Resources For Navigating Healthcare in Canada

Resources for navigating healthcare include books, websites and podcasts.

General Healthcare Navigation

Books

• How Doctors Think. Dr. Jerome Goopman. Check it out on Amazon.ca. (This book is seemingly only now available in hardcover at a pretty high price, or via Audible.) Dr. Goopman’s website
• Why We Revolt: The Patient Revolution for Careful and Kind Care. Dr. Victor Montori. Check it out on Amazon.ca. About Dr. Montori on ‘The Patient Revolution’ website.
• Activate: How to Save Your Life in a Complex Health Care System. Claire Snyman. Claire is a brain cancer survivor. Check it out on Amazon.ca. Learn more on her website: Two Steps Forward.

COVID Resources

Websites

• Canadian COVID Society. The society has 3 main areas of focus: clean air in schools, safer healthcare and Long COVID resources and awareness. Find and download a PDF form to help you request COVID precautions in healthcare settings: https://covidsociety.ca/priorities/safer-health-care/.
• COVID19Resources.ca. Find the COVID Hazard Index for Canada and each province published every 2 weeks (or so) along with weekly Zoom meetings if you have questions.
• It’s Airborne. Website of Joey Fox, a Canadian HVAC Engineer. Do you have questions about air filtration and ventilation? This is the website to start with.
• MaskBloc.org. Look up whether your city has a volunteer mask bloc that provides access to free masks, tests and portable air filters to borrow.
• Protect Our Province Organizations. These are grassroots organizations started by physicians and scientists. They provide ongoing evidence-based information and resources about COVID. Protect BC | Protect AB | Protect NB | Protect NS | Protect PEI

Podcasts

• Public Health is Dead Podcast. An absolute must-follow podcast by Daniella Barreto (MSc, BSc). She’s a “longtime public health advocate with a background in epidemiology and health science as well as an award-winning podcast producer with a track record of troublemaking”.

Living With Chronic Illness

• The Disabled Ginger. Kelly writes columns on disability as well as COVID safety. Her articles are often picked up by other media. Her website summary: “A place to learn about disability rights, being chronically ill during a pandemic and how to cope with losing your health & independence.” Subscribe and she’ll send new articles to you automatically.

Patient Advocacy Groups

If you’re looking to connect with groups doing advocacy work on behalf of patients, care partners and public health, these groups are predominantly patient-led.

• Canadian Immunocompromised Advocacy Network. This is a relatively new network working to advocate on behalf of the increasing numbers of immunocompromised Canadians. You can support them by getting the newsletter and sharing their posts on social media.
• Patients for Patient Safety Canada. Learn more at their website. You can get their newsletter or follow them on social media and share their initiatives. Patients (and their care partners) who have experienced harm in healthcare can join as members.

Do you have another resource to add? Drop Beth an email.