Ontario is funding the purchase of eight new Dodge Caravans for the North West LHIN to help area seniors get to and from medical appointments, wellness programs, and recreational activities like exercise classes as part of the province’s landmark Aging at Home Strategy.
A total of 100 vans across the province, and more than 250 new programs, are part of this $1.1-billion initiative to help seniors live healthy, independent lives in the comfort and dignity of their own homes.

Most of us remember being caught in a nettle patch with too much exposed skin and no easy way out.
Such a nutritious plant must protect itself, after all, and some believe the sting itself has health-giving properties.
Individual sensitivity to nettles varies. For some, it stings for a few minutes while for others it causes a numbness that may last a few days.
Being protected with long sleeves and gloves should keep the stinging to a minimum when gathering this delicious herb. The stinging properties are neutralized by crushing, drying, or cooking.

Hot and humid summer days bring an added danger: heat stress.
Ontario has tips and information to help employers and workers learn how to protect themselves from this seasonal hazard.
When heat is combined with other stresses like hard physical work, fluid loss, fatigue, or some medical conditions, it can lead to heat-related illness, disability, and even death.
Heat stress can affect anyone, including the young and fit, and can be a concern in many workplaces.
Symptoms of heat stress can include excessive sweating, headache, rashes, cramping, dizziness, and fainting.

With all the white fluff balls from the poplar trees floating in the air, and with the weeds growing like mad because of all of the rain we’ve been getting, seasonal allergy victims are being hit hard this summer.
It happens every year, but with the allergy relief that comes with the winter months, this re-emergence hits with a vengeance that always seems to be a little worse than before.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has issued a directive to all Ontario hospitals to begin reporting new patient safety indicators.
Effective Sept. 30, hospitals must report cases of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).
Starting Dec. 31, all cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR) must be reported.
Wayne Woods, president and CEO of Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc., says this is a good opportunity to reinforce Riverside’s commitment to patient safety.

Results from a recent “Family Activity Survey,” distributed to families in local housing units, were shared with members of the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board during their regular meeting last Thursday.
Sandra Weir, Non-Profit Housing manager, and receptionist Heidi Parr presented the findings.
“It was designed for families in the units to see what types of issues they deal with and what services they require,” said Weir, noting Parr developed the survey while she was there for her placement from Confederation College.

Wal-Mart in Fort Frances has made a donation of $5,920 to the Children’s Miracle Network.
The money will help support 14 children’s hospitals across Canada in caring for the most critically-ill children.
Staff here raised money through an in-store fundraising event, and part of the money raised was matched by Wal-Mart Canada’s home office in Mississauga.
The donation is part of Wal-Mart Canada’s Local Matching Grant Program, which provides support to hundreds of local Canadian charities across the country every year.

For several years, Crime Stoppers’ programs across Ontario have been working to reach out to one of the province’s most vital resources—seniors.
Because June has been designated “Seniors Month” in Ontario, and June 15 was recognized as “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day,” Crime Stoppers of Northwestern Ontario and northern Minnesota wants to highlight the “Seniors Crime Stoppers” program and stress that seniors’ safety is a very important issue for local communities.

The Rainy River District Breast Health Network held a charity barbecue Saturday at M&M Meat Shops on Second Street East.
No stranger to holding such events, franchise owner and manager Chris McKinnon had a personal reason for staging this one.
“My mom is a nurse that works underneath the [breast health network]. It’s close to my heart,” McKinnon said.
M&M Meat Shops tend to “focus a lot on charity,” he added, noting he’d be happy to continue to host barbecues in support of worthy causes.

Ontario pharmacists soon may have the ability to prescribe drugs to patients as Queen’s Park looks to join other provinces to expand the prescribing powers of pharmacists, non-physicians, and nurses.
Health minister George Smitherman has said the implementation of this would have to be done with much caution, but that there would be an “extraordinary convenience” to patients.

Glen Fenster of Aventura, Fla. took a rest Monday night at the Super 8 Motel here after a hard day of biking.
Starting out from Denver, Colo., Fenster first headed to California, travelled up the Pacific Coast to Vancouver, then went across western Canada to Fort Frances, where he crossed the border yesterday en route to his final destination of Miami.
He’s riding his bike a total of 13,000 km for the purpose of raising money and awareness for epilepsy—a medical condition that affects 50 million people around the world, including his son, Nyle.

The local Salvation Army is hoping area residents step up with donations after its annual “Red Shield Appeal” last month raised only half of its $20,000 goal.
And the ministry says it needs to raise that other $10,000 in order to meet the needs of the community.
The Salvation Army currently is serving 620 families across Rainy River District, including 750 adults, 100 teenagers, and 350 children.

As of Monday, the new Meditech system was up and running smoothly at La Verendrye Hospital in Fort Frances, with work underway yesterday to implement the system at the Emo and Rainy River health centres.
Meditech is a health information system that ties into a regional database.
The first phase of implementation at Riverside includes a tie-in to patient registration, health records, and diagnostic imaging.
The project has been in the works since early January, noted Wayne Woods, president and CEO of Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc.

The La Verendrye General Hospital Auxiliary, noticing the low quantities of basic amenities in hospitals, has proposed addressing the problem by donating “emergency care packages” to those in need.
On Friday, auxiliary members Marlene McQuarrie (vice-president) and Betty Cox (sick and visiting) made the first donation of many to Karla Rogozinski, a registered nurse on St. Andrew’s Ward.
Hospitals find basic toiletries in short supply when they have to distribute them to the patients in their care.

Twenty-one teams have registered to take part in this year’s “Relay for Life” here, but organizer John Rafferty noted additional ones are still welcome to sign up.
“Our target is 25 so if there are four more teams hiding out there, we’d love to hear from them,” he said, adding about 150 participants in all are registered so far.
The event, a significant fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, is running June 27-28 from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. at Pither’s Point Park.
Rafferty said teams should have at least 10 members, with each member raising a minimum of $100.

Tristan Shumaker of Rainy River has decided to join Fort Frances resident Tania Cox in this year’s “Cuts for Cancer,” with the hope of raising $2,000 by shaving off his curly locks.
“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” the 19-year-old stressed, noting although he has not directly been affected by cancer, he knows many people who have been.
“I thought I could raise a lot of money for a good cause,” he remarked.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is this Sunday (June 15) and to bring attention to the issue locally, informational placemats will be used at a number of restaurants.
“We just want to bring awareness—so people understand what it is, what some of the signs are, and where to go for help,” said Gerri Yerxa, chair of the Elder Abuse Awareness committee.
“The placemats offer some basic information,” she added.
Yerxa said the committee came up with the idea to use placemats as a way to provide information to the community in a non-obtrusive way.

This year, 130 Grade 10 students at Fort Frances High School participated in the P.A.R.T.Y. program (Prevent Alcohol-Related Trauma in Youth).
They followed the journey of an injured person from first contact with ambulance/fire/police through emergency room care, and ending with rehabilitation and what it is like to be an injury survivor.
The most challenging part of the day, according to the students, was eating lunch without use of their hands like a brain-injured person would have to.

Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. wishes to advise the public that its facilities in Fort Frances, Emo, and Rainy River have not been adversely affected by the recent Meditech system failure in the Thunder Bay Region.
Riverside was set to go online with Meditech this week, however, start-up has been delayed due to the system failure.
All scheduled appointments at La Verendrye Hospital, Emo Health Centre, and Rainy River Health Care are being seen.
Call 274-4803 if you have any questions or need additional information.

An association of Canadian doctors has pushed the federal government to provide $1 billion to help combat a national shortage of heath-care workers.
The Canadian Medical Association has said health reform experts have identified disparities among all types of physicians, specialists, nurses, and technicians.
The shortage of doctors has been a major contributor to the obstacle of reducing long waiting lists for procedures like heart bypasses and cancer care, and also has affected wait times in emergency rooms across Canada.