Creating awareness about Heart Failure for Heart Failure Awareness Week

On Thursday, April 29, I spoke in response to a Minister's statement about Heart Failure - to recognize that May 3rd to May 9th is heart failure awareness week. My comments are below:

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights):

Mr. Deputy Speaker, your heart pumps blood around your body so that your tissues can get oxygen and so that you can live.

Based on national numbers, it's estimated that about 20,000 Manitobans live with heart failure. It's an important condition to be aware of. I join others today to raise awareness of heart failure. Its major causes include coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, faulty heart valves, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia, among others.

Important risk factors for the development of heart failure include, as examples, having a heart attack, having sleep apnea, having obesity. Prevention of heart failure is primarily about reducing risk factors, including reducing smoking, controlling high blood pressure, preventing diabetes and keeping diabetes in individuals who have this condition under good control, keeping physically active, eating healthy foods and reducing and managing stress and treating arrhythmia.

Let us work closely with the Canadian Heart Failure Society to create better awareness of heart failure and its causes and its prevention. And let us take a more vigorous approach to preventing heart failure, as well as providing excellent treatment for those who have it.

Thank you. Merci. Miigwech.

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Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March. South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory. The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions. This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14. Manitoba ( red line ) started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then. South Dakota ( blue line ) has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4. Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.

There is an imperative to have a provincial plan to ensure every child learns to read

Too many Manitoba children with learning disabilities like dyslexia are not being identified and helped early on starting in Kindergarten and grades 1 and 2. The Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that it is the provinces responsibility to ensure that every child learns to read, and even when, in the case of a child with dyslexia intensive intervention is needed. In 12 years Manitoba has failed to produce a provincial plan to address this issue. We are holding a Forum (see below) on this subject. Please come out to the Forum. There is no cost. Everyone is welcome. To learn more about the need to do better helping children, youth and adults with a learning disability click on this link

The Gerrard Report

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