There is much debate about whether safe consumption sites should exist and if so where. The site at in Calgary at Sheldon Chumier Center is the center of one of these debates. Here is an article by the CBC that looks at this very important issue.
Tag Archives: mental health
Alberta’s ‘compassionate’ drug-policy
In this article, Donna Kennedy-Glans describes what she learned when she sat down with Dan Williams, Alberta’s mental health and addiction minister, to discuss Alberta’s “compassionate” drug plan. “The aim is to not just reduce the harm caused by drugs but to create the conditions for addicts to recover. In doing so, he [Williams] and others are helping to redefine what it means to be compassionate.”
All goes goes into effect on September 1, 2024. Are we ready?
‘Everyone’s Someone’ to Me
In Alberta, there is much discussion taking place concerning addiction, overdose and treatment. Part of the reason for this because of how the provincial government has chosen to address these issues.
Not surprisingly, many people are not in favour of the direction the government is taking. One of these individuals is Bonnie Larson, a doctor who has worked with people experiencing homelessness for 15 years.
According to Larson, “Alberta’s model is unique in that it excludes harm reduction from the continuum of care. As such, it is a system akin to an extension ladder that is missing the first 10 feet of rungs. Lacking entry-level steps that meet people where they are with non-judgmental care, patient-centredness and barrier-busting pragmatism, the ROSC ladder is impossible for most to even mount, let alone climb.”
Please consider reading Larson’s article, “They’ll Always Be Everyone’s Someone to Me.” It is time well spent.
Addiction Mandate
“‘Right now in Alberta, six people are dying by drug poisoning every single day.'” https://globalnews.ca/news/9873164/alberta-addiction-mandate-involuntary-treatment/
Why are healthcare workers burning out?
Given that healthcare workers have been dealing with the pandemic for over two years, it is fully understandable that many of them are burnt or burning out. Howevever, as the following statement suggests, the underlying reason for healthcare worker burnout may have existed well before the pandemic began.
“Our system was not okay before COVID-19. It was functioning because of the people in it, and because they give 110 percent every time they come into work….The cracks that were there widened and it became apparent to everybody.”
Click here to read the full article.
More Than One Crisis
With COVID-19 at the fore of many people’s minds, other things can be overlooked. Unfortunately, this is seemingly the case for drug overdoses. According to Avery Haines in her article, “‘Man, I’ve seen a lot of people die’: Canada’s other health crisis,”
In the first nine months of 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, nearly 1,700 people died from overdoses in Ontario alone. That’s a 55 per cent increase over last year. In Alberta, during that same time period, more people died from overdoses than from COVID-19.
Click here to read more.
Alone for the Holiday?
Given the reality of COVID-19, many people will be spending the holidays alone this year. Below is an article that provides some ways to cope when you are feeling lonely. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/alone-during-the-holidays-how-to-cope-when-you-re-feeling-lonely-1.5215803
Impact of COVID-19
While it is true that COVID-19 is affecting patients and their families, it is also having a large impact on healthcare providers. This article clearly illustrates how healthcare workers are being impacted emotionally and mentally by the covid-19 pandemic.
Opioid Crisis- Closer Than you Might Think
“Not my loved ones,” you might be thinking, and I hope you’re right. It’s certainly easier to believe, as I once did, that the opioid crisis is some far-off threat, like a flood or fire in another province. The reality is that it may be bigger and closer than many of us want to admit. (Excerpt from a cbc.ca opinion piece written by Katherine Steinhoff.)
Read the full article here.
Elephant in the Room?
If you only have time to read only one article today and/or watch one video, you may wish to make it this one. Thanks, Peter, for bringing this topic to our attention. As you correctly noted, it is “profoundly eye-opening, unsettling, yet so important.” This “elephant” is definitely worth talking about.
