Brampton Heart attack patients to head south
By PETER CRISCIONE | BramptonGuardian.com | February 14, 2010

Cardiac care. Heart attack patients in Brampton and surrounding area will soon be transported directly to Mississauga’s Trillium Health Centre, granting them access to treatment they can’t get in this city.

Heart attack patients in Brampton and surrounding area will soon be transported directly to Mississauga’s Trillium Health Centre, granting them access to treatment they can’t get in this city. “Please be advised that (Trillium has) finalized an agreement with William Osler Health System to permit the bypassing of their facility for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients,” states Peel Paramedic Services Director Peter Dundas in a memo issued to local paramedics on Friday.

Peel emergency responders have been advised that starting March 1, Osler will allow paramedics to transport serious heart attack patients to the cardiac catheterization lab at Trillium without visiting Brampton Civic Hospital (BCH) first. News of the agreement follows an article published in The Guardian earlier this month about local physicians who are urging health officials to beef up cardiology services in Brampton by introducing an angioplasty program.

Currently, area residents are taken to the emergency department at Brampton Civic where a physician examines them and administers blood-clot busting drugs- a procedure considered outdated by the medical establishment. Blood-clot busting drugs only work half the time and in many instances people end up at Trillium where a balloon catheter is used to open the blocked coronary artery (angioplasty).

Angioplasty is considered the new “gold standard” in treatment and several area physicians, including Dr. Sheldon Cheskes, medical director for the Sunnybrook Osler Centre for Pre-Hospital Care, have put pressure on Osler to allow emergency crews to save valuable time and transport patients directly to Mississauga. Paramedics stationed in the south end of Peel Region have been trained to use an electrocardiogram machine, which allows emergency responders to determine if a patient is having a heart attack.

Once confirmed, paramedics contact Trillium’s on-call cardiologist and a team is immediately prepared for the patient’s arrival. Health officials say the initiative, launched last year, has paid off big time for Mississauga residents as survival rates have increased drastically in a short period. This new agreement between Osler and Trillium will now give residents in Brampton and surrounding area access to cutting edge treatment in record time.

The aim in treating STEMI patients is to restore blood flow through the artery within 90 minutes of a heart attack. Since the launch of the primary percutaneous coronary intervention program (PPCI),Peel emergency crews have managed to get patients treated (on average) within 68.5 minutes- undercutting the North American standard by nearly half an hour. Dundas welcomed the news. “This is very exciting news for Peel Region Paramedic Services and the patients we serve,” Dundas said.

Stranded drivers beware

THORNHILL, ON, Feb. 19 /CNW/ - If stranded on the side of the road, CAA recommends drivers make themselves as visible as possible to passing motorists, especially on a busy highway or at night time.
 
"Don't assume drivers can see you," said Silvana Aceto, spokesperson for CAA SCO. "The recent tragic events on our roads remind us how important it is to know what to do if you find yourself stuck on the side of the road."  Keep the following items handy in your vehicle: a reflective vest, a flashlight, flares and a fully charged cell phone to call for help.
 
CAA is reminding motorists each case is unique and drivers must assess their own personal safety before getting out of their vehicles. "There's no hard and fast rule. Sometimes staying in your vehicle with your seatbelt on is the safest option. Other times, it's getting as far away from the side of the road as possible."

In all cases, CAA advises people to stay calm and choose the safest option. CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering insurance, travel, automotive care and roadside services. There are more than 1.8 million CAA members in South Central Ontario and 5 million members in Canada. Visit www.caasco.com.

For further information: Media contact
Silvana Aceto, Media and PR Specialist, CAA SCO, 60 Commerce Valley Drive East, Thornhill, ON, L3T 7P9, sace@caasco.ca, Office: (905) 771-3194,
Cell: (416) 209-4930, and/or Jason Ballantyne, Manager, communications, CAA SCO, jsb@caasco.ca,  (905) 771-4709, Cell: (416) 254-0641.

Community spreads word on diversity issues
http://www.southasianfocus.ca/printArticle/86231
Wednesday February 17 2010 | BY KIM ZARZOUR

He was a professional back home, but a 'nobody' here.

The South Asian man struggled, as an immigrant in York Region, to maintain control with a family of teenagers who were struggling with new-Canadian pressures of their own until, lacking employment or dignity, he could struggle no more. And he killed himself.

Today, his widow is toiling to keep the family together, working 18-hour shifts at a factory job to put food on the table while her children flounder.

"These people are in crisis," said Naushad Hirji, chair of the Social Services Network, recounting this family's story recently. "They need help today or the family is going to disintegrate. These are the kind of very real issues we face."

Raising a family is tough at the best of times. It's tougher in a recession. It's tougher still if you're an immigrant from South Asia, coping with discrimination, isolation, financial worries and cultural pressures. This is why the SSN has produced a documentary outlining the issues faced by York Region's burgeoning South Asian community.

The 40-minute video, along with a PowerPoint presentation revealing the diverse religious and cultural backgrounds among South Asians, were presented in Markham recently to 50 representatives of human service agencies and the local community. The project, Layers of Diversity Within the South Asian Community, was created this summer with the help of 10 youth volunteers and funding from the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture. The students interviewed 35 people in six days to learn about the diversity, problems and possible solutions for Ontario's largest visible minority group.

"There are a range of issues in the community that are not being addressed right now . issues like poverty, homelessness, youth unemployment, employment equity. These issues here are not going to go away," Hirji said.

"There's no quick fix. The only fix is if we identify the problems. But sometimes the community has a habit of putting those issues under the carpet. We need to tell them ... these are no longer taboos." United Way of York Region CEO Daniele Zanotti, quoted in the video, pointed out concerns of particular importance to South Asians: economic independence, integration and helping youth grow up strong.

The video features South Asians describing their transition into Canadian society, coping with discrimination and cold winters, figuring out public transit, working at call Centres despite professional credentials, struggling to get references for apartment rentals and to understand a foreign school system. Stress and long working hours can lead to health problems, said Dr. Charanjit Bambra, the SSN's then executive director. In six or seven years, Bambra predicted, "the hospitals and health services are simply not going to be able to cope".

For more information, to download a booklet about the South Asian community or to link to the Layers of Diversity video, visit www.socialservicesnetwork.org.