Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · 19d

Places for Humans to spend time in, at, and on for the sake of their physical and mental health could save your life. via @thestar.com's Kevin Jiang

h/t @katemulligan.bsky.social @robinmazumder.bsky.social @dtahtoronto.bsky.social @thebentway.bsky.social www.thestar.com/news/gta/is-...

Is Toronto’s design bad for our health? How urban spaces affect well-being and how we compare to others

The places we live play a crucial role in our health and well-being. Experts break down four key elements in health urban design.

www.thestar.com

1 3 5

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 4

"When people come together and #volunteer, we are reminded of our capacity to actually get things done," says Kate Mulligan of @cisp-icps.bsky.social, adding that "makes a big difference and helps us feel like we matter." #SocialPrescribing

This one simple habit could improve your health and happiness in 2025. Here’s how

It’s is proven to improve physical health, reduce stress, and strengthen social bonds, with experts advocating for it as a powerful tool for healthy aging.

www.thestar.com

6 12

Canadian Social Prescribing Student Collective @cspsc.ca · Jan 11

📢 🎉 Our Medicine Working Group is hosting a speaker series all semester long!

Join us on zoom on January 29th 5pm PST for our first session as we welcome Dr. @katemulligan.bsky.social ! Get inspired about advocating for social prescribing!
Register here: usask-ca.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CSPSC MWG Welcomes Dr. Kate Mulligan. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

usask-ca.zoom.us

2

Dale Smith @journodale.bsky.social · Jan 21

Just once again ignoring that the provinces should be doing this because it's their gods damned responsibility, and no, the federal government doesn't need to pay for it. macleans.ca/society/heal...

By allocating federal funds directly to community service providers or earmarking federal-provincial health transfers for social prescribing, we can build the local self-reliance we need for stable, sustainable and impactful social prescribing across the country. For just $100 million a year—or around 0.03 per cent of Canada’s $372-billion health-care spending—we could start with one locally employed link worker for every 40,000 patients in Canada, about the ratio used in the U.K. For a little more, we could hire thousands more link workers and build in evaluation tools to make sure that we funnel health and social-service investments to where they are most needed and most effective. Canada’s health-care system is under immense pressure, but social prescribing is remarkably efficient at turning deficits into assets: a recent KPMG Canada study showed that with every dollar invested in social prescribing, we gain $4.43 from improved well-being and reduced costs on the health-care system. What’s more, social prescribing reconnects health care providers with a sense of purpose and builds volunteerism and community pride in having strong, innovative and locally grown initiatives in our own backyards.

1 24 60

Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · Jan 20

The Case for Social Prescribing macleans.ca/society/heal... @katemulligan.bsky.social @macleans.bsky.social

Get weekly updates: CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter 🍁

photo illustration by maclean’s, photo by istock.

a woman paints a painting, holding a palette. pink medical-looking crosses float in the air

1 6

Cathy Crowe, C.M. 🍁 @cathycrowe.bsky.social · Jan 22

🚨Breaking. #Canada's federal gov't by-passes #Ontario and #Saskatchewan gov't who wouldn't act on the #homelessness #housing front and direct funds directly to cities. #urban
Good, about time. Will it work?
Thankyou @nate-erskine.bsky.social our new Minister of Housing.

1 15 38

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jul 22

When you have a few toes in academia & the rest in other places (policy, practice, community, family), professional life is non-linear & doesn't follow a traditional calendar of progress. I've been forging my own journey for a long time; anyway I'm now officially an Associate Professor @utoronto.ca!

1 3

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · May 30

Looking forward to joining @commonwealthfund.org as Canada's Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice in September! www.commonwealthfund.org/harkness-fel...

1 5

Reimagining the Civic Commons @civiccommonsus.bsky.social · May 21

Canadian PM Mark Carney could go big on social infrastructure in his promise to invest billions of dollars in community healthcare, writes researcher Dr. @katemulligan.bsky.social. “True health and well-being is built in the shared spaces and community programs." More: bit.ly/3EX91HS

Canada’s survival depends not just on international trade, but also on social infrastructure

It's time to invest in social prescribing, and build stronger communities that can weather the winds of global change.

bit.ly

1 2

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · May 14

#SocialPrescribing

www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/0...

Canada’s survival depends not just on international trade, but also on social infrastructure

It's time to invest in social prescribing, and build stronger communities that can weather the winds of global change.

www.hilltimes.com

1 2

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Apr 22

Great day with "#SocialPrescribing in the City" students from public policy, public health, urban planning and more at UTSC yesterday!

Thanks CBC Metro Morning for having me on today to talk about how transformative it is to bring students together for positive change.

4

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Apr 22

Thanks LBJ! Can't wait!

1

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Mar 26

#SocialPrescribing is #3 on this list of the top 5 healthcare priorities in this #consolidation election!

@cisp-icps.bsky.social

How to make health care better in Canada? We asked 5 experts - National | Globalnews.ca

Global News spoke with five experts to break down the biggest issues in health care today and what federal leaders can do to address them.

globalnews.ca

1 2

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Mar 20

The medical system can fix your broken bone. #SocialPrescribing can get you back to dancing.

See how social prescribing can be a low-cost fix to what ails Canada's healthcare system, in this #SocialPrescribingDay segment on CTV's The Social!

Care in Canada Series: Social Prescribing | The Social

YouTube video by The Social CTV

youtu.be

1 1

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Mar 19

Happy #SocialPrescribingDay to all who celebrate ❤️

I'm making the case for #SocialPrescribing on TikTok this morning with Macleans Magazine!

How are you celebrating today?

@cisp-icps.bsky.social

Here’s why doctor-recommended art classes, fishing trips and walks in the park could be key to improving our health. #healthylifestyle #healthy #doctorsoftiktok #nursetok

TikTok video by Maclean’s magazine

www.tiktok.com

8

Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing @cisp-icps.bsky.social · Mar 12

Webinar Reminder! ⏳

How can social prescribing improve healthcare and patient outcomes? Join Jag Mundra (NASP) & a panel of experts as they explore how data and evidence are driving impact in Canada.

Don't miss this important discussion—register now! 👉 bit.ly/4hWkrcF

@katemulligan.bsky.social

1 3

Institute for Pandemics @uoftpandemics.bsky.social · Mar 6

On March 19th at 530pm ET, @katemulligan.bsky.social ( @uoft.bsky.social ) moderates the panel discussion for the 5th annual Vohra Miller Lectures on Critical Public Health Issues. Learn how AI can foster public trust in health.

Info and registration here: bit.ly/4gPas7Y

1 7

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · Feb 25

Excited tonight to hear from @katemulligan.bsky.social with @thebentway.bsky.social’s Ilana Altman, Gehl Now York Julia D.Day and @torontofdn.bsky.social’s
Sharon Avery to discuss ‘Rx for
Social Connection’

h/t @uoftcities.bsky.social

thebentway.ca/event/panel-...

Door way sign

School of Cities and the Bentway Report Launch and Reception Panel: Rx for Social Connection
February 25, 2025
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Campbell Conference Facility

Four participants for this evenings event on a large screen

Large filled room with four people at the front of the room

1 1 7

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Feb 8

Dallas, TX. Arts For Every Body.

1 4

Nadha Hassen, PhD MPH @nadhahassen.bsky.social · Feb 5

We need welcoming + accessible public spaces for all. New research by @katemulligan.bsky.social and me at The Bentway shows how simple #builtenvironment features - like seating & greenery - promote #socialconnection + #wellbeing. New report "Rx for Social Connection": thebentway.ca/publication/...

Rx for Social Connection - The Bentway

What role can public space design and programming play in fostering connection and combating loneliness? The report Rx For Social Connection: Public space

thebentway.ca

2 4 23

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 26

"The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul offers a unique treatment for its troubled patients: it prescribes cats as medication."

#SocialPrescribing
#CatsOnPrescription
#BooksOnPrescription

www.penguin.co.uk/books/462764...

2 9

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 25

More unites us than separates us. #pwhl

1 2

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 25

Here's the link ICYMI: open.spotify.com/episode/1ylT...

3

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 25

Here's the link ICYMI: open.spotify.com/episode/1ylT...

Why doctor-recommended art classes, fishing trips and walks in the park could be key to improving health

open.spotify.com

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 25

Hi #Vancouver! I'll be on News Talk CKNW at 9:05 this morning to talk about #SocialPrescribing as an approach to health that focuses on what matters to you.

Live online at 12:05pm for those of us on Eastern Time: globalnews.ca/radio/cknw/

News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver's News. Vancouver's Talk

News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver's News. Vancouver's Talk. Breaking News & Talk radio station. Metro Vancouver, British Columbia.

globalnews.ca

1 3

Canadian Social Prescribing Student Collective @cspsc.ca · Jan 23

🚨 Are you an MPH student at the University of Toronto? Tomorrow (Jan 24) is the last day to apply for the Novo Nordisk Network Summer Research Program.

Work with @katemulligan.bsky.social
on #SocialPrescribing for Diabetes in Malton—a unique opportunity in #CommunityHealth. Apply now:

Master's of Public Health Program Stream

healthypopulationsnetwork.utoronto.ca

1 4

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 23

We are working to determine the impact #SocialPrescribing could make on Canadian university campuses, where students face plummeting mental health despite having access to campus resources and communities: ow.ly/P8O650ULiZF

How Social Prescribing Can Help Combat the Winter Blues on Canadian Campuses

DLSPH researchers Kate Mulligan and Nicole D'souza lead the way in bringing social prescribing to Canadian campuses.

ow.ly

1

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 22

See e.g. bsky.app/profile/cath...

Cathy Crowe, C.M. 🍁 @cathycrowe.bsky.social · Jan 22

🚨Breaking. #Canada's federal gov't by-passes #Ontario and #Saskatchewan gov't who wouldn't act on the #homelessness #housing front and direct funds directly to cities. #urban
Good, about time. Will it work?
Thankyou @nate-erskine.bsky.social our new Minister of Housing.

Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing @cisp-icps.bsky.social · Jan 22

Passionate about healthy ageing?
Join the IFA’s Global Cafe this Friday! Sonia Hsiung, Director of CISP at @redcrosscanada.bsky.social, will discuss “Supporting Healthy Ageing through Social Prescribing.”

👉 Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#socialprescribing #ageing

3 2

Kate Mulligan @katemulligan.bsky.social · Jan 21

"A year later, Orla has regained much of her mobility, along with a new sense of purpose, agency & belonging that she didn’t have before her brain injury.

While her journey will be lifelong, Orla’s experience shows why social supports should be a routine part of clinical care."

Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · Jan 20

The Case for Social Prescribing macleans.ca/society/heal... @katemulligan.bsky.social @macleans.bsky.social

Get weekly updates: CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter 🍁

2 6