☕ Dementia Dollars
Your Weekly Dose of Health Insights – Because Your Health Isn’t Just a Headline
Good morning, Other Siders!
Whether you’re reading this first thing in the morning or catching up over your third coffee, welcome to The Other Side of the Care. I’m thrilled to see so many new faces in our growing community; you’re officially part of the club! Every week we dig beneath the headlines to bring you fresh case studies and stories from around the world that you can put to work in your practice today. We’re more than a newsletter—we’re a movement dedicated to helping healthcare providers navigate change. Our consulting team has been leading digital‑health strategies, operational make‑overs and change leadership for years, and we’d love to help your organization thrive.
Let's dive into this week's healthcare adventures, shall we?
In today’s edition:
Brain‑Boosting Bucks!
Data Sovereignty SOS!
Hepatitis D Now Carcinogenic!
Case in Point: Virtual Care Lifts Rural Providers in BC
News that Impacts You!
Brain‑Boosting Bucks! 🧠💸
Canada just invested $44.8 million in brain‑health research to tackle dementia. The CIHR will pump $39.4 million into the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, with partners adding $5.4 million. This funding will improve prevention, diagnosis and care for the 487,000 Canadians over 65 living with dementia, train the next generation of researchers and launch a national knowledge‑sharing hub. Imagine your forgetful aunt finally getting personalized care because researchers cracked the code. How would you invest in keeping your brain sharp?
Data Sovereignty SOS! 🔐
A CMAJ commentary warns that Canada’s health data sits on US‑owned cloud servers (Microsoft, Amazon and Google), exposing it to foreign laws. Doctors urge encryption‑by‑default, rules keeping data in Canada, and investment in domestic servers to safeguard privacy and build home‑grown AI. Think of it like storing your diary in your neighbour’s house—do you trust their rules? A Vancouver clinician relying on US servers might worry that sensitive patient info could be subpoenaed abroad. Do you feel comfortable with your medical records in another country?
Hepatitis D Now Carcinogenic! 🍃⚠️
On World Hepatitis Day, WHO declared hepatitis D carcinogenic. Hepatitis B, C and D infect over 300 million people and cause 1.3 million deaths yearly. Few patients know they’re infected; only 13% with hepatitis B and 36% with hepatitis C are diagnosed. WHO urges countries to scale up vaccination, testing and treatment. Think about an immigrant family who gets screened at their community clinic—early treatment could prevent liver cancer. Would you support mandatory hepatitis screening?
💭Let us know what you think in the comment section.
🕵️♀️Case in Point
Virtual Care Lifts Rural Providers in BC
Background & Problem: Rural and remote communities in British Columbia—including many First Nations—struggle with limited healthcare access, workforce shortages and long travel times. During the pandemic, the Rural Coordination Centre of BC, First Nations Health Authority and BC Ministry of Health partnered with UBC’s Digital Emergency Medicine Unit to build a Real‑Time Virtual Support (RTVS) network. The network delivers patient‑facing virtual care and decision‑support services for local providers through video conferencing, phone lines and an integrated electronic record
The Solution:
RTVS offers multiple pathways:
Peer‑to‑Peer Services: Rural physicians and nurses can video‑conference with emergency doctors, pediatricians and other specialists for immediate advice Over 20 specialty pathways include the Rural Urgent Doctor In‑Aid (RUDi), Maternity and Babies Advice Line (MaBAL) and Child Health Advice in Real‑time Electronically (CHARLiE).
First Nations Team‑Based Services: Culturally‑safe virtual clinics provide primary care, addictions medicine and psychiatry; many providers are of First Nations ancestry.
8‑1‑1 Virtual Physicians (HEiDi): Integration of virtual physicians into BC’s health‑information hotline allows nurses to triage callers and connect them with doctors for assessment and advice.
The Outcome:
How We Can Help: RTVS demonstrates how a coordinated, publicly funded virtual‑care network can relieve pressure on rural hospitals, support isolated providers and deliver culturally safe care. The Other Side of Care team can help your organization design similar models—integrating virtual pathways with existing workflows, training clinicians to use digital platforms, evaluating outcomes and ensuring cultural safety. Our expertise in digital‑health strategy and operational transformation positions us to guide hospitals and clinics through the entire change journey.
📈What’s Trending🔥
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Open Mic for Other Siders
We love hearing from you, Other Siders! What healthcare challenges are you facing? Which topics would you like us to cover in future editions? Did any of this week's news items particularly resonate with your experience? click the "Reply" button. Your input shapes our content and helps us deliver the insights you need most!