Common Ground | Terrain commun A Culture of Health

Whether a person lives with Chronic Pain from a hereditary condition like EhlersDanlos Syndrome and either of its comorbid conditions where life saving treatments and quality of life giving surgeries may be required, or if they live with acquired Chronic Pain, as a disease in its own right, there are gaps in access to care that go well beyond surgical treatments.

The federal government is not recognizing chronic pain... more »

This idea is about wellness or healthy living. According to a recent national study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “The prevalence of stress in primary care is high; 60% to 80% of visits may have a stress-related component” [1, references at the end]. Ontario findings may be no different.
Stress is a behavioral problem. It results from our lack of deep acknowledgement of our unseen common ground leading... more »

I'm hearing that people know there are mental health services available in Ontario, but don't know how to access them or where to begin. We should create a governmental agency called Mental Health Ontario, a one-stop shop for access to care for key mental health services similar to Cancer Care Ontario. This agency would be responsible to drive continuos improvement in prevention, recognition of risk, mental health screening,... more »

Over 2 million Ontarians have no prescription drug coverage at all.
One in four Ontarians do not take their medications as prescribed because they cannot afford them, and too many end up in hospitals and emergency rooms as a result.

Ontario should become Canada's first judristiction to implement a truly universal Pharmacare programme - so as ALL Ontarians can get the medications they need.

That would mean lower cost,... more »

As their parents did a generation ago, today's Ontario families struggle to find accessible, affordable, quality childcare. The provincial government's commitment and substantial funding is welcome and the right first step for building a system of universal high quality childcare. Now what's needed is the follow-up: affordable, geared-to-income fees; a professional and properly paid child care workforce; public/non-profit... more »

Many people have have benefits from employment (or by buying insurance) that include disability coverage from insurance companies to replace income due to illness or disability.

Ever try collecting this?

The insurance companies like Manulife act in bad faith to deny benefits on spurious grounds - particularly if they are dealing with mental health disabilities such as depression.

They will claim the coverage is not... more »

Ingratiation of All Aspects of Palliative Care: Why not have a entire floor or a wing in every hospital dedicate to only people who require palliative care. Why should those patents be moved to a different hospital to receive Palliative care. Should there not be more than 10 beds for palliative care patients in a city of over 175,000. Not everyone has the options of dying at home. 90% of the patients prefer to... more »

Often employers seek sick notes for employees needing a sick day as proof of illness, this practice often results as a tax on the sick as doctors notes are not covered by OHIP, but as well for many short term illness that are 1-3 days long that do not warrant medical intervention. This practice is no doubt a burden upon our healthcare system and working people of this province for the sole reason of employers not placing... more »

Recent Polls Show 84% of Condo residents want Smoking banned in High Rise Condominiums. 700,000 Ontarians are affected by smoking issues, including Marijuana.

Families with Children with mental issues must get tax relief, automatically they should receive disability tax credit, Parents have to get in tons of debt to help their kid with different treatments, special programs, extra curricular activities, private schools, etc. Several kids with mental illnesses can't be part of a public school so parents have to make loans to get them in private school which are very expensive.... more »

Government must improve regulations of Senior living as it pertains to Senior Care. As a senior, I would be frightened to have to go into a Senior Care facility as they are simply not regulated properly and some simply slip through the cracks as far as humane care. We therefore must improve at home care where feasible for the elderly. As well, in regard to taxing of CPP etc, I believe taxing of pensions based on a... more »

The 3 month waiting period for OHIP coverage after gaining eligibility is being currently applied people who have been living in Ontario for years and years with OHIP-ineligible but legally valid immigration status - for example, in the case were that person was doing research in a PhD program under a study permit. It seems common-sensical that there should be no such waiting period in this case.

More generally, there... more »

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s recent decision to terminate operations of the Ontario Mental Health Foundation and assume responsibility for related funding will inevitably decrease accessibility thereto. The ministry cites an increase of independent treatment centers as a key incentive for this switch. However, these centers, composed largely of privately practicing clinicians and non-profits, lack cohesiveness... more »

Bill 174 takes 3 issues, Marijuana, Tobacco and Vapor Products and regulates them all exactly the same way as if they were all tobacco when in fact they are completely different issues. I am completely for keeping stiff regulations on tobacco to minimize usage however marijuana and vapor products should have their own framework.

When it comes to marijuana it's not like cigarettes, people don't use it to maintain an... more »

In Ontario, we have one of the most comprehensive health care systems in the world. In the mental health area, there have been many strides made - specifically as it relates to Children & Youth.

We recognize that there are significant gaps in access to mental health support services province-wide. While there has been a successful three-year strategy for children and youth, more needs to be done.

Our vision is for... more »