontario public servant. #SickKids #SickleCellDisease #PrinceHallFamily

nowtoronto.com/news/sickkid...

Planetary health is public health - Healthy Debate Ignoring planetary health would be a gross dereliction of duty by the public health profession.

At @cape-acme.bsky.social we're sometimes asked, Why don't doctors stay in their lane?

The answer: health is about more than health care.

Planetary health is public health, which is why the first National Day of Action on Planetary Health is happening Oct. 6.

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Gaza doctors are starving while fighting to save lives, evacuated medic tells BBC - BBC News Dr Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, who worked in hospitals in Gaza for two years, says Israeli strikes have made conditions "indescribable" for colleagues still there.

Gaza doctors are starving while fighting to save lives, evacuated medic tells BBC
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Opinion: Criminalizing drug use won't solve addiction It’s easy to cheer for more enforcement against drug users and for abandoning them to deadly consequences if they don’t comply.

My latest op ed 👇🏼

I almost spit out my coffee when I read the headline and premise of last week’s opinion column by Marshall Smith, the former chief of staff to the premier of Alberta: “Banning public drug use is bold, courageous and obvious.”

calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Centre in Iqaluit says territory is in a food ‘crisis’ Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre and Arctic Youth and Child Foundation in Iqaluit say territory is in a food ‘crisis’

“It’s very clear. Give people money for food. When people have money, they use it for food.”

Centre in Iqaluit says territory is in a food crisis
via @aptnnews.bsky.social
www.aptnnews.ca/national-new...

« Le père des soins palliatifs, le Dr Balfour Mount, n’est plus »

Article @cdnpress.bsky.social @katrinedesautels.bsky.social (FR + EN)

Témoignages du Dr Patrick Vinay @vivredignite.bsky.social & @jstnsndrs.bsky.social @caremcgill.bsky.social
www.lapresse.ca/actualites/s...

#RIPBalfourMount 1/

‘Will my baby be born in a tent? Will it have food?’: what it’s like to be pregnant in Gaza The World Health Organization has warned that more than 40% of pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are malnourished. Here, Nour Ziad al-Batsh, who is expecting her third child in March, describes her daily struggle to find food and healthcare

‘Will my baby be born in a tent? Will it have food?’: what it’s like to be pregnant in Gaza

For Eva Jewell, the public and political indifference to the dignity of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people is rooted in a specific problem: Canadian exceptionalism that touts progressive feminist politics except if you’re Indigenous. thewalrus.ca/trc-gender/

Today, I’m revisiting my convo with the wonderful Derek K. Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun, Director of Indigenous Engagement @ubcmedicine.bsky.social.

In it, Derek shares reflections on Truth & Reconciliation, & the part that medical learners can play in moving the process forward. 🍁🧡🩺

The Ottawa Public Health supervised consumption site is seen upon its opening in 2017.

Another Ottawa supervised consumption site faces closure as province withholds support https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/another-ottawa-supervised-consumption-site-faces-closure-as-province-withholds-support-1.7646739

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 ⇢ CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter

For volunteer paramedics in Gaza, every lost second can mean a lost life The ambulance has become an extension of Mohammed Hosni, who rarely rests or sees his family

www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

Doctors renew calls for overdose prevention with 'pop-up' sites at Vancouver Island hospitals | CBC News A group of physicians on Vancouver Island have rekindled their advocacy for overdose prevention sites in health-care settings by creating their own unsanctioned sites outside of major hospitals in Vic...

Doctors renew calls for overdose prevention with 'pop-up' sites at Vancouver Island hospitals
via CBC News
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Indigenous surgeon draws on lessons from her mother to make history Nadine Caron is working to advance health equity in Indigenous patients

Indigenous surgeon draws on lessons from her mother to make history
via @kkirkup.bsky.social @theglobeandmail.com
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Involuntary care was put in the spotlight last fall during the provincial election campaign when Premier David Eby announced plans to expand that type of care for people with addiction.

B.C. is expanding its involuntary care program. What does the treatment involve? https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/involuntary-care-treatment-bc-1.7553745

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 ⇢ CanadaHealthwatch.ca 🍁

Last night, Al-Helou hospital in #Gaza City, supported by MSF, sustained severe collateral damage from nearby attacks. This came despite multiple assurances from Israeli forces that the hospital was not in danger.

Unsanctioned overdose prevention sites open again in Victoria, Nanaimo Doctors for Safer Drug Policy installed two overdose prevention sites near Royal Jubilee Hospital and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital over the weekend.

Doctors for Safer Drug Policy installed two overdose prevention sites near Royal Jubilee Hospital and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital over the weekend.

"Liver harm caused by alcohol is a public health problem. Collectively, we need to take better care of our livers by taking steps to reduce alcohol consumption in the population."
CISUR's Tim Naimi in @ca.theconversation.com #alcoholpolicy #alcoholresearch

Palestine: MSF forced to suspend activities amid intensified Israeli offensive in Gaza City | Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF ... The relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza City has forced Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend essential medical activities in the area due to the rapidly deteriorating sec...

“Our clinics are encircled … we have been left with no choice”

Palestine: MSF forced to suspend activities amid intensified Israeli offensive in Gaza City
via @msf.ca

www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/palestine-ms...

The Global Sumud Flotilla on its way to Gaza is an act of protest and a show of support for Palestinians enduring annihilation through Israel’s genocide.

I’m wishing the flotilla success. At @msf.org, we support this action of solidarity and humanity.

Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds Wounds such as burns or leg injuries more common in Gaza than among US soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan Civilians in Gaza have sustained injuries of a type and on a scale more usually seen among professional soldiers involved in intense combat operations, research has found. A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that some types of wounds – such as burns or injuries to legs – were more common among civilians in Gaza than among US soldiers fighting in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Civilian injuries in Gaza similar to those of soldiers in war zones, study finds

In Bed with the Elephant Politics Podcast · What does it mean to share a bed with power, whether it’s a corporation or an empire, when every move it makes shakes your world? If that question keeps you up at night, In Bed wit...

On the next episode of my @ricochetmedia.bsky.social podcast (Sept. 25) an interview w/ @yipengge.bsky.social The primary care doctor has been outspoken in his support for the Palestinian people. He talks about medical violence in the midst of #genocide. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...

Israel is deliberately depriving people of aid in #Gaza.

MSF’s new report shows how restrictions blocked medical supplies, sometimes even forcing our teams to perform procedures without anesthesia.

Read the report: ow.ly/YZ8v50WZFBs

People with schizophrenia were hit hard by B.C.’s deadly 2021 heat dome People with schizophrenia made up almost 16 per cent of deaths in B.C.’s 2021 heat dome. Their experiences show why cooling must be treated as a right, not a privilege.

"As heatwaves grow more frequent & intense, public health & housing policy must shift from expecting people to cope on their own toward they can stay cool enough"

People with schizophrenia were hit hard by BC’s deadly 2021 heat dome
via @ca.theconversation.com
theconversation.com/people-with-...

How this Vancouver ER doctor's study could change how opioid addiction is treated Dr. Jessica Moe's promising study is examining how microdosing Suboxone can help patients avoid painful withdrawal symptoms. Find out more.

How this Vancouver ER doctor's study could change how opioid addiction is treated
via @vancouversun.bsky.social
vancouversun.com/health/vanco...

Exclusive: LNG Expansion Brings New Health Risks to Kitimat | The Tyee The project’s fast-tracked second phase would push a key pollutant far above current limits, documents reveal.

LNG Canada's fast-tracked Phase 2 breaches Canada's air standards for nitrogen dioxide in Kitimat.

That could mean growing acid rain and ground-level ozone.

"It rusts the body," said U of T prof Jeffrey Brook.