Latest news with #addictionservices
Irish Times
27-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Alcohol labels fool nobody
Sir, – The logic behind placing warning labels on bottles of alcohol seems to be that the product can cause health and other problems and, therefore, people must be told. Apart from the fact that this is condescending – people already know that – it is unwise to take the same approach to alcohol as has been adopted towards tobacco. Alcohol only causes problems in excess, while most people use it in moderation. Last Saturday, for example, in the Drinks section of The Irish Times, there was an article headlined 'Wine shops moonlighting as bars are saving the neighbourhood'. On the opposite page were the four recommended tipples of the week. READ MORE Should that, too, be banned as it encourages dangerous behaviour? There is no evidence that warning labels will have any effect, in particular on problem drinkers. Labelling a bottle of wine 'This could kill you' is an irrelevant message for most people and will be regarded as laughable and therefore ignored. The obvious measure to take is to properly fund addiction treatment and services. That takes time, money and political will. Slapping warning labels on bottles is an exercise in 'Something must be seen to be done. Here is something'. – Yours, etc, DAVE SLATER, Co Kildare.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
IWK launches African Nova Scotian Service to provide ‘culturally responsive care'
The IWK Health Centre in Halifax has launched a new program designed to provide mental health and addiction services to African Nova Scotian children, youth and their families who have ties to one of the province's 52 historic Black communities. The African Nova Scotian Service (ANSS) at the children's hospital will support historical African Nova Scotian children and youth up to their 19th birthday. The program will include services such as: individual and family mental health and addiction support educational programs treatment groups community outreach and resource navigation 'This initiative addresses the long-standing underrepresentation of African Nova Scotian families within traditional health care systems and aims to deliver care that honours the unique cultural context of the community,' reads a news release from the IWK Health Centre. The program will be supported by an interprofessional group of clinicians that includes social workers, nurses, occupational therapists and recreational therapists, 'all of whom are of African Nova Scotian ancestry with deep roots in the community.' 'The official launch of the IWK African Nova Scotian Service is a historical milestone for IWK and the African Nova Scotian (ANS) community and I am so proud to be a part of this journey,' says Cynthia Jordan, ANSS Clinical Team Lead. 'Providing culturally responsive care is about integrating evidence-based programs and delivering service with a lens that honours ANS culture, strength, resiliency, values, and beliefs. The IWK ANSS team is committed to building trusting relationships within the historical ANS community it serves.' Nova Scotians who would like to access IWK ANSS can call Central Referral toll-free at 1-855-922-1122. According to the release, calls will take between 20 and 30 minutes and an Access Navigator will collect your information and connect you to the appropriate services. Nova Scotians can request ANSS support at the time of first contact or at any point during service. 'I was so happy to learn the IWK now has a service that prioritizes the needs of historical African Nova Scotian children, youth, and their families,' says former IWK patient, Janelle Oliver-Harris. 'African Nova Scotians will have the opportunity to see someone that not only looks like them but understands and provides service in a way that honours their diverse needs. Since receiving services at IWK, I experienced having a Black clinician and I know the benefits of having diversity reflected in mental health services. Having this service and team will make a difference.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
04-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
More involuntary care beds in B.C.
Eighteen beds are opening in Metro Vancouver, expanding of involuntary care for people with drug addiction, mental illness and brain injuries.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Visits steadily increasing at Sudbury Youth Hub
The Sudbury Youth Wellness Hub on Durham Street, has seen more than 11,000 visits in the year it has been open. The Sudbury Youth Wellness Hub, located in the YMCA building downtown on Durham Street, has seen more than 11,000 visits in the year it has been open. Officials said Friday that they have seen a steady increase in youth accessing their services, ranging from mental health and addiction services to primary care, skills development and well-being activities. It has become one of the busiest youth hubs in Ontario. Officials at the Hub in Sudbury said in the past three months alone, they have provided $10,000 in transit fares to help youth access the centre. 'It's quite an expense but we do see the value in it being able to help youth get to and from (here),' said Amanda Gates, Sudbury Youth Wellness Hub co-ordinator. 'We have had a couple of youth say when we are out of bus passes they have to walk an hour and a half home, and so we would rather make that a little bit easier safer for them, as well.' Youth Wellness Hub The Sudbury Youth Wellness Hub, located in the YMCA building downtown on Durham Street, has seen more than 11,000 visits in the year it has been open. (Alana Everson/CTV News) The Hub opened in June 2023 and now averages 60 visits a day from youths ages 12-25. It's run by Compass, the lead agency for child and youth mental health in Greater Sudbury, and the hub is designed to address service gaps in mental health and addictions services. 'The whole point of the youth wellness hub is one-stop shop for youth dropping into the centre,' said Mark Fraser, Compass CEO. 'And that includes primary care mental health services, employment services. (It's) also an opportunity to connect with peer support workers so that they can in turn help support the needs of every youth who drops into the centre.' Officials said the number of youth accessing the space continues to grow and there has been a steady increase since last winter when the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth closed due to insolvency. 'We have been really busy. We have had a lot of great feedback from youth. A lot have told us that without this place they would have no where else to go,' said Gates. The hub is funded by the provincial government but as more youth access the safe space, officials said there is an ongoing need for donations to help with food security, transportation and clothing.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
St. Joseph's site swap aims to improve access to addiction services in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Social Sharing The Crossroads Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont., has officially relocated, marking the next stage in St. Joseph's Care Group's plans to improve access to its addiction services in the northwestern Ontario community. Essentially, Crossroads has swapped sites with St. Joseph's Care Group's withdrawal management services and safe sobering bed program. As of Thursday: Crossroads' 20 pre and post-treatment beds are located at 667 Sibley Dr. 25 detox/withdrawal management beds are located at 500 Oliver Rd. Seven safe sobering beds, with eight more beds coming this summer, are located at 500 Oliver Rd. "We now, with these renovations, have more purpose-built space for individuals to work on their goals and to connect with providers as they're working on their recovery and whatever their life goals are for their next step," said St. Joseph's director of addiction services, Nicole Spivak. Crossroads provides clients with accommodation and on-site support both before and after they complete addiction treatment. In the detox program, clients typically stay for three to five days while they manage their withdrawal symptoms, having access to medical intervention and wraparound services. Meanwhile, the safe sobering beds provide people ages 16 and older who are intoxicated a safe space for up to 24 hours, with the goal of diverting them from ending up in police custody or the emergency department. All of St. Joseph's addiction services are completely voluntary. The site swap was necessary to provide more space for the Crossroads program, while creating a more appropriate layout for St. Joseph's other services, said Spivak. Ultimately, she said, the goal is to encourage people to access the services they want, when they want them, in the most supportive environment possible. "It might be intervention for withdrawal, it might be connection to counselling, connecting them to addiction services in the community or other types of services that would meet their needs, whether it be housing or family supports," she said. "So that when they leave, they have more of a plan and resources." Addressing addiction with compassion While 667 Sibley Dr. was undergoing renovations, all of the services were co-located at 500 Oliver Rd. Now, the new Crossroads Centre has space for clients to eat, sleep, do their laundry and participate in programming in a building surrounded by nature. In the summer, St. Joseph's also hopes to enhance the outdoor space, making room for cultural activities where sage and other traditional Indigenous medicines have already been planted. "Having a space designed specifically to meet client needs with input from clients and staff makes a huge difference," said Andrea Docherty, vice president of clinical and community care at St. Joseph's, in a news release issued Wednesday. "It feels like people care — not just about what they are going through now, but about helping them to move forward." The Thunder Bay district continues to have the highest opioid-related death rate in the province, according to Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner. As community partners continue to work together to address the crisis, Spivak said she hopes St. Joseph's can help build more understanding around what addiction looks like and reduce the stigma surrounding substance use. "This is not looking at someone as, 'what is wrong with someone?' But really going to that place of compassion and seeing another member of our community and saying 'what's happened to them, and how can I help?'" she said. "To really have services that are accessible and timely that people feel safe to access and that they can access when they need, for as long as they need."
