The pandemic has changed all of our lives. But it's also changed our health-care system in surprising, and even positive ways. This season, White Coat, Black Art will explore that idea, beginning with a story about how a rural community in Ontario re-imagined primary care as a result of the global pandemic. Dr. Brian Goldman visits Renfrew County to find out about their Virtual Triage Assessment Centre, which was set up to provide COVID-19 testing but which also promises same-day virtual access to family doctors in a place where 20 percent of the population doesn't have a family physician. They also get home visits from community paramedics who deliver basic primary care and act as the doctor's eyes and ears. Dr. Goldman rides along with a community paramedic as he visits an elderly cancer patient and he checks in with the architects of VTAC, who call it a 'silver lining' to the pandemic and make the case for it to become a permanent fixture in their community.

'A local solution to a global pandemic:' How COVID-19 lit the spark for a new program that connects rural Ontarians to rapid-response health care

Trusted ER doctor Brian Goldman brings you honest and surprising stories that can change your health and your life. Expect deep conversations with patients, families and colleagues that show you what is and isn't working in Canadian healthcare. Guaranteed you’ll learn something new. Episodes drop every Friday.

Science

A single book can have the power to help us heal. A panel of celebrated physicians and nurses, along with members of the audience, weigh in on the books that inspired them at a live event recorded at Hamilton’s Central Library, hosted by Dr. Brian Goldman. 

White Coat, Black Art Book Talk

Judith Morrison needs a kidney. While she's on dialysis, her sister Catherine is putting out a public plea for a living donor. But the search has been hard. And if they do find a donor, the sisters say that person will have to go through a long and opaque testing process - one that experts say needs to be improved across Canada.

The kidney transplant waiting game

Provinces are permitting pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments, but in Alberta, pharmacists have been doing that and much more for 15 years. Because of their expanded powers, they’re filling gaps in health care. But it’s raising questions about the line between pharmacists and family doctors.

ENCORE: Alberta pharmacists filling primary health-care gap

Sharon Chakkalackal was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s at 38. Now, two years later, Sharon’s life is transformed – but not for the worse. Her days are filled with self-care, including exercise and community involvement, to treat and slow her symptoms. Dr. Brian Goldman joins Sharon on her volunteer gardening shift to learn how she's gleaning good from the not-so-good.

Prospering with Young-Onset Parkinson's

At 28 years old, Dr. Soania Mathur was building her medical practice and expecting her first child. Then, she was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease. She tried to ignore her diagnosis for a decade, but as the symptoms progressed, she had to close her practice. Now, the self-described "Unshakeable MD" uses her experience as both a patient and a doctor to advocate for especially young people living with Parkinson's, as up to 10% of patients are under 40.

'A local solution to a global pandemic:' How COVID-19 lit the spark for a new program that connects rural Ontarians to rapid-response health care

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