New government resources @ OPL

Life with Arthritis in Canada: a Personal and Public Health Challenge
"This report... provides an overview of arthritis in the Canadian population and its wide-ranging impact. It also suggests approaches for reducing the risk of developing some types of arthritis in addition to minimizing disability and improving the quality of life of those living with any type of arthritis."

Employer's Roadmap to Hiring and Retaining Internationally Trained Workers
This is a guide for employers in small and medium-sized businesses. Some of the topics covered include reasons for hiring internationally-trained workers and how to find them, tips on preparing for a diverse work force, and integrating and retaining such workers.

Health Works
Written for small business owners, this booklet outlines a simple, five-step process for improving business and employee health.

Canadian Health Measures Survey
"This... is the most extensive national survey on physical health measures ever conducted in [Canada]. The CMHS captures a broad portrait of the health of Canadians ... including cardiovascular health, nutritional status, chronic diseases and physical activity," among other measures.

Health in Canada

Statistics Canada's website features a helpful page called "Health in Canada." It's a one-stop source for information about the health of Canadians. Upcoming and recent releases are featured, such as a study about Bisphenol A concentrations in the Canadian population. Current health statistics about the population are featured for ready reference - such as birth and death rates, current smokers, high blood pressure, and life expectancy.

Under "Health Profile," you can find information about your community by health unit, or health integration unit. For example, you can create a chart for Halton Region that measures the perceived well-being of the population, as well as the incidence of health conditions such as arthritis, obesity, diabetes and asthma.

Access is also provided to "Health Reports," an excellent journal of population health and health services research. The August 2010 issue, for example, contains articles about the role of socio-economic status in diabetes incidence, and health-promoting factors among Canadians in mid-to-late life.

Finally, "Health Subtopics" provide information about the population's health, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect health, use of and access to health care services, and health-related reasearch. News releases, statistical tables,and publications are all brought together in one easy-to-use source.

H1N1 Resources

Looking for information about H1N1? Check out the Government of Canada's Fightflu.ca site. A great source for up-to-date information about symptoms, the H1N1 vaccine, and flu protection.

Want more local information? Try Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-term Care flu site.

Health in Canada

Statistics Canada has just introduced a new module available from its home page. Called Health in Canada the module features the most up-to-date statistics on the health of Canadians and the health care system.
Scroll down the page and view the sections: Health Indicators (data about a topic), Health Reports (articles on a topic), Health Subtopics (information by theme) and Health Profile, which features community-level data from a number of sources, including Statistics Canada's health surveys, administrative data, and the Census of population.
The application provides the latest statistics available for a selected health region (e.g. Oakville), provides the corresponding provincial data by default, and users can easily select any region of choice for comparison.

Use this information to:

• Find the latest health statistics available from a wide range of indicators for a specific region
• Quickly compare with provincial or national rates, other jurisdictions, peer groups, etc.
• Profile the overall health of a community.
• Toggle to census Community profile data for the same area.

Health and medical information in Ontario

Consumer Health Information Service (CHIS) at the Toronto Public Library provides access to a wealth of health and medical information for Ontarians. Located on the 3rd. floor of the Toronto Reference Library, CHIS is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion. The website provides details of walk-in and telephone services and a list of resources. Check out the Health Guides on a wide range of topics and the CHIS Blog (see link "More Gov Blogs" on the sidebar)
Another excellent source, this time from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care is the Medical Services Directory. Enter your postal code to bring up a list of Walk-in clinics, Health Care Providers, Emergency Rooms etc. in your area.