Medical students visit PMH as part of rural interest group

In partnership with Health Careers Manitoba and the Max Rady College of Medicine, Faculty of Sciences, Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) hosted the University of Manitoba medical student Rural Interest Group in Brandon and Souris on January 26-27, 2024. The Rural Interest Group (RIG) weekend promotes the benefits of practicing medicine in rural communities and available lifestyle opportunities. A record 55 first and second-year medical students participated in the region this year with groups split into clinical workstations at each site.

Student RIG President Vienna Peters says participants were very pleased with the event.

“On behalf of both the Rural Interest Group and the University of Manitoba Medical Classes of 2026 and 2027, I would like to extend a huge thank you to PMH for hosting us again this year. These events are so important for our education as they expose students to what it is like to work in rural medicine, provide opportunities for students to network with doctors and residents, and give us an idea of what it is like to work within the health region.”

PMH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Adrian Fung says the RIG workshop provides the health region with additional opportunities to engage medical students early in their training. 

“We continue to have success with this proactive and student-led initiative,” Dr. Fung stated. “Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) has been a mainstay for this workshop and the community of Souris has also been a proud host in past years. The region participates in, and explores, many avenues of health-care provider recruitment. This event, and the Rural Week event in May are two that create a lot of interest and excitement every year!”

Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara supports and appreciated the workshop’s objectives.

 “I started out my career in rural Manitoba as a psychiatric nurse, it was the best training ground for me to develop my skills and pursue my passion for healthcare. Working in rural Manitoba affords you the ability to really connect with folks in the community, and for me that was most important.”

Health Careers Manitoba and PMH sincerely appreciated the support of regional physicians, staff and volunteers who helped make the RIG weekend a success.

Health Checks receives United Nations recognition

The United Nations (UN) has declared 2021 – 2030 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing.

The UN defines healthy ageing as “creating the environments and opportunities that enable people to be and do what they value throughout their lives.”

In Canada, Manitoba, and within Prairie Mountain Health (PMH), the population is aging. Older adults are one of the fastest growing populations.

The PMH Community Health Assessment (McPherson N et al., 2019) states that by 2030, the most significant increase in population within PMH will be the 75-84 age group. 

Older adults want to age in place, meaning they want to live safely and independently in their home for as long as they can.

1n 2019, community members and organizations in Brandon recognized a need to provide health and social supports to this growing population and formed a community coalition called Health Checks – There’s a Whole Lot of Living Left To Do.

The focus of this community effort is to promote the well-being of older adults and to strengthen their right to self-determination, respect, and dignity so they can age to their full potential.

The Health Checks steering committee consists of provincial and local non-profit organizations (i.e. Age Friendly Manitoba, United Way, Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Seniors for Seniors), Prairie Mountain Health, community dwelling citizens, consultants and researchers from Brandon University.

Health Checks has many initiatives on the go. To date the committee:

• created a website at https://brandonmbhealthchecks.ca/
• conducted a community survey to residents and health professionals; results were used to plan initiatives
• provides content for the Conversations on Aging program on WCGtv Channel 1012
• provided input into City of Brandon recreation master plan
• hosts an elder abuse awareness event in June
• plans, delivers and evaluates a free, annual event in Brandon to provide resources, presentations, and health screening to older adults and caregivers of older adults.

Health Checks had their inaugural annual in person event in the fall of 2019. The pandemic challenged the Health Checks committee to think outside the box and used digital media platforms, including community television, to offer the annual event virtually in 2020 and 2021. The annual event returned to in person in 2022 and 2023.

The Health Checks committee has received grants from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) Foundation and City of Brandon to offer free events that are accessible to all.

Since Health Check’s inception in 2019, PMH has been an integral partner in providing reliable health information and screening at the Health Checks annual events.

Overview of PMH programs and services that have participated in the annual events:

• CancerCare Navigation Team
• Chronic Disease Education Program
• Dr. Elizabeth Rhynold, Geriatric Medicine Specialist
• Falls Prevention and Management Committee
• Health Promotion and Community Development
• Home Care
• Mental Health
• Palliative Care and Bereavement
• Pharmacy/My HealthTeam
• Planning & Innovation
• Public Health (including immunizations and healthy sexuality/harm reduction)
• Respiratory
• Services to Seniors

Examples of PMH participation in Health Checks annual events:

• Input, guidance and expert advice into planning the events (PMH employees, PMH Community Health Assessment)
• COVID vaccine clinic
• Information booths that provide an opportunity for participants to learn about PMH programs and services and “ask the health expert”
• Medication reviews
• Older adult nutrition screening
• Presentations
• Respiratory screening

The Health Checks committee applied for recognition from the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and the application was accepted as a case study in the 2021-2023 UN Decade of Healthy Ageing progress report.

Canadian section of the Decade of Healthy Ageing Progress Report where Health Checks is one of 19 Canadian initiatives that received recognition:

Congratulations to the Health Checks committee and partners for this international recognition!

Strengthening Primary Care in Northern, Rural & Remote Communities

It’s an exciting new year for our Population Health and Wellness team with funding approval from Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) to participate in the Strengthening Primary Care in Northern, Rural and Remote Communities program. The program is designed to improve access to culturally safe primary care closer to home and meet rural and Indigenous communities’ unique needs. People in these communities often require care closer to home to avoid medical transport and transfers and they tend to have poorer access to primary care compared to those living in larger centers.

HEC funding will purchase point-of-care testing equipment to support diabetes and renal screening in specific rural and Indigenous communities. Areas currently served through the Mobile Clinic and Primary Health Care sites were chosen based on established trusted relationships in these communities. The Population Health and Wellness team is partnering with the Chronic Disease Innovation Centre at Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg to help guide this new initiative.

Ashley Vandepoele, Manager of PMH Health Services and Co-Chair of the team, said, “We know there are communities in our region facing challenges that have an influence on their health, such as genetics and lifestyle choices, where they are born, grow, live, work and their age. Point-of-care testing is effective in reducing health inequities in these communities. On-the-spot testing is cost-effective, enabling easier and faster diagnosis of conditions of high prevalence and pre-disease risk factors in areas with limited structures such as medical laboratories.”

Prairie Mountain Health is one of 20 teams from across the country invited to participate in the program. PMH will work with other providers and organizations who help deliver primary care services closer to home while sharing and learning from other teams. The HEC program will provide tailored support to help participating teams define goals and plans for improvement that meet the needs of unique communities, patients and providers.

Dauphin Regional Health Centre announces the arrival of its New Year’s Babies – Twins!

The Dauphin Regional Health Centre is pleased to announce the arrival of the first babies born at the Health Centre in 2024. Say hello to ‘twin girls’ and congratulations to proud parents Brittany and Kyle Eden of Ashville, MB.

Baby girl Avery was delivered at 3:00 p.m. on January 1, 2024 and her sister Harper was right behind at 3:02 p.m. Avery weighed in at 6 lbs. 9 oz and Harper weighed in at 6 lbs. 6 oz.

Management and Staff of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre and Prairie Mountain Health extend their congratulations and best wishes to the family!

Cabbage

According to Half your plate “cabbage is one of those under loved and misunderstood veggies”.  There are many different types of cabbage available in the grocery store all year.  Half your plate recommends choosing green cabbage heads that are firm, solid and heavy with bright fresh colour.

Cabbage is a low-calorie vegetable, which contains a variety of vitamins and minerals and a good amount of fibre. It is a versatile vegetable that can be used in many different ways. We often associate cabbage with cabbage rolls. If you don’t have time to roll the cabbage, try this unstuffed cabbage roll recipe.

Cabbage can also be purchased pre-shredded in a coleslaw bag. While coleslaw is a quick and easy side dish, the sky is the limit on uses for the coleslaw mix. Here is a quick and simple recipe for Fried Rice, which is a one pot meal using leftovers.

The Canola Growers have published this delicious recipe called Veggie Loaded Noodles, which is a regular request from my family. To make this dish a full meal, we cut up a package of firm tofu that we marinate in the sauce, for 1-12 hours prior to making the recipe.  However, it would also work well if you used cooked chicken, turkey or pork.

Ann Thurlow is a retired CBC broadcaster and writer in Charlottetown and wrote “My PEI Cabbage Cookbook”. She recommends a favourite way to cook cabbage is to chop a cabbage into quarters and roast it for 30 minutes, with “a whole bunch of olive oil on it — and garlic salt, if you’re feeling a little racy.” She notes that “cabbage is a little gift from the universe that far too many Canadians are overlooking.” (CBC The Current from March 10, 2023) So next time you are in the grocery store, don’t walk past the cabbage display but stop and pick one up for your next meal!

Submitted by: Sandra Smith, Registered Dietitian

Good Food For A Good Mood

Written by Candy Irwin

Well, who knew?  Eating cookies for breakfast is A-OK!  As a matter of a fact, it’s a ‘thing!’  There’s a proviso, though.  (Of course, there is)!  A breakfast cookie (or two), mindfully chosen, provides a whole lot of nutrition – loads more than a simple piece of whole grain toast!

As an example, everyone present at ”Good Food For A Good Mood,’ jointly presented by the Municipality of Harrison Park Age Friendly Initiative Committee (HPAFIC) and Prairie Mountain Health (PMH), sampled a Pumpkin Cookie that required no special or unusual ingredients. 

Each bright orange cookie included carotenoids, betacarotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, all powerful nutrients for the health of our eyes.  Additionally, the recipe invited you to make the cookies ‘your own’ with the inclusion of dried fruit and nuts, seeds or dark chocolate chips.

Then (are you ready for this?), we washed it down with a mug of steaming hot coffee, which is good for your brain health!  (Really)!

So, on that Monday afternoon at the Sandy Lake Drop-In Centre, Chantal Morais, Registered Dietitian with PMH Community Health Promotion, focused on having a healthy relationship with food, most definitely eschewing fad diets of every description.

“Normal eating,” she said, “is welcoming all foods without guilt or fear.” 

“So many things can influence our food intake – shortness of time (ie. Grab a bite and run.), loneliness, budget, what’s available at certain times of the year and so on.”

Morais’ advice to us all is to eat ‘mindfully,’ as often as we reasonably can.  ‘Mindful eating’ is, in part, defined as “choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body and using all your senses to explore, savour and taste,” which, by the way is difficult, if not impossible, to do in front of the television. Tsk. Tsk.

To punctuate this, we all sampled a prepared-on-site ‘Raspberry-Spinach Twist Smoothie,’ which included milk, raspberry yogurt, raw spinach,  unsweetened frozen raspberries, ground flax seeds and vanilla. 

“No flax seeds?  Well, don’t worry,” said Morais.  “Don’t put them in!”  Don’t have any raspberries?  No worries.  Substitute with any berries you have on hand.  (A blueberry smoothie with a touch of almond extract, is dee-licious)!  No spinach?  How about a bit of kale?

Truthfully, the smoothie was lovely and you couldn’t tell there was any spinach in there, unless you peered (mindfully) into your little sample cup — in my case, while wearing your reading glasses!  Ha!

After that fun, the conversation changed and was rather sobering.  “North Americans get almost half their calories from ultra-processed foods, a dietary pattern linked with poor overall mental health.”

“Not good, but something easy enough to overcome.” said Morais, handing all 30 attendees a list of Brain Healthy Foods, “rich in nutrients that your brain loves.”

“Your brain,” she said, “is mostly water, so stay hydrated.”  Easy enough.  Then, look at your list and make some small swaps.  Making an egg dish?  Add some leafy greens, like beet tops, maybe.  (Puree them and picky eaters won’t even know they are in there).  Love your morning cereal?  Maybe switch to baked oatmeal.  There are many delicious recipes on-line and one 8” x 8” pan can set you up for a whole week.

Nothing like a demonstration!  So, Morais, with HPAFIC Chair, Doreen Stapleton as her trusty assistant, fired up her frying pan and made ‘Spinach and Black Bean Quesadillas.’

First you saute a few handfuls of chopped spinach with a chopped onion, a minced garlic clove, a cupful of canned black beans and a pinch each of cumin and hot pepper flakes (optional).  Easy peasie!  Assemble your quesadilla with a few spoonfuls of shredded cheese, pan fry in a skiffle of olive oil and chow down as is, or, perhaps with your favourite salsa or guacamole.

Tasty and brain-healthy to boot!  Why not get adventurous and add some new foods to your diet – such as lentils, quinoa or plain fermented dairy such as kefir.  Clam chowder, anyone?  The kids at school like dried seaweed as a crispy snack.  How about that?  (I didn’t like it so I stuck it on half a sandwich and now I do it all the time).  Grin.

“Thinner,” continued Morais,  doesn’t equal happier or sexier or morally superior.”  “Did you know,” she asked, “that our bodies are genetically inclined to be at a body weight that they’re comfortable with?”

Normal eating is giving some thought to your food selection so that you eat nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you eliminate the joy of eating.