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Sandra Smiley (she/her)

@sandrasmiley.bsky.social
141 followers 170 following 62 posts

Smiley by name, smiley by nature | Resident physician @ubcpublichealth.bsky.social | Board @msf.ca | Co-host/producer @justmedicinepod.bsky.social | Posts about public health & social medicine | Opinions mine

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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Le Monde in English @english.lemonde.fr · 13/08/2026
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo spreads to sixth province as death toll passes 2,100
lemonde.fr
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo spreads to sixth province as death toll passes 2,100
The epidemic, already the deadliest in the country's history, is spreading faster than any previous Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization has warned.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Dental-therapy programs hope to bring better care to remote areas of Canada. Health Canada is funding a new program allowing Northern students to ‘learn where you live,’ by @taviagrant.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com
theglobeandmail.com
Dental-therapy programs hope to bring better care to remote areas of Canada
Health Canada is funding a new program allowing Northern students to ‘learn where you live’
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
As a paramedic, I responded to countless overdoses. Then my best friend died from one. I was overtaken by compassion fatigue, an all too common reality for first responders, by @camfenton.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca
cbc.ca
FIRST PERSON | As a paramedic, I responded to countless overdoses. Then my best friend died from one | CBC News
When Cam Fenton's best friend died, it made him question how someone who was a support worker at a supervised injection site ended up as one of thousands of people who die of opioid overdoses every ye...
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
So much of public health programming around the world still reflects the agendas and ambitions of the Global North institutions financing them. Inequity characterizes the past and present of global health. But what about its future? A great listen here 👇
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
WHO @who.int · 01/08/2026
The Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the #DRC is intensifying, with sustained transmission, rising cases and deaths, and expanding geographic spread. This is now the largest #Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country. Full report, read here: bit.ly/4g6lLeH
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, Democratic Republic of the Congo Disease Outbreak News, 1 Aug 2026
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Amnesty International USA @amnesty-usa.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Extreme heat is not just a weather event. It‘s where climate change driven by corporate greed and political failure collides with people’s rights, lives and livelihoods. bit.ly/4wzWfo4
amnestyusa.org
Global: Extreme Heat Exposes Deadly Collision of Climate Change, Corporate Greed and Political Failure as Rights Burn
Governments must protect people through climate-resilient public services, while confronting the root cause of this escalating crisis.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
The Conversation Canada @ca.theconversation.com · 29/07/2026
Canada’s gender-based violence laws are improving. Frontline worker conditions are not
theconversation.com
Canada’s gender-based violence laws are improving. Frontline worker conditions are not
Canada has a promising gender-based violence legal and policy framework, but none of it accounts for the people actually delivering frontline services.
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Conflicts can spread infectious diseases while making outbreaks harder to detect #publichealth #humanitarianhealth theconversation.com/conflicts-ca...
theconversation.com
Conflicts can spread infectious diseases while making outbreaks harder to detect
The world’s pandemic early-warning system is weakest in places affected by armed conflict, where the risk of outbreaks is often greatest.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Doctors for Safer Drug Policy @dsdp.ca · 17/07/2026
We are grateful to co-host this upcoming webinar on Thursday August 13th, 2026, at 12pm PST with @hrna.bsky.social and Caitlin Shane, staff lawyer at @pivotlegalsociety.bsky.social. REGISTER HERE: tinyurl.com/3da7j4p2 #bcpoli #harmreduction
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
From Ukraine and Sudan to Gaza: why have hospitals become a target of war? by @lizcookman.bsky.social #notatarget www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
From Ukraine and Sudan to Gaza: why have hospitals become a target of war?
International law states only military sites can be targeted during conflicts, but this is routinely being ignored
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 28/07/2026
Giving birth in the shadow of Haiti’s gang violence – photo essay
theguardian.com
Giving birth in the shadow of Haiti’s gang violence – photo essay
As fighting intensifies in Port-au-Prince, only a fraction of its maternity services remain, and they are under constant threat
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Just Medicine Podcast @justmedicinepod.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Episode 40 is out now! Join Drs. @madhupai.bsky.social & @sandrasmiley.bsky.social as they discuss what #globalhealth is, where the idea originated, & why the field urgently needs a reimagining. Link below 👇 🌍 #publichealth #healthequity #medicaleducation open.spotify.com/episode/3rA0...
open.spotify.com
40. Reconciling the practice and promise of global health
Just Medicine · Episode
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Juan Cole @jricole.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Medical Waste dumped in Gaza’s Streets and Markets
dlvr.it
Medical Waste dumped in Gaza’s Streets and Markets
Firas Market has turned into heaps of mixed garbage with medical waste alongside household trash, commercial trash, and rubble remnants
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Melissa Chemam @melissaontheroad.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Ebola: The number of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased to 2,536, including 1,033 deaths, government data showed late on Wednesday.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
BC Wildfire Weekly - Wildfires + More @bcwildfirewkly.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
BRITISH COLUMBIA: “People who are seniors, live alone or have pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, heart or respiratory disease and mental illness such as schizophrenia are the most at risk, the weather warnings say.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... - CBC News BC #BCHeat #BCWildfire
cbc.ca
Extreme heat, wildfire smoke prompt weather warnings across B.C. | CBC News
Environment Canada warns temperatures set to hit mid 30s, even higher in some regions Wednesday. It adds wildfire smoke is deteriorating air quality throughout much of the province.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · 23/07/2026
Dental hygiene students in Vancouver provide care to unhoused people: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... Find out more at canadahealthwatch.ca
theglobeandmail.com
Dental hygiene students in Vancouver provide care to unhoused people
Outreach program delivers free oral health services to an underserved population and hands-on training for future hygienists
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Jason Gale @jasongale.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Sadly, confirmed Ebola deaths in DR Congo climbed beyond 1,000 on Tuesday. # fatal cases has doubled in just over 2 weeks, with the INSP reporting 2,536 cases and 1,033 deaths today. The toll has climbed from 506 on July 4, with the epidemic spreading into Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Andrew Longhurst 🇨🇦 🍉 @alonghurst.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Groups across Canada call on premiers to protect public health care reddeeradvocate.com/2026/07/22/g...
reddeeradvocate.com
Groups across Canada call on premiers to protect public health care - Red Deer Advocate
Health care advocates from across Canada stood shoulder to shoulder in Prince Edward Island, where premiers met on Wednesday, to demand that premiers stop the spread of American-style health care […]
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
WISH Drop-In Centre Society @wishdropin.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The VPD has gutted its Sex Work Enforcement Guidelines, erasing the input of community organizations that shaped the original policy. Instead of prioritizing sex workers’ health, safety, and rights, the revised guidelines emphasize exploitation and trafficking. wish-vancouver.net/news-media/v...
wish-vancouver.net
STATEMENT - Vancouver Police Department guts Sex Work Enforcement Guidelines, erasing community input | WISH Drop-In Centre Society
We are calling for the VPD to prioritize safety, health and rights over enforcement.
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
#Ebola outbreak still expanding in eastern #DRC; @who.int sees signs of stabilization news.un.org/en/story/202...
news.un.org
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak still expanding, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the viru...
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Trump’s HIV funding cuts having ‘severe and devastating’ impact around the world. PEPFAR has saved 26 million lives globally, but slashing of funds and dismantling of USAID have forced clinics to shut in dozens of countries, by @katlay.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/global-devel... @theguardian.com
theguardian.com
Trump’s HIV funding cuts having ‘severe and devastating’ impact around the world
The President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief has saved 26m lives globally, but slashing of funds and dismantling of USAID have forced clinics to shut in dozens of countries
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Zoë Yunker @zoeyunker.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
For months I kept hearing about new health issues in Kitimat. Bouts of pneumonia. Newly diagnosed respiratory illnesses. Next door is LNG Canada, the second-highest flaring LNG facility worldwide in 2025. For @thetyee.ca I investigated what we do and don't know about Kitimat's air. 🧵 1/6
thetyee.ca
‘What Are We Breathing?’ Kitimat Residents Ask | The Tyee
A Tyee investigation has uncovered major gaps in the monitoring of dangerous, potentially carcinogenic pollutants.
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
“If we don’t have the preparedness capacity within #Canada to ensure all communities have climate adaption plans in place… we’re definitely not well placed to have resilience within our communities going forward" - @drnicoleredvers.bsky.social #climatechange www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
We received no alert, say leaders of First Nations communities razed by Canadian wildfires
Chiefs in Ontario say they were left to self-evacuate before homes burned to ground, after being told there was no imminent threat
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Médecins Sans Frontières @msf.org · 20/07/2026
In an opinion piece for @aljazeera.com , @intlpresident.msf.org says that Israel’s actions in Palestine “have eroded the ability for Palestinians to live a dignified, healthy life.”
aljazeera.com
The number one health issue in Palestine is the Israeli occupation
In both Gaza and the West Bank, Israeli policies are devastating Palestinian health with deadly consequences.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Sana Bég @sana.msf.ca · 20/07/2026
@msf.ca is calling for the immediate release of Palestinian healthcare workers who remain arbitrarily detained by #Israel.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Just Medicine Podcast @justmedicinepod.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Did you know that disparities in access to health care are mirrored in access to death investigation in #Canada? Learn more in Episode 39: 🔈 open.spotify.com/episode/4k8a... #forensicpathology #pathology #TruthandReconciliation #MMIWG2S #MMIWG #meded #medicaleducation #communicationskills
Quote from Episode 39
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Anna Mehler Paperny @mehlerpaperny.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Chances are, if you were bothered by the smoke last week, you went indoors. What if you have no indoors to go to? What if your indoors are unsafe? www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
Municipalities, shelters grapple with protecting homeless population from smoky air
Extreme weather events highlight greater need for social housing as core health infrastructure, doctor says
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) @msf.ca · 17/07/2026
#Ebola: “There are people that survive and that’s the reason we do everything we do,” shares John Johnson, our Vaccination and Epidemics Response Advisor. Our teams continue to support survivors after recovery, providing follow-up care and psychosocial support.
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
“The ban contravenes advice from the World Health Organization, which advises against travel ​or trade restrictions” #Canada to temporarily bar entry by foreign nationals recently in #Congo due to #Ebola risk www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Canada to temporarily bar entry by foreign nationals recently in Congo due to Ebola risk | CBC News
As part of new, temporary border measures ‌to combat the spread ​of Ebola, the ​Canadian government on Sunday said ​it would deny entry to ‌foreign nationals who had been to the Democratic Republic of...
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
The Hill Times @hilltimes.com · 18/07/2026
UNLOCKED | Human Rights Commission will hear complaint about sweltering heat in Canadian prisons By @marlogee #cdnpoli www.hilltimes.com?p=512256
hilltimes.com
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Dre Joanne Liu @drejoanneliu.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
The Ebola disease outbreak confirmed as Bundibugyo virus is declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by #WHO www.who.int/news/item/17...
who.int
Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern
Pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 12 - Determination of a public health emergency of international concern, including a pandemic emergency of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), the Di...
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Hantavirus: A cruise ship, a deer mouse, and the fictional line between human and animal health @tivabaral.bsky.social @drejoanneliu.bsky.social @mcgillperl.bsky.social theconversation.com/hantavirus-a...
theconversation.com
Hantavirus: A cruise ship, a deer mouse, and the fictional line between human and animal health
The hantavirus outbreak that began on a cruise ship is a reminder of something we keep having to relearn: When humans push into ecosystems they don’t normally inhabit, they are exposed to viruses.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Hepatitis A outbreak 'absolutely preventable,' Winnipeg doctor says as cases surge. 601 hepatitis A cases have been reported since an outbreak began in northern Manitoba last year, with 131 of them in Winnipeg, by Arturo Chang www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca
cbc.ca
Hepatitis A outbreak 'absolutely preventable,' Winnipeg doctor says as cases surge | CBC News
A Winnipeg doctor says she's worried governments are only offering Band-Aid solutions as hepatitis A continues to spread more than a year after Manitoba declared an outbreak.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) @msf.ca · 17/04/2026
"Every day, we see impacts of the restrictions on entry of medical supplies into #Gaza in our hospitals and clinics.” – Dr. Randa Abu El-Khair Masoud, Project Medical Advisor. She describes the immense strain that restrictions have placed on our teams: www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/palestine-is...
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
“We want a universal healthcare system… we don’t want a system that punches down” - Dr. @ritikagoel.bsky.social Canada faces calls to rescind cuts to #refugee healthcare scheme by @jkdamours.bsky.social via @aljazeera.com #healthequity #cdnpoli www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/...
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
karen ward @kwardvancouver.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
yes bsky.app/profile/ubci...
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
First Nations leaders say B.C. hasn’t made much progress in preventing outsized impact of toxic drug crisis by @thatemfagan.bsky.social #publichealth #harmreduction #toxicdrugs #healthequity www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
First Nations leaders say B.C. hasn’t made much progress in preventing outsized impact of toxic drug crisis | CBC News
In the 10 years since B.C. declared the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency, First Nations leaders say the crisis has had an outsized impact on Indigenous communities.
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Edward Xie @edwardxie.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
On May 1, the Canadian govt plans to introduce cost barriers to access health care for #refugees, refugee claimants, and survivors of trafficking. This goes against evidence and our values. You can reach out to members of parliament. Here's some inspiration from a sample of health organizations 1/7
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Andrea Woo @andreawoo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Ten years ago today, fmr BC provincial health officer Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency in response to a surge in drug deaths Since Jan 2016, close to 19k ppl have died from illicit drugs in BC – about the capacity of Vancouver’s Rogers Arena www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
B.C. marks tenth anniversary of toxic-drug crisis as a public health emergency
Experts review progress and lessons at roundtable discussion
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
B.C. marks a grim 10th anniversary of toxic-drug crisis as a public health emergency. Experts review progress and lessons at roundtable discussion, by @andreawoo.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com
theglobeandmail.com
B.C. marks tenth anniversary of toxic-drug crisis as a public health emergency
Experts review progress and lessons at roundtable discussion
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Michelle Gamage @michellegamage.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
A decade under a public health emergency and nearly tens of thousands dead is horrific. Catastrophic. Grotesque. Governments are meant to keep people safe. The BCNDP knows thousands are dying every year from unregulated drugs. They choose to not regulate the drugs. Today I am exhausted with grief.
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Reposted by Sandra Smiley (she/her)
Andrew Longhurst 🇨🇦 🍉 @alonghurst.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
I deeply appreciate @michellegamage.bsky.social's work on the toxic drug poisoning crisis It's not an "addiction crisis" The use of substances has always been with us—and always will be Let's prevent the social murder by regulating the supply thetyee.ca/News/2026/04... #bcpoli
thetyee.ca
BC’s Toxic Drug Crisis Hits a Grim 10-Year Anniversary | The Tyee
More than 18,000 British Columbians have been killed and there’s no end in sight.
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Doctors for Safer Drug Policy @dsdp.ca · 14/04/2026
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
B.C. declared toxic drugs a public health emergency 10 years ago. Has it made a difference? | CBC News
Experts say they worry the province hasn’t used all the powers available that come with a public health emergency, and is leaning on public opinion rather than science to inform policy.
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Cancer remains top cause of death in #Canada as new @cmaj.ca study shows multiple types rising by @laurenpelley.bsky.social #publichealth #healthequity #hpv #cervicalcancer www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
cbc.ca
His mother died of cancer, then cancer took his wife. Last year, he faced his own diagnosis | CBC News
A new paper published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal offers fresh modelling that shows cancer cases and deaths will remain at high levels in the year ahead — including "concerning t...
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Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) @msf.ca · 13/04/2026
#TalkAboutSudan: Sana Bég and Michelle Shephard reflect on her visit to the #Sudan–#Chad border with our teams and the human impact of the world’s deadliest war. She shares her experience via The Walrus: thewalrus.ca/sudan-genocide
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Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research @uviccisur.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
“Public knowledge really matters in terms of being able to scale up these interventions.” #UVic researchers (CISUR's Bernie Pauly and Karen Urbanoski) discuss why B.C. couldn’t replicate Portugal’s drug strategy, via @victorianews.bsky.social vicnews.com/2026/04/09/u...
vicnews.com
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Brain injury part of a far-reaching shadow crisis amid overdose deaths in B.C. by Brieanna Charlebois @cdnpress.bsky.social #publichealth #harmreduction #toxicdrugs #bcpoli #cdnpoli www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...
theglobeandmail.com
Brain injury part of a far-reaching shadow crisis amid overdose deaths in B.C.
More than 18,000 people have died from toxic illicit drugs since the public health emergency was declared in the province on April 14, 2016
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Reading this gripping account by @casinoshiftmd.bsky.social, I'm reflecting on how patients' social needs are more likely to go unaddressed in overextended ERs -- the same social needs that landed them there in the first place. Somebody put out the fire. #sdoh thewalrus.ca/how-casino-s...
thewalrus.ca
43 Patients, Not Enough Staff: How to Save a Life in an Overrun ER | The Walrus
A few minutes into my shift, I realized my first patient could be dying
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Sandra Smiley (she/her) @sandrasmiley.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Reflecting on 10 long years of BC’s toxic drug crisis by Dr. Ryan Herriot #publichealth #harmreduction #healthpolicy #toxicdrugs via @dsdp.ca @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
thetyee.ca
Reflecting on 10 Long Years of BC’s Toxic Drug Crisis | The Tyee
I’ve spent my career working in the public health emergency. It’s time for a full embrace of evidence-based drug policies.
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Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) @msf.ca · 10/04/2026
Six months of an ineffective #ceasefire have left 733 people dead and 1,913 injured in #Gaza. Doctors Without Borders calls on world leaders to protect civilians, restore dignified living conditions and allow humanitarian aid to reach those who need it.
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