Latest news with #SiloamMission
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Siloam Mission launches opioid addiction treatment
Winnipeg Watch Siloam Mission has launched a new program aimed at helping addicts get their addictions under control.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘Life-saving treatment': Siloam Mission offering opioid agonist therapy
Siloam Mission launched a new program last Wednesday in partnership with 432 Health Group and NeuroMed Mental Health and Wellness Clinic, offering help to people suffering from opioid addictions. The opioid agonist treatment (OAT) program offers medication such as Suboxone and methadone to minimize withdrawal symptoms and opioid dependence, according to Tobi Jolly, interim director of community wellness at Siloam Mission. 'It's life-saving treatment for them to manage those symptoms and to help with those cravings,' said Jolly. The new program operates seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Siloam Mission's Saul Sair Health Centre, with an on-site pharmacist and nurse practitioner. 'Having it here in our building is going to be huge for community members who might not otherwise access the treatment elsewhere.' Heidi Pharand-Joven, a nurse practitioner, said the medication is administered on-site and that patients' treatment will be tracked. She added that regular follow-ups will also be done to ensure their cravings are satisfied and that they are not feeling withdrawal symptoms. Nurse practitioner Heidi Pharand-Joven Nurse practitioner Heidi Pharand-Joven said regular follow-ups will be done as part of the program. Uploaded July 21, 2025. (CTV News Winnipeg/Jamie Dowsett) Pharand-Joven said that by ensuring people are not experiencing withdrawal—which can include pain, chills, sweats, nausea, and vomiting—they are less tempted to purchase street drugs. 'The reception has been really good, and the clients that I've met with already have just been so happy to have this service provided here,' said Pharand-Joven, noting that five people used the program on the first day. She said that some people will require OAT for life, while others may be on it for a few months or a couple of years. 'It really is a case-by-case kind of situation, and understanding that social circumstances play a huge part in people's stability and recovery.' -With files from CTV's Jamie Dowsett
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Grant to help U of M researchers study HIV care
A team of researchers has been awarded nearly $3 million in federal funding to research Manitoba-made ways to to improve HIV care as diagnosis rates continue to skyrocket. Manitoba's rate of new HIV diagnoses is second only to Saskatchewan in all of Canada. In 2023, Manitoba's diagnosis rate was 19.3 per 100,000 residents, while the national average was just over six per 100,000 residents. Last year, 280 Manitobans were diagnosed with HIV compared with 199 in 2022 — a 41 per cent increase — despite HIV being highly preventable. Manitoba's cases are unique in Canada: more women than men were diagnosed in 2022 and 2023, nearly half of women and 29 per cent of men diagnosed were homeless, and a majority reported a barrier such as mental health issues or drug use. University of Manitoba researcher Zulma Rueda and her team will use $2.75 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to study the gaps in care in Manitoba. 'In this case, the challenge is that this is not just a medical problem. We have excellent HIV treatment, we have excellent HIV-prevention treatments available, we have excellent testing,' Rueda said Monday. 'In addition to those resources, we need wrap-around services and social services.' Researchers will work with community groups, including the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, Siloam Mission and the Manitoba HIV Program to connect with the people they serve. 'This disease has a different presentation in different contexts, so it's not the same in Vancouver (and) it's not the same in Toronto. Understanding how it affects and which populations are affected, organizations can design tailored strategies to serve the most affected communities,' Rueda said. Research nurse Maya Sykes has been offering primary care at Siloam Mission's Princess Street clinic over the past year, and will be part of the upcoming project, which is set to begin later this year. 'My role over this past year has been to kind of build those relationships with community, because a lot of our folks have a lot of previous trauma or negative experiences with the health care system and with health care workers,' she said. She and others in the U of M infectious disease department will begin with community consultation to paint a picture of how people in Manitoba contract HIV, what might stop them from accessing treatment, and how they can be connected to continuing medical care. 'Just in the conversations that I've had with people, some might know their HIV status, but some might not know what that next step is,' she said. 'Do I get treatment? How do I get treatment? What do I do? I don't have a safe place to store my medication, for example, or I'm living in an encampment. There's just a lot of other competing factors.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Sykes believes diagnosis rates under-represent the true spread of HIV in the province. 'I think that the research, it's unfortunately going to be staggering,' she said. 'Because I think a lot of the folks that we see here might not have ever been connected to the health care system in Manitoba.' In 2023, 100,463 people were tested for HIV; out of those tests, 0.6 per cent were positive. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Another front in the drug-addiction battle opens at Siloam Mission
A four-litre jug of orange juice and a stack of tiny cups are the signs that Siloam Mission has just wrapped up the second day of providing a life-saving treatment for drug addiction on Thursday. The juice dilutes methadone, one form of opioid agonist therapy — a treatment for addiction to opioids including heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone. It involves taking medication, such as methodone and Suboxone, that reduces withdrawal symptoms for 24 to 36 hours. It is the current standard of front-line care for opioid use disorder in Manitoba. It can be used short term or for several years and doesn't get the patient high. The Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction says it reduces the risk of overdose, alcohol-related deaths, suicide, cancer and other illnesses because it increases a person's access to overall medical care and improves the chance of early intervention and treatment. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Kris Allen Pharmacist at 432 Health Group talks about the on-site opioid agonist treatment (OAT) which the group will be providing medical supplies for. 'This would be for folks who are looking to be sober,' Tobi Jolly, Siloam's interim director of community wellness, said at the medical centre at Siloam. 'Withdrawal can be very dangerous for folks. Detox has a long waiting list here in Winnipeg, so if they're trying to do that on their own, it's just super unsafe for them.' The program, which began at Siloam's Saul Sair Health Centre at 300 Princess St. on Wednesday, is scheduled to operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. It was started following multiple instances in which people who wanted to be sober were unable to access timely resources, forcing them to continue using opioids, Jolly said. 'It's long waiting lists everywhere they go, (and) this is where a lot of our community members feel safe and comfortable,' she said. A nurse practitioner, who can diagnose opioid use disorder and offer counselling, will be on site several days a week. A pharmacist will be on hand each day to administer the medication, which can't be taken home. Patients' treatment will be recorded and tracked. The pharmacist and nurse are employed by 432 Health Group, a Winnipeg company that offers a range of medical services. Last year, the firm asked Siloam how it could help, and staff overwhelmingly requested opioid agonist therapy resources. In the first two days, five patients were treated, but staff expect word to spread quickly and more people to show up. 'Withdrawal can be very dangerous for folks. Detox has a long waiting list here in Winnipeg, so if they're trying to do that on their own, it's just super unsafe for them.'–Tobi Jolly 'We're building it,' said Kris Allen, a pharmacist with 432 Health Group. 'As new needs come to us, we're going to fill those gaps.' In Manitoba, 320 nurses and doctors are approved to prescribe opioid agonist therapy. Some are out of reach for the people Siloam serves because many don't have health cards and aren't able or willing to leave the neighbourhood on a daily basis, Jolly said. Manitoba's seven Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics, which are run by the provincial government and provide urgent addictions treatments, including opioid agonist therapy, have long lineups and are, at times, forced to turn people away. Quitting 'cold turkey' is not just painful, but can put the person at a higher risk of overdose and death. While the proposed supervised consumption site would be a crucial complement to Manitoba's harm reduction framework, Jolly said Siloam's new program is meant to intervene immediately if a patient is ready today. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. 'A lot of solutions that are long term, they're going to take a while to happen,' she said. 'More detox beds and more treatment are a long ways away.' The supervised consumption site plan is in the 'review stage,' as per Health Canada's website, which notes it is 'awaiting key information before decision can be taken.' The provincial government submitted its application in November 2024. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba removed some post-training requirements for a doctor to be able to prescribe Suboxone in 2023 in an effort to increase access to care. Since then, there's been an uptick in the number of doctors providing the treatment, but there's demand for more, said Dr. Marina Reinecke, an addictions medicine physician and consultant for the college's prescribing practices program. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Allen and Tobi Jolly, Interim Director of Community Wellness at Siloam Mission. '(It's) certainly not what we would consider adequate access or easy access for most patients,' she said. 'We still have a long way to go in terms of developing those services, but things have improved a lot.' While it is the standard of care, opioid agonist therapy is considered higher-barrier to some and works best in conjunction with other treatment, Reinecke said. 'Safe consumption sites are low barrier. We need them for overdose prevention and as an access point,' she said. 'Opioid agonist therapy is one of the more intensive therapies that people who use safe consumption sites can then sort of graduate into.' Shared Health said in an email it's 'excited' another opioid agonist treatment provider is operating in Winnipeg. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Winnipeg musician embarks on cross-Canada tour to spotlight homeless shelter crisis
Winnipeg musician Les Gillis is hitting the road on July 15 with a deeply personal mission: To raise awareness about Canada's growing shortage of homeless shelter beds and bring comfort to those who rely on them — one shelter, and one song, at a time. The 66-year-old singer-songwriter from Osborne Village will travel by car from Winnipeg to Newfoundland, stopping at major shelters in cities including Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Sudbury, and Toronto. His dual mission is to spotlight the widespread shortage of emergency shelter space across Canada and to perform live music for individuals using soup kitchens and shelter services. 'There are about 35,000 people looking for a place to sleep each night in Canada, and only around 20,000 beds,' Gillis said. 'In Winnipeg alone, we have more than 1,200 people in need of shelter, and only 465 beds. I just want to shine a light on that reality and connect with the people doing the work on the ground.' The project, which Gillis has been planning for several years, will involve interviews with shelter staff and volunteers, video documentation with consent, and frequent updates on his Facebook page . He hopes to compile his findings into a short documentary and explore ways to share it with wider audiences through film festivals or online platforms. 'There's no agenda — I'm not an expert,' he said. 'I just want to gather real, local voices and put it into something meaningful. The government needs to hear directly from the people doing the work, and the people who rely on these services every day.' While statistics exist, Gillis said they are often outdated or incomplete. He believes firsthand stories will better capture the urgency many shelters are facing. 'Some of the data is years old. Meanwhile, we've got government buildings sitting empty, heated, lit — and people sleeping outside,' he said. 'There's a disconnect.' Gillis, originally from Cape Breton, spent decades as a travelling musician before stepping away from the industry. About 10 years ago, he was encouraged to return to music — not for commercial gigs, but for those who needed it most. 'I didn't want to go back to the bar scene or casino circuit,' he said. 'Someone asked what would make me happy, and I said, 'Playing for people on the margins — in shelters, soup kitchens, wherever music might lift someone's spirit for a few minutes.' So that's what I've been doing.' Since then, he's performed regularly at Winnipeg organizations including Siloam Mission, the Oak Table, and Broadway Community Ministry. He's also sung for seniors, hospital patients and international relief events. 'You can walk into a room and see someone barely responding, and then all of a sudden their foot is tapping, their hand is moving — and they're clapping along,' he said. 'Music can do that. It makes people feel seen.' The cross-country journey is self-initiated and self-funded. Gillis recently launched a GoFundMe campaign and accepts e-transfers to help cover the costs of travel, meals and basic needs while on the road. His neighbours recently held a small fundraiser at his condo building, raising $1,800. 'There's no deadline — I'll go as far as I can go,' he said. 'After the East Coast, I plan to come home, regroup, and head west to B.C. That way I'll be able to visit shelters from coast to coast.' For Gillis, the goal isn't just to document the need — it's also to meet it in real time, however he can. 'I'm not here to expose anyone,' he said. 'I don't film or interview people in crisis. I just want to sing to them, say hello, and maybe brighten their day for a few minutes. That's where this all started — and that's what I'll keep doing.' To follow Les Gillis's journey or offer support, visit his Facebook page or contact him directly for e-transfer and GoFundMe details. E-transfers can be sent to support Gillis at Shelterus@ . — Pam Fedack is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. Have thoughts on what's going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
