Health: 1)How does wildfire smoke affect your brain today and down the road?; 2)Ontario allocating $9.8M to support hospital operations, reduce wait times at RVH; 3)Healthcare organizations adopting RVH-created tool to improve Goals-of-Care conversations; 4)Healthcare organizations adopting RVH-created tool to improve Goals-of-Care conversations; 5)Nutrition apps can help build healthy habits. For some users, their gaming features carry risks

1)How does wildfire smoke affect your brain today and down the road?

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Hannah Alberga, July 17, 2026

The perils of wildfire smoke don’t stop at the lungs or the heart. They can also affect the brain.

Recent research shows tiny particles from wildfire smoke — known as PM2.5, fine particulate matter — are so small they can travel deep into the lungs.

But they don’t always end their journey there.

Some slip into the bloodstream, or get to the brain directly through the nose, says Dr. Bhavini Gohel of the University of Calgary’s O’Brien Institute for Public Health.

When toxins reach the brain, they can cause inflammation, resulting in fogginess, lack of focus and headache, she says.

Increasing exposure to these harmful particles can also cause long-term damage to brain cells leading to cognitive decline.

Health concerns over dangerously polluted air come after drifting wildfire smoke from northern Ontario turned skies hazy in southern parts of the province.

Gohel, medical lead for the Climate Health System Alliance, says an increasing exposure to this air can lead to dementia.

“Before we were very focused on the lungs, but now we’re starting to understand more and more the effects that we’re seeing on the actual brain, and it really is sort of mainly cognitive.”

A study of nearly 7,000 middle-aged adults across Canada published in May found people living in areas with higher air pollution scored worse on memory tests.

Dr. Abo Akintan, medical director at multiple long-term care facilities in Toronto, says the disruption caused by the particles can affect the brain’s ability to transfer information properly.

“Thus, we see some of the cognitive changes that we see,” says Akintan.

“And we know that long-term exposure over several weeks, months, years definitely does lead to dementia as well as other cognitive changes.”

Akintan says she encourages her patients to stay indoors and close windows to prevent exposure. The long-term care homes she works at have also opened cooling areas and brought in air purifiers.

For many patients, the effect is cumulative, and more common in populations where people have chronic smoke exposures.

“Usually these are people that are in lower socio-economic status areas,” Akintan added.

“Certain populations that we know where they’re more exposed to wildfires, we definitely see that there is a higher incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia in those populations.”

For those who can’t stay indoors, the Public Health Agency of Canada has said that wearing an N95, KN95 or KF94 mask can offer some protection from wildfire smoke. Other masks, including cloth and medical or surgical masks, don’t fit as snugly and the material isn’t as effective at filtering out the smoke particles, it said.

Some firefighters also use tight-fitting elastomeric respirators that filter out hazardous gases and particles.

2)Ontario allocating $9.8M to support hospital operations, reduce wait times at RVH

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Julius Hern, July 23, 2026

The Ontario government is investing more than $9.8 million to support hospital operations at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), with the goal of reducing wait times and improving access to care for patients in Barrie and across Simcoe County.

The province announced $9,808,200 in funding for RVH as part a broader $1.1-billion increase in hospital operating funding across Ontario. The province says that represents a four per cent increase in annual support for the fourth consecutive year.

The funding will support RVH’s core clinical services, including helping keep the emergency department operating, addressing inflationary and wage pressures, and reducing wait times for diagnostic imaging and surgical procedures.

Services expected to benefit include MRI and CT scans, cardiac care, stroke and neurological services, orthopedic procedures and cataract surgeries.

“Ensuring our health care system continues to meet the needs of our growing community has been a priority for our government,” Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey said in a news release.

“This additional funding for RVH will help strengthen frontline services, improve access to care, and support the dedicated health-care professionals who work tirelessly for our community every day,” Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin added in the release.

The announcement comes as Ontario says it plans to invest approximately $64 billion in health infrastructure over the next decade. The province says the funding will support more than 50 major hospital projects and create approximately 3,000 new hospital beds across Ontario.

“This investment will allow RVH to continue delivering the highest standard of care while reducing wait lists and wait times for patients and families, for generations to come, Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sylvia Jones said in a release”

The province also noted RVH is receiving more than $2.2 million through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund in 2025-26 to support repairs and upgrades to hospital infrastructure.

3)SMDHU reminding residents to protect against West Nile virus

Courtesy Barrie360.com and News Release

By Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, July 24, 2026

West Nile virus circulates in Simcoe Muskoka every summer, so the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reminding residents to take steps now to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

West Nile virus circulates between birds and some mosquito species. People can become infected through the bite of a mosquito that has fed on an infected bird. The risk is highest in late summer. The health unit recommends taking the following steps to prevent mosquito bites:

Use an insect repellent approved for use in Canada and follow the label instructions.

Wear light-coloured clothing and cover exposed skin by wearing long sleeves, long pants, socks and a hat when mosquitoes are present.

Remove standing water around your home to reduce mosquito breeding.

Make sure window and door screens are in good condition to keep mosquitoes out.

Most people infected with West Nile virus do not get sick, but the virus can cause serious illness in some cases. Symptoms can include fever, muscle weakness, stiff neck, confusion, severe headache and sensitivity to light. In rare cases, it can lead to serious neurological illness. Anyone with symptoms should seek medical care.

The health unit continues to monitor mosquito activity by trapping and testing mosquitoes and checking for larvae at selected locations across Simcoe Muskoka during the summer.

4)Healthcare organizations adopting RVH-created tool to improve Goals-of-Care conversations

More healthcare organizations across Ontario are adopting an innovative tool developed by Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) that is helping patients and caregivers have clearer, more informed conversations about future healthcare decisions before a medical crisis occurs.

Created by RVH physicians Dr. Giulio DiDiodato, Dr. Chris Martin, and Dr. Doug Austgarden, ASKmeGOC is a research-backed, web-based tool designed to support discussions about treatment preferences, resuscitation decisions, and overall goals of care.

For many patients and families, these conversations happen for the first time during a health emergency when emotions are heightened, and difficult decisions must be made quickly. Healthcare leaders say ASKmeGOC is helping shift those discussions earlier, creating opportunities for patients and caregivers to reflect on their values and wishes in a more supportive environment.

Growing Adoption Across Ontario

The tool is now being implemented by hospitals, primary care teams and community organizations across the province, including the Muskoka Almaguin Ontario Health Team and several of its member organizations, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, Niagara Health, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Sault Area Hospital, Hotel Dieu Shaver Rehabilitation Hospital, Victoria Village, RVH’s Family Medicine Teaching Unit and other healthcare partners.

“This is a strong example of how community-based research can scale beyond a single organization,” said Dr. Giulio DiDiodato, Chief Research Scientist at RVH. “We designed ASKmeGOC to work in real-world settings, and now we’re seeing it adopted across hospitals, primary care, and community teams. That growth is important because, at its core, this tool is about improving the patient experience. It helps create a supportive environment where patients and caregivers can better understand their options, ask questions and make decisions that reflect their values and wishes.”

Supporting Better Conversations

ASKmeGOC helps patients and caregivers better understand their healthcare options and encourages meaningful discussions in hospitals, primary care clinics and community settings before urgent medical situations arise.

The tool is based on evidence from Canada’s largest randomized clinical trial conducted in a community hospital and funded by the Alectra Fund for Healthcare & Social Innovation. It gives healthcare teams a consistent framework for discussing goals of care while ensuring conversations remain focused on each patient’s individual needs, values and understanding of their health.

Healthcare providers using the tool say it is already making a difference in communities across Ontario.

“By having these conversations earlier in primary care, patients and caregivers can explore their wishes in a calmer, more supportive way,” said Dr. Sarah MacKinnon, Lead Physician at Sundridge & District Medical Centre. “It helps people feel more informed and better prepared, while making sure care decisions reflect what matters most to them.”

Creating a More Coordinated Patient Experience

Healthcare leaders say ASKmeGOC is also helping create a more seamless experience for patients as they move between different parts of the healthcare system.

“My experience with the program has been very positive,” said Dr. Melanie Mar, Chief of Family Medicine at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and Medical Director of the Algonquin Family Health Team. “It’s reassuring to know patients have already had thoughtful conversations about their goals of care and better understand their options before they arrive in more acute care settings.”

Another key benefit of the program is its ability to support a broader range of healthcare professionals in leading goals-of-care discussions. By enabling trained professionals such as nurses, paramedics and social workers to facilitate conversations, ASKmeGOC helps ensure patients and caregivers receive consistent support regardless of where they access care while also reducing administrative burden for physicians.

Funding Helping Expand Reach

Funding for ASKmeGOC was provided through the Health Care Unburdened Grant program, supported by the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank.

The funding is helping expand the tool’s use across hospitals, long-term care homes, family health teams and community organizations throughout Ontario.

As adoption continues to grow, healthcare organizations say ASKmeGOC is helping more patients and caregivers have earlier, clearer and more supported conversations about their healthcare wishes—before critical decisions need to be made.

5)Nutrition apps can help build healthy habits. For some users, their gaming features carry risks

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Albert Stumm,June 30, 2026

Green means go, red means stop. Trophies or confetti come with good performance, and people who fall behind get nudged to do better.

Those brightly colored engagement tactics long ago jumped from smartphone games to everything from online shopping to sports betting and classrooms. So it should come as no surprise that many nutrition-tracking apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom also use gaming features to keep users coming back.

But as nutrition apps proliferate, some researchers are raising alarms that gamification features may do more harm than good for some people.

Isabella Anderberg, a psychologist researching digital dieting behavior at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said calorie tracking can reinforce behaviors associated with body dysmorphia and disordered eating.

“We do know that not everyone’s going to experience harm from using the apps, but there are certainly factors that might increase risk,” Anderberg said. “Approach with caution.”

The case for nutrition tracking apps

Anderberg said there is certainly a place for the apps. Health professionals she interviewed during her research reported that apps can be especially helpful as meal-planning tools for people managing chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. And physical activity apps remind people to move their bodies.

Many users report enjoying them, finding tactics like streak notifications to be motivating.

Angela Drury, an English professor in Woodstock, Georgia, began using MyFitnessPal more than 10 years ago to track protein, fat, carbohydrate and calorie intake when she started CrossFit. She has since cycled through several other apps, including Weight Watchers, Lose It and now Nourish, which is paid for by her insurance and includes blood work and weekly meetings with a dietitian.

Drury said the apps have helped her stay on track with fitness goals and have sometimes steered her away from high-calorie foods when she uploaded photos of meals she was considering eating. She feels a little boost when she gets a badge for continuing a streak for logging meals, but a notification that says she hasn’t entered lunch has the opposite effect.

“Then it felt like it was scolding me,” she said.

Be wary of what the app tells you

The way most apps work, users enter height, weight, age and other information and then set a goal. The app says how many calories or macronutrients are needed to reach that goal, using gamelike elements such as badges, streaks, rewards, points and notifications to encourage user engagement.

Many nutrition tracking apps are free but offer premium versions that users must pay for.

The Centers for Disease Control and others say that how many calories you need depends on factors including your age, sex and level of physical activity. The CDC provides a tool to calculate how many calories an individual needs.

Critics warn that food databases are often inaccurate, with estimated portion sizes and calorie counts that vary widely.

Courtney Simpson, a behavioral psychologist and director of eating disorders at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, said some apps encourage people to set calorie goals that are far too low for any adult. That’s not only unhealthy but can set people up for failure.

The gaming features keep people coming back to unrealistic goals, creating shame that may contribute to binge eating or other behaviors people are trying to change, Simpson said.

“It’s not that gamification itself is bad. It’s about what it is promoting,” she said. “Is that actually going to be beneficial?”

MyFitnessPal and Noom did not respond to several requests for comment.

Listen to your body

Anderberg said people who already believe that thinner is better are more likely to misuse the apps. Calorie and macronutrient tracking can then become obsessional, which creates more negative feelings when daily goals aren’t met.

She urged users to be skeptical of what the apps tell them to do and instead rely on their own intuition. If you feel the need to rest, nurse an injury or treat yourself to something delicious, do so.

“We are sort of losing that ability to read our body cues,” she said.

Simpson noted that focusing on weight as a measure of overall health, besides being inaccurate, makes it more likely to lose and regain weight. Such cycling is linked to worse health outcomes over time.

“If you really want lasting change, then you need to be doing behaviors that are feasible and sustainable for you over time,” she said.

Drury could see how the apps could be harmful for people predisposed to disordered eating, but she said the most important consideration for her is to set realistic goals and listen to your body.

“I’ve ultimately learned that you cannot starve yourself into being in the shape you want to be in,” she said.