Dr Tavisha Gunness

Children’s right to health begins long before they can speak for themselves.

Yesterday, I attended the launch of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Annual Report 2025–2026 at the Caudan Arts Centre.

The call to translate commitments into concrete action resonated strongly with me as a public health physician working in maternal, child and adolescent health.

For babies and young children, this means supporting parents, protecting and supporting breastfeeding, identifying developmental concerns early, and making timely care accessible. For adolescents, it means services that listen, respect their dignity and respond to their physical and emotional wellbeing.

The emphasis on prevention, early intervention and institutional accountability raises a practical question: how do we ensure that a concern identified in one service leads to effective support across the others?

A child’s needs cross the boundaries of health, education and social protection. Our response must do the same—with clear responsibilities and follow-up that families can rely on.

Today’s children deserve health, safety, dignity and a voice today. These are rights we must make tangible in their everyday lives.

🎀 Pink October: Know what is normal for your breasts

Breast self-awareness is not about searching for cancer every day or following a complicated examination routine. It means becoming familiar with how your breasts usually look and feel—so that you can recognise a change.

Be aware of:
• A new lump or thickened area in the breast or armpit
• A change in breast size, shape or appearance
• Dimpling, puckering, redness or another skin change
• A ni**le that becomes inverted or changes position
• A new rash or change around the ni**le
• Unexpected or bloody ni**le discharge
• A persistent change that is unusual for you

Many breast changes are not cancer. However, a painless lump or another unexplained change should still be assessed by a healthcare professional. Early diagnosis begins with recognising a change and seeking care without unnecessary delay.

Breast self-awareness does not replace clinical assessment or recommended screening. It gives you an important starting point: knowing your own normal.

Do not panic—but do not ignore a new or persistent change.

Today is International Safe Abortion Day.

Abortion care is health care. Everyone deserves access to safe, timely, respectful, and confidential care.

Open conversations and accurate information help reduce stigma and support informed decisions.

Algoma Public Health and Sault Area Hospital are committed to supporting access to abortion care services in our communities.

Learn more: https://www.algomapublichealth.com/healthy-sexuality/pregnancy-options/

🎀 Pink October begins today

The pink ribbon is a powerful symbol—but awareness must lead to action.

Throughout October, we will explore breast health across the entire care journey:
✅️ understanding risk, recognising changes, seeking care early, navigating screening and diagnosis, supporting treatment, protecting mental wellbeing and improving life after breast cancer.

This month is also an opportunity to challenge common myths:
🔹️Breast cancer does not affect only older women
🔹️Having no family history does not mean having no risk
🔹️Not every breast change is cancer—but every unusual or persistent change deserves attention
🔹️Early assessment can make an important difference

🎀Pink October must be more than wearing pink. It should strengthen breast-health literacy, reduce fear and stigma, encourage timely consultation and advocate for accessible, coordinated and compassionate care.

Let us move beyond the pink ribbon—from awareness to early action and sustained support.

Healthy ageing is not only about preventing disease or maintaining mobility. It also includes intimacy, relationships, bodily changes and sexual wellbeing.

Yet many older adults hesitate to raise these concerns—and healthcare professionals may not routinely ask.

Pain, changes in desire, sexual difficulties, STI prevention, consent and the effects of chronic illness or medication all deserve respectful, confidential and age-appropriate discussion.

Sexual health does not end at a particular age. Neither should access to information and care.

Let us normalise the conversation.

❤️ World Heart Day: Women’s Heart Health Is Reproductive Health

A woman’s reproductive history can provide important clues about her future cardiovascular health.

High blood pressure during pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and polycystic o***y syndrome may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. During menopause, hormonal and metabolic changes can also influence blood pressure, cholesterol, body composition and heart health.

This is why women’s healthcare must extend beyond pregnancy and childbirth. A life-course approach should connect sexual and reproductive health with:
🔹️Blood-pressure and diabetes screening
🔹️Healthy nutrition and physical activity
🔹️Tobacco and va**ng prevention
🔹️Mental wellbeing and adequate sleep
🔹️Appropriate follow-up after pregnancy complications
🔹️Cardiovascular risk assessment during and after menopause

Reproductive history should be part of every woman’s health history.

Today, let us recognise that protecting women’s hearts begins early—and continues throughout life.

On World Contraception Day, let us remember: 💯 contraception is not about telling people which method to use. It is about enabling every person to make an informed and voluntary choice.

There is no single method that suits everyone. The right option depends on a person’s health, preferences, reproductive intentions and circumstances.

Quality contraceptive care means:
✅️Receiving clear and accurate information
✅️Understanding benefits, possible side effects and alternatives
✅️Choosing freely, without pressure or judgement
✅️Being able to change or discontinue a method
✅️Having privacy, confidentiality and respectful follow-up

Access matters—but genuine choice, dignity and reproductive agency matter too.

Mental health and reproductive agency are deeply connected.

Reproductive agency means being able to make informed and voluntary decisions about one’s body, relationships and reproductive life. But anxiety, depression, trauma, stigma, coercion or overwhelming social pressure can make those choices harder.

Supporting reproductive agency therefore means more than offering services. It also requires:

• Clear and understandable information
• Respectful, non-judgemental counselling
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Freedom from pressure or coercion
• Mental-health support when needed

Every person deserves the time, information and emotional support required to make decisions that reflect their own values and circumstances.

What is one supportive action we can take? Listen without judging.

Family planning is not simply about preventing pregnancy—and it should never be about pressuring people to have fewer or more children.

It is about having the information, services and freedom to decide whether, when and how many children to have. The right method is the one that is medically suitable and aligned with the person’s own preferences and plans.

Information supports choice. Respect protects autonomy. Shared responsibility strengthens families.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally and represents approximately a quarter of all cancers that occur in women every year.

With 1 in 6 cancer deaths among women worldwide, breast cancer is also the leading cause of cancer deaths among women globally.

Breast cancer is highly curable if detected in its early stages and adequate treatment is provided.