Safe haven – a trauma-informed care model for oral health practitioners: a commentary - Nature

In June 2016, a bus carrying Australian tourists crashed head-on into a local bus in Port Vila, the capital city of the Pacific island country of Vanuatu. Three people in the local bus died. A dozen Australians were hurt, including head injuries and open fractures. As one incident within her 15 years of trauma nursing, Emily Ragus helped evacuate some of them to Australia for medical care through CareFlight. Emily recounts the epiphany, “The usual fairness issues appeared. Australian tourists received deserved world-class emergency help while the people of Vanuatu struggle with daily health services. But nor should tourists take away valuable healthcare resources from locals, so evacuations can help equity. And part of this balance is mental health connected to physical health, for the responders as well as for the crash-affected people and their families.”

Mental health conditions, including alcohol abuse, after traumatic events may increase the potential of future cardiovascular risks, such as non-fatal heart attack and stroke or cardiovascular death, finds a new, independent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association A large study in Denmark suggests that people who were diagnosed with a variety of psychiatric disorders after traumatic events were more likely to have increased future cardiovascular risks, such as non-fatal heart attack and stroke or cardiovascular death, compared to those who did not have mental health issues after a traumatic event.

Mental health conditions, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, depression and anxiety, can develop after people experience trauma. These conditions may contribute to a higher risk of future cardiovascular risks, such as non-fatal heart attack and stroke or cardiovascular death, according to new, independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. Traumatic events are common experiences and can include serious fires or explosions, physical assault, transportation accidents, the suicide or death of a loved one, and severe medical illnesses or injuries. Experiencing traumatic events can significantly affect mental health as well as cardiovascular health. Although most work to date has focused on PTSD and cardiovascular health, our research suggests that we should think about a wide range of mental health consequences when looking at cardiovascular disease risk after trauma. "

CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko – party candidate for Surrey South – made a brief stop in White Rock this morning (Tuesday, Oct. 13), near Peace Arch Hospital’s emergency room, to announce her party’s plan to make health care more accessible. “Too many British Columbians are struggling to access health care, waiting to be attached to a family doctor, waiting for a diagnosis, or waiting for surgery,” Sturko said.