Martha Walls
@melizwalls
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Historian, Settler, Associate Prof, Disability Rights Advocate, Mum.
Joined September 2020
My family, like so many others, is spending this holiday grieving an incredible, vibrant, and beloved human who was not done living. Every selfish person who refuses to mask had a hand in her death and exacerbates our grief.
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An anonymous social media user, a HCP, says that the Yarmouth hospital has 5 cases of flesh eating disease, and that Pub Health has asked them not to disclose this publicly. They urge great care of any open wound.
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@IWKHealth @slumkoski We have painters at our house today who are showing more care and compassion for our little girl than is the regional children's hospital. How f*cked up is that.
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So the @IWKHealth called to confirm kiddo's MRI next week. When asked if I have questions, I said "I do, about masking. " to which the clinic person says "Oh you don't have to worry about masks any more!" When I replied that we actually are really concerned about masking. .
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We cannot trust a CMOH who claims that COVID and other viruses are not transmitted at school. Full.Stop.
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A 14 y/o is among the recent COVID dead in NS. My heart breaks for that family.
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@CPHO_Canada Seriously? Highest death count of any yr of the pandemic & my disabled kid still can’t go to school because her teachers & classmates aren’t obliged to - and thus won’t - wear masks. Consider 2022 through the lens of the vulnerable and disabled, please. It’s been awful.
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Something cathartic about greeting all the maskless IWK staff with “thanks for showing you care by wearing a mask!” - giving less than zero fucks here today.
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We've been told we're free to advocate but won't receive @IWKHealth support. This feels like a nightmare. This amazing kid w/ Down's, CHD, lung disease & epilepsy is high risk; her booster's out of date. There are no antivirals for her. @slumkoski & I don't know what to do.
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Exactly. Only the hallways. Where in-pain kids wait for x-rays and where consideration of a kid's viral status is low priority and where any masks worn won't be n95s. So again we face the familiar dilemma: how much does she need this MRI? Her seizures are controlled. .
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that we have a kid who can't mask to protect herself and will be unmasked for intubation. that this same kid picked up a bug earlier in the month in day surgery (where mask use was lacklustre). the clinic person replied "it' only the hallways you need to worry about.".
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Her last EEG showed something in a diff spot in her brain, but I recall yrs ago a comment that her EEG info may have been misrecorded. This kid's been PICU'd 8X, 3 X on a vent. Our life's purpose is to prevent her suffering & protect her life.
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@macdoin Indeed. A Dr friend in NB has seen more Strep A this year than in their 15+ career to date. They are alarmed too. What struck me is that 5 cases in one rinky dink hospital seems a lot? And for a HCW to feel alarmed and "silenced" alarmed me.
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So Dr. Strang says today: "We can't stay restricted in lockdown for a long term" - who the heck is advocating this? Literally, I've heard noone call for this. What's with this false dictomy pf total lockdown vs sensible precautions that protect the vulnerable? More gaslighting.
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It's soul destroying to realize that the lives of vulnerable kids (and many others) aren't worth protecting. Wearing masks & cleaning the air are good for everyone & for this bright light they could well mean life and death. We still won't take take these protective steps.
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4 yrs ago my kid was hospitalized for a bug caught in day surgery. We got a lifeflight/ambulances/helicopter ride out of it & another agonizing illness w/ weeks of o2. Folks catch bugs all.the.time in hosp- why get rid of masks that save resources &, most importantly, lives?.
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This was taken ca. 7pm, Feb 25/17. This kid had just slammed back 5 pks of peaches & seemed on the mend from whatever respiratory bug landed her in hospital. It's blurry cos she's hopping like a bunny. 5 hrs after this photo was taken, she was rushed to the PICU.
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Huge shoutout to the Ottawa hospital that gave my gravely ill and immune compromised FIL Covid 19. Oh and be careful if you’re in the Smiths Falls hospital, because guess where he just took it.
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Steve Murphy thinks that folks using drive-thrus are lazy & should pay a sin tax. It genuinely appears to have not occurred to him that the elderly, disabled & vulnerable rely on this service for access. Wow, these “thought pieces” he has free reign to inflict are sumthin else.
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5 yrs ago my kid caught a virus at the IWK during dental surgery; we’d travelled for the long w/e & had to get life flighted back. On May 6, as Covid continues, @IWKHealth quietly removed masks, putting kids who can’t effectively mask at risk. Masks belong in healthcare.
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My heart goes out to fams w/ kids too young to be vaccinated & those whose disabilities or illnesses make them susceptible to BA5, a variant that is shrinking even the outdoor spaces we can access. The decision of NS public health is every bit as cruel as it is political.
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4 yrs ago. A hospital-aquired virus & the last time this kid was sick… which got us 2 ambulance rides, a lifeflight & helicopter ride & a month in hospital, including picu. Please please please wear your masks (esp around vulnerable people) and #KeepMasksInHealthCare.
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So disheartening to see @TimHoustonNS lacks the decency to don a mask in company of vulnerable folks w/ disabilities. THEY wore masks to protect HIM - but he couldn't muster the same humanity. Then again, he's the same fellah who denies them dignity in housing. makes sense.
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@spurg63 My nephews in HS & JrH are amazingly self-assured. They're diligent maskers - while not one of their teachers mask & few of their friends. They are happy & well adjusted - and so empathetic & intelligent in a way their adult role models at school aren't.
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Who’s right? Dr Tam (get booster *now*?) or Dr Strang (wait?) My g*d we need public health information.
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Almost fell out of my chair when I saw that 666 Nova Scotians died in ERs last year.
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I wonder what @TimHoustonNS would do if his kid, .previously hospitalized in the PICU w/ literally every respiratory virus out there, faced the choice between her health, perhaps her life, and school - where noone cares enough to wear a mask in the face of a deadly virus?.
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Huge thanks to neurology at @IWKHealth who agreed to don N95s for the visit of a vulnerable kid who can't protect herself with a mask.
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So we encountered our first business that has banned masks - the Ultramar in Grafton/Woodstock, NB. We coasted outta there on fumes to another gas station. ‘Bout what you’d expect in Higgsvillle/Florida North, I reckon.
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Loved one in ICU in NB with pneumonia. Well not in the ICU, because there are no beds and no staff. Wear your goddamned masks.
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I don't usually let myself look at this pic - but it's always on my mind. This kid is very likely to be hospitalized w/ COVID & studies say that if she is, she has an 86% chance of sepsis - & if she does get COVID sepsis, a 25% chance of death. These are terrible odds.
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And this is where I started to sob. This vulnerable and amazing kid, and not one educator in that room cared. I pledge as an educator that as long as there is a single masked person my classes I will show them the solidarity of human empathy and care & also wear a mask.
In our meeting with HRCE/school officials no-one volunteered to mask around Quinn, but they said they'd work to help her mask. When I said that this was a bit self-serving, as the true beneficiaries of masking were those around the person wearing the mask, we heard crickets.
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Thrilled that all fire-impacted kids are back in school; some have missed 6 days/ 30 hrs – that’s a lot. While celebrating their return, let’s remember that nearly 700 HRCE kids, all with disabilities, have been excluded from 19 days & 95 hrs of school… and counting.
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@amandalhu Pre-cov my kid was often under "droplet protection" - masks & gloves to be worn by all. This was disregarded regularly, esp by wkend staff. I would insist (really didn't want kid catching something else). Once medical garbage stayed under her bed for a week before it was cleaned.
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Unnecessary deaths don’t inspire action, but I bet the almighty dollar will.
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Most heartbreaking thing I’ve read today re the strike: “no one has even asked how my child is doing.” Totally forgotten. Our school hasn’t sent out a single mass communication to address these exclusions. Field trips & end of yr parties continue like no one is missing.
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@TOknitter @IWKHealth Aw, I'm so sorry. We have peds masks that are MRI friendly and initially (before I reckoned with them having to put her out) I actually thought of how hard it might be to convince them to let us use the mask. The ignorance and lack of empathy astounds.
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Day 18 & kids w/ disabilities in @HRCE_NS have lost 90 hrs of school. They’re also losing access to @IWKHealth services such as occupational & physical therapy. Why the crickets from physical & mental health experts? “Normal” kids so denied would garner outrage & you all know it.
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The gusto for peaches was sepsis-induced thirst. She screamed "Mama" as they pulled her from me to intubate. I had to call her dad to come say goodbye - it was so out of the realm of possible, he thought I was joking. The intern, shaken, kept saying: "OMG we almost lost her.".
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So there have been monkey pox cases in NS. Who knew? Not me.
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Today my vulnerable & disabled child, who has a medical accommodation for learning (1 of 2 in HRCE if Student Services are to be believed) will meet her classmates & teacher, virtually, for the first time. 141 days after school started. Inclusion is a chimera.
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This is Canadian Down Syndrome Awareness Week. There is a lot to say and celebrate, but one thing I feel is important is the dual threat posed to people with DS by COVID-19 and the ableism inherent in public health policy.
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@Seahawk17 Meh. Class is overrated for those fighting for the right to access healthcare safely - a right even kids w/ disabilities should have. IMO we could use a little less "class" & a lot more courage to champion what is moral & just. Guessing you fall on the side of class vs courage?.
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And, of course, for all families. No deaths are OK, regardless of the age. These are preventable deaths we are allowing to happen.
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On our walk today we met a nice guy with Downs. Got chatting & his parent said “I’ve put my life on hold for 31 years” & nods at the young man. So I know it’s not always easy, but shoot me if I ever blame my kid for my life. The lost decades are definitely not on this kid.
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@ookpiktoque @IWKHealth @slumkoski Our window guys this winter were great too! Once when we left the house with the kid and had to walk near them, a guy on the crew said "Masks, guys!" And they all put them on. It really was lovely - but strikes such a stark contrast to healthcare it's distressing.
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So kiddo got 30 mins of in-person school for the 1st time in 2.5 yrs, thanks to staff willingness to mask & clean the air - & b/c the very unfortunate fact that few kids w/ disabilities are allowed at school. She loved it & didn’t want to leave - which is equal parts relief &💔
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No safety precautions in school this year. My kid is out. This is a travesty for all vulnerable kids. Fuck every single person who voted for this cruel government.
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@KashPrime I have my grandmother’s diary from the ‘40s. she had a brood of small kids and the abject terror she had for measles jumps off the page . the heart breaking stories of their little neighbours and schoolmates dying of measles. We have no idea.
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Strang: Please care for one another. Me: Could you *please* wear a mask to protect my kid?.Others: Yeah, no, can’t do that.
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That bear should not be wearing a baggy blue, but anyway. Glad to see masks back. Do yourself (and everyone) a favour and follow the federal guidelines that recommend N95s and NOT the surgical masks inexplicably endorsed by the IWK. But any mask is better than none. <3.
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Shoutout to @IWKHealth dentistry for readily & happily agreeing to wear n95s for my kid’s day admission. Her last dental surgery resulted in a hosp acquired infection & culminated in a life flight & 8th PICU admission. Your kindness & attention to virus safety is so appreciated.
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@laesafaith Yes. She screamed for me as they pulled her from my arms to be intubated. Then I had to call her dad to come say goodbye. She pulled thru, but it was the first in 7 picu stays, 3 w/ intubation for respiratory illness. You never get over it. Thank you for saying all of this.
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"How are YOU leveraging privilege & expertise to amplify plights of kids like mine? To make schools safer so parents don't have to choose isolation over safety? So that YOU don’t have to shove breathing tubes down their throats? I shoulda said it w/ a condescending furrowed brow.
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A while back a pediatrician asked how my kid was doing. “Great! Happy and most importantly, healthy!” The reply to my positive report? A condescending furrowed brow & “does she get to play with other kids *ever*?” Then it hit me. This wasn’t a genuine inquiry. .
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Go ahead and wear your pink tee shirt tomorrow. But why not wear a mask, while you’re at it? Show genuine empathy and concern for the vulnerable kids in the classroom.
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My kid 6 yrs ago during her first intubated battle with respiratory virus. Proned because she could not be oxygenated on her back. It’s unconscionable that we refuse to protect people like this even as evidence of waning ped vax efficacy mounts.
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Mask use today at the IWK was disappointing. We were promised n95s by the clinic, this did not materialize in day surgery and baggy blues were baggy. Last time she had surgery she caught a HAI - & got a lifeflight & weeks in PICU. It'll be a nervous week around here.
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@LisaBarrettID Q: How can an intellectually disabled kid - ventilated for several respiratory diseases in her young life - manage risk when others, not even adults, around her refuse to mask? A: she can't & therefore is excluded from society. It's not "imperfect" -it's immoral and devastating.
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Hey @HRCE_NS … it’s Day 9 & kids w/ disabilities have lost 45 hours of school & socialization that their able peers have accessed. I hear you blame CUPE, but it seems clear YOU are the ones refusing to negotiate - it’s just the disabled kids, amirite? Hardly worth the effort.
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This is reckless @IWKHealth. Little children will sicken & suffer - and some will die of this. You didn’t need to choose this - you *could* protect all kids. Scotia Health, IWK to drop mask requirements in some areas - Halifax |
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The Min of Ed is suddenly v committed to the uninterrupted school day, oblivious that kids & teachers are missing wks to illness b/c the province can’t be bothered to clean the air or in any way mitigate vs the deadliest resp virus afflicting kids (disabled kids more than others).
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Day 17 & 85 school hours since kids w/ disabilities had access to education in @HRCE_NS. Can you imagine any other cohort of kids being excluded like this? Why doesn’t @IWKHealth say something? Kids are missing important speech & physio sessions that in NS come though schools.
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365 days w/ the Houston govt- Lordy, is that all? The most distressing and hopeless days of my life. And I feel really dumb for giving him the benefit of doubt.
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It's worth remembering that "allowing" disabled kids to return to class isn't charity, it isn't just meeting human rights (it does!)- it benefits every single kid. Children exposed to diversity are more empathetic, more cooperative - they make better, more thoughtful people.
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22 yrs ago today, dad died of a massive coronary 4 wks after a negligent Dr ordered him off blood thinners he should never have stopped taking. Every NScotian dying by negligence – 100s since Pub Health abandoned us - reminds me of dad, the yrs we lost & grandkids he never met.
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My god, 11 more deaths this week. What are we doing to each other.
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I sure hope @HRCE_NS has a heartfelt apology for 600 kids with disabilities tomorrow. "Sorry we denied your rights & excluded you; sorry we kept you from life-improving therapies for 5 weeks; sorry we downplayed the trauma of exclusion & carried on as if all was hunky dory. .
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Chilling to hear the NSTU Prez say "some" teachers are concerned about immune-compromised students. Protecting vulnerable kids should be a job requirement. If you're a teacher & are unmasked you should be ashamed of yourself - & lose your frontline access to kids.
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Inexplicably, we have a 10 y/o in the house. A well-timed March break isolation span meant this amazing and vulnerable kiddo could share her ridiculous “Gaston the Ladybird” cake with family.
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Happy Valentines Day to all the kids with the moral gumption and integrity to wear masks at schools when adults will not. You are all fucking rockstars. I’m so very sorry one way masking helps only so much. ❤️.
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It’s our 2nd seizure-y week & we’re desperate to get this under control. I’m horrified that society deems it AOK to expose kids to a virus that causes neuro illness, inc epilepsy. You can’t imagine the toll it takes on a kid’s quality of life. Pls wear masks & clean the air.
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My amazing nephew - the lone masked graduand in a class of 600. A prouder auntie there never was.
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I'm horrified. Couldn't even get the @IWK cardiac clinic to wear N95s THAT WE PROVIDED to protect an intellectually disabled & COVID-vulnerable little girl. Cancelled appt. Neuro appt now in the air as they determine if they still have access to N95s (also offered to provide).
The resounding silence from the health care sector in the Maritimes has been disheartening.
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Thank God Dr Strang insists Covid isn’t spread in schools. Otherwise ya might think that we are willfully allowing kids to get sick. Bring on the zip tied chairs of the maskless holiday concerts!.
One student in my cousin’s kid’s grade 9 class at Gorsebrook Junior High today. ONE. STUDENT.
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As I learn of a school-day ski trip that has limited spots and will exclude many, I am reminded of how phoney the premise of inclusion is in NS schools.
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Let this sink in. From our public health leader: “We have to live with COVID for the long term, it’s not going away. Does that mean there’s going to be some people who are at increased risk and there will be some people that die from COVID? Yes.” You know who’ll die, right?.
Lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Nova Scotia 'unacceptable' given risk to vulnerable people | SaltWire
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Day 4 of disabled kids being shut out of @HRCE_NS schools. Now missing 20 hrs of instructional time and, horrifyingly, unable to access speech and occupational therapies, which in NS are delivered via schools.
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Back to postponing kiddo’s @IWKHealth appointments. Can’t in good conscience expose her to maskless hallways and waiting rooms. Where are the ethical paediatricians, anyway?!.
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We at MSVU learned today of our strike protocol should an agreement not be reached by Monday. The employer has refused to excuse employees ON SICK LEAVE. I just can't wrap my head around this. THE ABLEISM! The damage done is extraordinary, even if we reach an agreement.
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@DebHolloway I know they have. Learned of one family member in a Xmas eve zoom- everyone else knew. Big dramatic fun for everyone else to watch the reveal to the overzealous (me). Can you imagine the cruelty?.
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In January, after the infamous “Take Personal Responsibility” presser ended NS COVID precautions, I wrote Strang & Houston to share how my fam has always taken personal responsibility – including for our child when she has been in the PICU during then occasional staffing crises.
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A colleague with a kid in our school, who knows my kid’s vulnerability, when I said we planned to place a HEPA filter in a classroom: “hey, that’s not fair!” Wonder why this selfish world is so screwed?.
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Parents demand return of all students with disabilities to school in open letter to premier, CUPE | SaltWire
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Day 12 & kids w/disabilities have missed 60 hrs of school in @HRCE_NS. We parents steel ourselves for daily discrimination we know our kids’ll face. I was 100% unprepared for this level of discrimination or the @TimHoustonNS govt’s petty refusal to even try to find a solution.
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The wonky ❤️ we love more than anything. *So grateful* for the surgical team that gave us a healthy baby, but baffled at the IWK’s refusal to simply don N95s (I offered to provide) to protect a kid w/ CHD whose disability means she can’t mask in self-protection - 4+ yrs overdue.
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Parents in HRCE - it might be worth following up w/ your school to make sure it has the requisite number of staff with first aid training currently on the job. EPAs were important parts of this preparedness in schools and w/ them off the job, I worry about a gap in preparedness.
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If you’re not masking you’ve got no business wearing your pink 👚.
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Check out the flu/Covid differences. It absolutely breaks my heart/outrages me to recall Dr. Lynk’s assurances to NS parents that flu is more to be feared than Covid. It’s not true. And it did harm to vaccination campaigns on both fronts.
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Here's hoping that restoration estimates (Wednesday, 11 pm !?) are a case of NSP "managing expectations.".
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Public Health in Nova Scotia still “strongly recommends” masking in all indoor public places. I sure hope teachers follow public health recommendations to protect the children in their care. And, I mean, teachers are committed to inclusive schools, right? Right?!.
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And 48 hours later we've had vomiting and now a runny nose. PCR booked. Thanks IWK.
Mask use today at the IWK was disappointing. We were promised n95s by the clinic, this did not materialize in day surgery and baggy blues were baggy. Last time she had surgery she caught a HAI - & got a lifeflight & weeks in PICU. It'll be a nervous week around here.
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Way to show you care, SMU! A mask mandate in all indoor spaces. Well done!.
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So they are just camping 'cos the weather is nice? Like summer vacay?.
The increasing number of tents in parks around Halifax, Dartmouth and other parts of Nova Scotia’s largest municipality is part of the “natural evolution” of summertime, Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlance told reporters on Thursday.
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