Media stories for October 22, 2012

Irregular heartbeat
CTV – Your Health with Dr. Rhonda Low
Dr. Rhonda Low on whether abnormal heart rhythm is a common disorder. The appointment of Dr. Andrew Krahn to VGH’s cardiac program is also featured.

A life stained by stigma, now rich in love
The Province – Heartbeat of Vancouver
A positive HIV diagnosis left Bradford McIntyre ostracized and isolated, but because of St. Paul’s pioneering research and treatment, he can now lead an almost normal life. Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, is quoted.

Invisible disease means dollars don’t come its way
The Province – Heartbeat of Vancouver
Due to its proximity to the Downtown Eastside, St. Paul’s Hospital treats more than its fair share of Vancouver’s mentally ill population. Jen Duff, program director of St. Paul’s mental health department, is quoted.

I don’t deserve to die in a toilet
The Province – Heartbeat of Vancouver
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among all mental illnesses with up to 20 per cent dying from complications, says the Canadian Mental Health Association. Dr. Julia Raudzus, medical director of St. Paul’s eating disorder program, is quoted.

Cast your vote: Vancouver Hospital staff enter dance contest for mammography machine
The Province
Staff at Vancouver’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital are hoping a very pink, very enthusiastic four-minute dance routine will help raise money for a new digital mammography machine. Anastasia Elworthy, operations leader for the hospital’s Rapid Access Breast Clinic, is quoted.

BC funds phalloplasty for trans men
Xtra!
BC’s decision to cover the phalloplasty procedure, which involves taking a graft of tissue from a donor site and extending the urethra, was announced at the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH) conference in Winnipeg last month.