Dr. Dayan Goodenowe to launch Moose Jaw children's brain health initiative

Dr. Dayan Goodenowe will launch a fully funded Moose Jaw initiative on Oct. 14 to support children's neurological development from conception through early adulthood. The program is free to eligible local families and aims to combine education, injury prevention and nutrition-focused support around brain health.

Why it matters: - The Moose Jaw Children's Brain Health Initiative is designed to help families reduce neurological injury risk and support healthier brain development across childhood and adolescence. - The program is fully funded by Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, which means eligible Moose Jaw families can access it at no cost. - The effort responds to estimated local rates of autism, concussion, ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders and learning disabilities in a community of fewer than 40,000 residents.

What happened: - Dr. Dayan Goodenowe will introduce the Moose Jaw Children's Brain Health Initiative on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Dr. Goodenowe Restorative Health Centre, 1350 Lakeview Road in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. - The launch will also be available online for people who cannot attend in person. - The event is set to include a documentary screening, a presentation from Goodenowe and a lecture on children's brain health and community involvement.

The details: - The initiative is a community-based advanced nutrition approach focused on children's neurological development, brain health and long-term well-being from conception through early adulthood. - The program will be available at no cost to eligible Moose Jaw families. - The initiative is intended to bring families, educators, health professionals and community members together around shared goals for early neurodevelopment and brain health. - Local estimates cited for Moose Jaw include about 400 annual births, 70 to 100 children ages 2 to 10 with autism, 80 to 140 physician-diagnosed concussions each year among children and adolescents, and 350 to 450 school-age children with diagnosed learning disabilities. - Additional estimates suggest about 570 Moose Jaw children have ADHD, 350 have an anxiety disorder and 150 have a mood disorder. - The initiative will emphasize education, community support, nutritional health, injury prevention and opportunities for families to connect with others interested in children's neurological development. - The program will also focus on measuring and understanding neurological health, identifying factors tied to declining function and supporting healthy brain development. - The October 14 event will feature the initial showing of a documentary about two families whose children have rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, or RCDP, a rare genetic disorder linked to severe developmental and neurological challenges. - Goodenowe plans to introduce the documentary, share the families' stories and follow the screening with a lecture. - The initiative will be introduced during a live online presentation on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time. - Residents, parents, educators, health professionals and others interested in children's neurological health are invited to attend. - Webinar registration is available through the online registration page. - More information is available at Dr. Goodenowe's website.

Between the lines: - Goodenowe is framing children's brain health as a community planning issue, not only a medical issue. - The local estimates are meant to show the scale of the need in Moose Jaw and to justify a broader prevention strategy. - The program's structure suggests an effort to build a local model that could be measured and adapted elsewhere. - The inclusion of families affected by RCDP signals that the launch will mix education, lived experience and public health messaging.

What's next: - The Oct. 14 launch will test community interest in a free, locally based brain health program. - Goodenowe plans to use community meetings, educational outreach and discussions with families, schools and health professionals to build participation. - The longer-term goal is to establish a model that can be evaluated and potentially adapted by other communities.

The bottom line: - Moose Jaw is getting a new, fully funded effort to treat children's brain health as a community-wide priority, with a launch built around education, family support and prevention.