Wednesday, October 23, 2024

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

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Speaker(s)

Speakers include: Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health Benjamin Leikin, Manager, Community Health and Wellness Branch, Ottawa Public Health, Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filon, Regional Supervising Coroner, East Region (Ottawa).

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Session Details

Since 2017, when the Ottawa Board of Health first declared an overdose crisis and noted the need for all levels of government to act, Ottawa, like many other cities, has seen a significant increase in the harms caused by fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses. There are rising unmet needs for health and social supports that would prevent and mitigate harms from substance use and promote substance use health. An increasingly toxic and unpredictable supply of unregulated drugs has worsened the situation. Deaths related to suicide continue to impact families, friends, and the community. Every death by suicide is a tragedy. Suicide and suicide prevention are important public health issues. Suicide postvention involves predetermined strategies to effectively and sensitively respond to deaths after they occur. It is an intervention that attends to the needs of those requiring assistance after someone dies by suicide. This session is designed for Primary Care Providers (PCP) to learn about Ottawa’s Overdose Response strategy, and the Mental Health Strategy. There will be a focus on data, tools, resources and how to access local resources. This session will help PCP’s support their patients, regardless of where they present on the spectrum of substance use, suicidal ideations, and post suicide support for loved ones. Session Objectives include: 1. Increased knowledge and skill building related to: - Overdose and Suicide data in Ottawa, - Ottawa’s Overdose Response strategy, including Overdose prevention, access to naloxone, and drug alerts, - Key community initiatives related to suicide prevention and postvention supports, - The impact of stigma as a barrier to access health care, and access to practical tools and resources to reduce stigma. 2. Increased knowledge of referral pathways for substance use health supports