‘Tis the season for field tomatoes!

Nothing compares to the flavour of the garden and field tomatoes that are available in western Canada in the summer and early fall. This is the time that gardeners are harvesting tomatoes by the box full. Canned tomatoes and tomatoes grown in greenhouses are available all year long. We tend to think of tomatoes as red, but they can come in different colours, including purple, orange, yellow, green, striped etc. They are a great source of antioxidants, including vitamin C and lycopene. Tomatoes are thought to have originated in the Andes Mountains in South America. They are now eaten all over the world.

Tomatoes are wonderful fresh or cooked. They can be eaten on their own or as part of a delicious recipe. They can be frozen, canned, or dehydrated. They are great made into sauce or salsa. The University of Saskatchewan recommends storing fresh tomatoes between 15-22˚C out of direct sunlight.

Only store in the fridge once the tomato is cut or chopped; storing at temperatures below 10˚C with cause chilling injury. Storing and Preserving Garden Tomatoes – Home & Family (homefamily.net)

Three ways to freeze fresh raw tomatoes | UMN Extension
National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Tomatoes (uga.edu)
Recipes:

Manitoba Health launches pilot project for retinal specialists in Dauphin

Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon made a stop in Dauphin July 27 to announce details of a Retinal Specialist pilot project, in partnership with Ashcroft Vision Care.

The new program will be especially beneficial to patients who must travel to Winnipeg once a month for injections and currently face barriers due to a lack of access to care close to home including limited transportation options and additional expenses.

Also participating in the announcement were Ashcroft Vision Care optometrist Dr. Kara Vanderheyden and Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski.

Read the full news release here.

Province invests in CT Scanner for Swan Valley Health Centre in Swan River

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson joined Health Minister Audrey Gordon and Prairie Mountain Health CEO Brian Schoonbaert on July 28 to announce the plan to install a CT Scanner within Swan Valley Health Centre in Swan River.

The province is committing $2 million to the initiative and the surrounding communities are contributing $1-million.

Schoonbaert indicated the next step in the process will be hiring a consultant to see where the CT Scanner can be located within the hospital.

Read the full press release here.

Mindful Eating

Although we strive to make healthy choices by eating mindfully, things are not black and white. We may choose to eat because we are feeling happy or sad and may even eat past when our bodies are feeling full. That is okay! There is no such thing as a perfect relationship with food. By being mindful we can notice how we feel after engaging in certain behaviours or eating certain foods (remember to experience and notice without judgement) and make choices for our future snacks and meals that make us feel our best.

Focusing on smell, taste, and texture of food can help you discover what you like and what you appreciate about certain foods. This may help connect you to your eating experience and be more conscious of the food you are eating. Try using your senses by following along with this video.

Mindful eating can help you discover what foods make you feel your best and you enjoy the most. This in turn can help you make food choices that are right for you. For more tips and benefits of mindful eating check out this blog post from Dalhousie University.

Interested in helping your children eat mindfully? We are all born able to eat mindfully. We can make it easier with the right environment for us and children/youth. Try the A-B-C approach: A: Accept, B: Bond, C: Close the kitchen. Discover the details on how to raise children with a healthy relationship with food, and how to raise mindful eaters.

Find more information on mindful eating visit: Be mindful of your eating habits – Canada’s Food Guide or The Center for Mindful Eating – Home.

Dauphin HERO Club continues to be busy

Many familiar sights were forced to the sidelines during strict COVID 19 pandemic restrictions and the Dauphin HERO Club hot dog cart program was one of them. However, with an improved COVID outlook and recent loosening of provincial public health orders, the Dauphin HERO Club’s Hot Dog Cart was back in the public eye — resuming operation again this year in June 2022.

People may recall the old cart, along with the Club’s previous location, was destroyed by fire in Feb. 2019. And amidst COVID hitting, it only operated for a very short time thereafter.

Jim Price is a Community Mental Health Worker for PMH, who works closely with members from the HERO Club.

“We remain very thankful for the ongoing support we receive from Prairie Mountain Health and of course, awhile back, the direct donations we received from community members and groups to relaunch the cart. Club members have been anxious to begin operating the program regularly again for Summer 2022. It’s a really great initiative, and something that has become a real recognizable sign of warm weather and summer days in Dauphin,” Price stated.

Patronage thus far this season has been and continues to be phenomenal. Sales are booming and community supporters have become regulars on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reaction from HERO CLUB Members is very positive and enthusiastic. The members are grateful and appreciative of the ongoing support and patronage shown by the community of Dauphin. The members take great pride in providing a quality food service and are inspired by the opportunity to interact with the public at large. It is wonderful to see Dauphin continue to be a community that embraces and supports the club in so many ways and on so many levels.

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) provides coordination and other assistance to the HERO Club through its mental health program. Dauphin (established in 1994) is one of four HERO Club sites within the health region. Roblin, Russell and Swan River are the others.

The HERO Club is an important initiative because it reduces stigma; provides awareness and education as well as advocacy and provides a clubhouse forum whereby the members can strengthen their resiliency and rekindle hope and encouragement. The club truly embraces and is characterized by what it stands for as a HERO – Helping Everyone Reach Out. We are blessed and humbled by the encouragement and compassion that is a hallmark of our community.

The HERO Club Hot Dog Cart is located outside the Under One Roof Building (formerly the United Church) in Dauphin on Tues. and Thurs. from 10:30 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. outside the former United Church Building (now Under One Roof) at 37 3rd Avenue NW).

The Mighty Beet

Submitted by: Sandra Smith, PMH Registered Dietitian

With the last half of summer approaching, gardens and farmer’s markets start filling up with plenty of garden vegetables. One of our family’s favourites is the beet. The most common beet we see is the red variety. However, beets come in a few colours, including yellow, pink and white beets, and a fun variety called candy stripe, a red and white striped version. Beets are naturally low in calories but contain lots of nutrients.

When choosing beets, halfyourplate.ca recommends that you choose firm, uniform beets free of blemishes and attached leaves be deep green and fresh looking. Beets store well for future use. It is recommended to separate the beets from the leaves, leaving 1 to 2 inches (2.5 -5 cm) of stems attached to the beet. Store leaves and beets in separate sealed plastic bags in the refrigerator vegetable bin. The leaves will last 2 to 3 days, and the beets will last 2 to 3 weeks.

Most recipes call for eating the beetroot, but did you know that you can also eat the beet leaves? Wash the leaves well, and then use them the same as you would spinach. Our family enjoys steamed beet greens; you can find a recipe here (How to Cook Beet Greens – COOKtheSTORY). I often cook extra beet greens and then freeze them in freezer bags in the amount our family would use for a meal. This makes for a quick vegetable side dish in the winter months. Last year, we also used extra beet greens to make a green beet pesto. (Beet Tops Pesto – Girl Gone Gourmet).

Have you tried roasted beets? Roasting your vegetables gives the vegetable a new flavour and helps change your side dishes. You can find a recipe for roasted beets here (Perfect Roasted Beets Recipe – Cookie and Kate). Serve roasted beets hot as a side dish, toss beets with some herbs (such as dill, basil, chives or thyme) when they come out of the oven or add hot or cold into a green salad. We try to roast extra beets that we freeze to eat during winter. My favourite beet salad is a “Warm Beet Salad.” This salad only has a few ingredients and is quick and easy to put together. Feel free to change up the nuts according to the kind you have on hand.

A tip for preparing beets is that you don’t need to peel them; you can eat the beet skin! This makes it a lot faster to prepare beets; make sure you scrub the beet skin clean first. Another tip is that you may want to wear rubber gloves when working with red beets, as the colour from the beet will temporarily turn your skin pink!

If you have questions for a dietitian, please call 1-877-509-7852 or email [email protected].

BRHC highlights five years of the new Westman Dreams for Kids Pediatric Unit

As milestones go, it hasn’t been that long since the new pediatric unit at Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) moved into newly renovated space on the hospital’s second floor. It was five years ago in the latter part of June that official opening ceremonies took place to highlight the initial phase of the BRHC Redevelopment project, aptly named the Westman Dreams for Kids Pediatric Unit. The benefits of a more modern and safe space to provide care to children and support for families have been evident since the beginning. But according to Tammy Turner, BRHC Maternal-Child Care Team Manager, a lot of growth has occurred to further strengthen timely access to care.

“Pediatrics used to be like any other adult medical floor before but right away, our staff noticed all the things that may go unnoticed from a public point of view. The single rooms are colorful, kid-friendly and much better for privacy, there are dedicated spacious washrooms and because some illnesses require isolation, being able to have dedicated equipment in a single room space greatly assists in reducing infections and transmissions of disease.”

Statistically this year, the Unit has been busy with an increase of 80 pediatric inpatients and 110 outpatients from the previous year. Turner says one area of significant importance has been the ability to expand dedicated care for pediatric outpatients.

Meagan McIntosh has attended as an outpatient for two and a half years for monthly IV infusions. The 16-year old and her dad Jeff were travelling from The Pas to Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre for monthly appointments. When it was arranged to come to BRHC they decided to relocate to Brandon because of the care they could receive on the peds unit for Meagan, which was huge for peace of mind.

Capacity for Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU) has also been increasing. Turner says advancements in care and treatment plans allow for stable babies to be transferred to the pediatrics ward and this allows more beds open for our sicker babies in NICU.

In keeping with the bright and relatively new space, staff have enjoyed working with kids on fun colours and decals to make children feel as comfortable as possible. Turner says there’s more to come on that front in the coming months.

“We are working on an exciting and colourful project to further enhance the family-friendly atmosphere up on the pediatric unit. When details are finalized within the next couple of months, we will have another exciting announcement to put some more smiles on people’s faces,” Turner added.

Summertime Tips

Summer means time outside with family and friends! Stay safe and have fun with these quick tips:

Drink more!

Our bodies need more fluids to stay hydrated when it is hot out or when we are doing physical activity. Young children and older adults are more prone to dehydration. To know you are drinking enough, check your:

Thirst, if you have a dry mouth or are thirsty you might need to drink more fluids
Urine; if it is dark and has a strong odor this could be sign of dehydration.
Mood; if you are feeling tired, dizzy or have a headache it might be dehydration

Keep water handy in your home and pack lots while out and about. All fluids count including water, milk, tea, coffee, juice, etc.

Facts on Fluids – How to Stay Hydrated – Unlock Food

Wear sunscreen!

And a hat and sunglasses! Sunlight is strong enough to cause harm to eyes, premature aging and skin cancer. Here’s how to Stay Sun Safe:

Check the UV index; when the UV index is 3 or higher be extra careful, reduce your time in the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p. m. when the sun’s rays are at their strongest
Seek Shade; sit under a tree, canopy or an umbrella.
Cover up; clothes protect us better than sunscreen and Wear a wide-brimmed hat
look for sunglasses with a UV 400 or 100% UV protection.
Apply broad spectrum sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher. Apply a generous amount to any skin not covered by clothes. If you are going to be in the water make sure your sunscreen is also water-resistant. Use sunscreen with all the above tips not instead of them.

Enjoy the sun safely | Canadian Cancer Society

Be water smart!

Water is a great way to beat the heat but it can also be very dangerous.

Actively supervise children around water, even if they can swim.
Ensure there are barriers around backyard pools and empty toddler pools after each use.
Always enter the water feet-first, avoid diving into home pools and lakes and rivers.
Be Careful in open water, swimmers or waders can be swept away in an instant.
Always wear a Canadian-approved flotation device or lifejacket while boating.

Summer Water Safety – Canadian Red Cross

Don’t forget about food safety!

Summer days are great for picnics and gathering outside with friends and family. Stay safe from food poisoning with these tips.

Wash your hands often before and after cooking or eating.
Pack a cooler filled with ice, ice blocks and/or ice packs for everything that needs to stay cool.
Keep the cooler out of direct sunlight.
Use a different cooler for drinks that will be opened and shut more often keeping the food cooler colder.
Throw out any perishable food that has been left out for over 1 hour on hot days.

Summer food safety tips – Canada.ca

All clinics listed below are for 1st or 2nd dose eligible Manitobans.

FIRST DOSE ELIGIBILITY

NEW Pfizer clinics 1st dose eligibility is anyone born on or before Dec. 31, 2009, is eligible for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna clinics 1st dose eligibility is 18 years and older.

Anyone who received a first dose of AstraZeneca/Covishield is eligible to receive a second dose of any mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna), provided they meet provincial eligibility criteria for their second dose (see below).

Consent forms are needed for both 1st and 2nd dose appointments.

Click here to download a consent form.

Vaccine Clinic Locations and Hours of Operation

***Please note the above dates are subject to change based on vaccine availability.

For young people aged 12 to 15

When attending a Pfizer vaccine clinic, to make the visit as easy as possible, they can either attend the appointment with a parent, guardian or caregiver or bring a signed consent form at the time of their appointment. If the youth attends without a guardian and without a signed consent form, they will go through an informed consent process with a clinical lead to assess their ability to consent on their own and proceed with the vaccine. Young people aged 16 and 17 can sign their own consent form. Please bring an MB Health Card or piece of ID.

Booking an Appointment

If you meet the eligibility criteria, book your appointment by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 for all locations.
Booking online is also available for Dauphin and Brandon Supersites only at https://protectmb.ca/.
Individuals can book for other people but require the client’s Manitoba Health card number.

SECOND DOSE ELIGIBILITY

Criteria for 2nd dose changes frequently please visit https://protectmb.ca/ for most up to date information.

Second-dose vaccine appointments can be booked if you meet eligibility and the minimum period of time between doses which is 28 days for all vaccines.

All Indigenous people ages 12 and up
People with priority health conditions (i.e. receiving hemodialysis, liver cirrhosis, severe heart failure, received or to receive solid organ transplant, receiving chemotherapy etc.)

To view the list of health conditions, visit: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html

Consent Forms

A consent form is required for both doses.

It’s important to bring your completed consent form with you for a faster process.

To download the consent form, visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/resources.html
Copies of the consent forms are also available at PMH Health Care facilities and PMH community town & RM offices for pick up.

A reminder to those attending Vaccine Clinics:

Arrive only 10 minutes before your appointment. If you arrive earlier, please stay in your vehicle until 10 minutes before your appointment to prevent long lineups.
Wear a short-sleeve shirt and mask
Do not attend if you are experiencing any flu or cold-like symptoms. If you are sick, please call 1-844-626-8222 to cancel your appointment.
Do not attend if you have been out of the province in the last 14 days.

Before your appointment:

Read this fact sheet for information about the vaccine.
Read this fact sheet about possible adverse reactions to the vaccine.
Print, fill out and sign the consent form before you go and bring it with you.
Read this checklist of what to bring with you and how to be prepared.

Brandon Keystone Centre Supersite

Location: 1175 18th Street

located on the east side of the Keystone Centre building.
Enter off of 13^th street. Use the outside Manitoba Room doors to access the vaccine site.
There is also a pick-up and drop-off area directly in front of the vaccine entrance doors, along with a wheelchair ramp.
**Please DO NOT CALL the Keystone Centre to book or discuss appointments. The Keystone staff do not have the information required.

Health Care Providers

Manitoba has finalized additional guidance for health-care providers to help them answer questions from their patients and determine whether individuals with certain conditions should receive the COVID-19 vaccine when eligible. This includes people who have suppressed immune systems, have autoimmune conditions, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

This guidance is posted at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/vaccine/healthcare-professionals.html.

On May 28, 2021, the day after 215 children’s unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of a former Indian Residential school near Kamloops B.C., the House of Commons passed a bill to establish a statutory holiday called the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. The passing of the bill fulfills one of the many recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report to honour survivors, their families, their communities, and to ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of Indian Residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

The significance of this day will be to remember the victims, survivors of Canada’s Indian Residential School System. In Canada’s efforts to forge a new country, one of its goals was to absorb the First Nations into the general population and to extinguish their culture. In 1878, the new government under the administration of John A. McDonald commissioned a report to look at residential schools in the United States. That report lay the foundation to say that only residential schools could separate Aboriginal children from their parents, culture and cause them “to be merged and lost” within the nation. The report said that the government “should work with the Christian churches to open these schools.” Thus began the Indian Residential School system here in Canada in 1883. The government of Canada made school attendance compulsory in 1894 and empowered the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to seize children from reserves and bring them to the residential schools. Years later, government officials known as Indian Agents continued to carry out the role of gathering children to attend the schools.

Origin of Orange Shirt Day

Phyllis Webstad was only 6 years old when she was sent to St Joseph’s Mission Indian Residential school in British Columbia. Her grandmother had taken her to the store and bought her a brand new orange shirt to wear to school. Phyllis was proud of her new orange shirt but when she arrived, she was stripped of her clothing and never saw her orange shirt again. She was neglected, abused, and made to feel like she did not matter. Phyllis recalled that every child cried to go home, but nobody cared. Fortunately, Phyllis was able to return home to her grandmother. As she became an adult, she said that the colour Orange reminded her of that time in her life. She later used her story as a platform to raise awareness to Orange Shirt Day and “That Every Child Matters.” Phyllis’ story is a difficult one to hear, but has helped to raise awareness to the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential school system and the impacts to survivors like Phyllis and their families. Read her full story here.

Wear an Orange Shirt on Thursday, September 30, 2021 – the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

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